black holes are actually little loops of string .
but point - like objects complicate the laws of physics .
then the atom was discovered , and it was thought indivisible , until it was split to reveal protons , neutrons and electrons inside .
a singularity another contender for the title of smallest thing in the universe is the singularity at the center of a black hole .
people once thought grains of sand were the building blocks of what we see around us .
scientists hope to catch a glimpse of miniature black holes , multiple dimensions and even parallel universes .
one contender for the smallest thing in the universe is the singularity at the center of a black hole .
as they start to explore this wonderland , where nothing is quite what it seems , they may have to rewrite the fundamental laws of time and space .
in experiments , teensy , tiny particles like quarks and electrons seem to act like single points of matter with no spatial distribution .