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Five major string theories were developed and found to be mathematically consistent with the principle of all matter being made of strings. Having five different versions of string theory was seen as a puzzle.
Speaking at the string theory conference at the University of Southern California in 1995, [[Edward Witten]] of the [[Institute for Advanced Study]] [[second superstring revolution|suggested that]] the five different versions of string theory might be describing the same thing seen from different perspectives.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://physics.usc.edu/Strings95/program.html |title=University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Future Perspectives in String Theory, March 13-18, 1995, E. Witten: Some problems of strong and weak coupling |access-date=2017-04-08 |archive-date=2020-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115210233/http://physics.usc.edu/Strings95/program.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He proposed a unifying theory called "[[M-theory]]", which brought all of the string theories together. It did this by asserting that strings are an approximation of curled-up two-dimensional membranes vibrating in an 11-dimensional [[spacetime]]. According to Witten, the ''M'' could stand for "magic", "mystery", "matrix", or "membrane" according to taste, and the true meaning of the title should be decided when a better understanding of the theory is discovered.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Duff |first=Michael |date=1996 |author-link=Michael Duff (physicist) |title=M-theory (the theory formerly known as strings) |journal=International Journal of Modern Physics A |volume=11 |issue=32 |pages=6523–41 |bibcode=1996IJMPA..11.5623D |doi=10.1142/S0217751X96002583 |arxiv = hep-th/9608117 |s2cid=17432791 }}</ref>
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