The Quanta Podcast - Quanta Magazine

When Did Nature Burst Into Vivid Color? Jul 15, 2025

Colorful messages are constantly being exchanged across the natural world, to communicate everything from sexual attraction to self defense. But which came first: these evocative signals or the sophisticated vision needed to see them? In this episode, host Samir Patel speaks with contributing writer Molly Herring about free diving, mantis shrimp, and the challenges of tracking coloration through evolutionary history. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.

Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the minds behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math.

Is Gravity Just Rising Entropy? Jul 08, 2025

Where does gravity come from? In both general relativity and quantum mechanics, this question is a big problem. One controversial theory proposes that the force arises from the universe's tendency toward disorder, or entropy. In this episode, host Samir Patel speaks with contributing writer George Musser about the long-shot idea called "entropic gravity," which Musser covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine.
Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the minds behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math.

Audio coda provided by Cosmic Perspective.

Audio Edition: How Noether’s Theorem Revolutionized Physics Jul 03, 2025

Emmy Noether showed that fundamental physical laws are just a consequence of simple symmetries. A century later, her insights continue to shape physics.

“The post How Noether’s Theorem Revolutionized Physics first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

How Amateurs Solved a Major Computer Science Puzzle Jul 01, 2025

The Busy Beaver Challenge, an open online collaboration, started in 2022 to finally solve a major problem in theoretical computer science. Over time, the online community grew to include more than 20 contributors from around the world, most of them without traditional academic credentials. In July 2024, the group announced that they finally solved the puzzle, bringing a conclusion to over 40 years of effort.

On this week’s episode of The Quanta Podcast, computer science staff writer Ben Brubaker explains the tantalizing Busy Beaver puzzle, which he covered in depth last year, in "With Fifth Busy Beaver, Researchers Approach Computation’s Limits."

Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the minds behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math.

The Mysterious Math of Turbulence Jun 24, 2025

Turbulence is a notoriously difficult phenomenon to study. Mathematicians are now starting to untangle it at its smallest scales.

This is the sixth episode of The Quanta Podcast. In each episode, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the minds behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math.

Audio coda provided by Mount Washington Observatory

Audio Edition: Concept Cells Help Your Brain Abstract Information and Build Memories Jun 19, 2025

Individual cells in the brain light up for specific ideas. These concept neurons, once known as “Jennifer Aniston cells,” help us think, imagine and remember episodes from our lives.

The post Concept Cells Help Your Brain Abstract Information and Build Memories first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

Birds' Migratory Mitochondria Jun 17, 2025

Changes in the number, shape, efficiency and interconnectedness of organelles in the cells of flight muscles provide extra energy for birds’ continent-spanning feats.

This is the fifth episode of The Quanta Podcast. In each episode, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the minds behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math.

Singularities Are Hard to Kill Jun 10, 2025

Black hole and Big Bang singularities break our best theory of gravity. A trilogy of theorems hints that physicists must go to the ends of space and time to find a fix.

This is the fourth episode of The Quanta Podcast. In each episode, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel speaks with the minds behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math.

Audio Edition: Heat Destroys All Order. Except for in This One Special Case. Jun 05, 2025

Heat is supposed to ruin anything it touches. But physicists have shown that an idealized form of magnetism is heatproof.

The post Heat Destroys All Order. Except for in This One Special Case first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

In Computers, Memory Is More Useful Than Time Jun 03, 2025

One computer scientist’s “stunning” proof is the first progress in 50 years on one of the most famous questions in computer science.

This is the third episode of our new weekly series The Quanta Podcast, hosted by Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel. This week's guest is Ben Brubaker; he recently published "For Algorithms, a Little Memory Outweighs a Lot of Time.”

(If you've been a fan of Quanta Science Podcast, it will continue as 'audio edition episodes' in this same feed every other week.)

Historical Recording © Jack Copeland and Jason Long

Math and Beauty in the Age of AI May 27, 2025

Mathematicians have started to prepare for a profound shift in what it means to do math.

This is the second episode of our new weekly series The Quanta Podcast, hosted by Quanta magazine Editor-in-Chief Samir Patel. This week's guest is Jordana Cepelewicz; she recently published "Mathematical Beauty, Truth and Proof in the Age of AI" for Quanta's AI special package.
(If you've been a fan of Quanta Science Podcast, it will continue as 'audio edition episodes' in this same feed every other week.)

Audio Edition: Can AI Models Show Us How People Learn? Impossible Languages Point a Way. May 22, 2025

Certain grammatical rules never appear in any known language. By constructing artificial languages that have these rules, linguists can use neural networks to explore how people learn.

The post Can AI Models Show Us How People Learn? Impossible Languages Point a Way first appeared on Quanta Magazine

AI Is Nothing Like a Brain, and That’s OK May 20, 2025

The brain’s astounding cellular diversity and networked complexity could show how to make AI better.

This is the first episode of our new weekly series The Quanta Podcast, hosted by Quanta magazine Editor-in-Chief Samir Patel. This week's guest is Yasemin Saplakoglu; she recently published "AI Is Nothing Like a Brain, and That’s OK" for Quanta's AI special package.

(If you've been a fan of Quanta Science Podcast, it will continue as 'audio edition episodes' in this same feed every other week.)

Introducing The Quanta Podcast May 13, 2025

The Quanta Podcast is your weekly dispatch from the frontiers of science and mathematics. In each episode, editor in chief Samir Patel will talk to the writers and editors behind our most popular, interesting and thought-provoking stories.

The first episode of The Quanta Podcast will be live on May 20. In this trailer episode, Patel talks to executive editor Michael Moyer about what Quanta covers, how it has changed over time and our recent special series on “Science, Promise and Peril in the Age of AI.”

Join us every Tuesday for stimulating conversations and insights about the biggest ideas in basic science and mathematics.

Quantum Computers Cross Critical Error Threshold May 08, 2025

In a first, researchers have shown that adding more “qubits” to a quantum computer can make it more resilient. It’s an essential step on the long road to practical applications.

The post Quantum Computers Cross Critical Error Threshold first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Fish Have a Brain Microbiome. Could Humans Have One Too? Apr 24, 2025

The discovery that other vertebrates have healthy, microbial brains is fueling the still controversial possibility that we might have them as well.

The post Fish Have a Brain Microbiome. Could Humans Have One Too? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Exotic New Superconductors Delight and Confound Apr 10, 2025

Three new species of superconductivity were spotted this year, illustrating the myriad ways electrons can join together to form a frictionless quantum soup.

The post Exotic New Superconductors Delight and Confound first appeared on Quanta Magazine

It Might Be Possible to Detect Gravitons After All Mar 27, 2025

A new experimental proposal suggests detecting a particle of gravity is far easier than anyone imagined. Now physicists are debating what it would really prove.

The post It Might Be Possible to Detect Gravitons After All first appeared on Quanta Magazine

How the Human Brain Contends With the Strangeness of Zero Mar 05, 2025

Zero, which was invented late in history, is special among numbers. New studies are uncovering how the brain creates something out of nothing.

The post How the Human Brain Contends With the Strangeness of Zero first appeared on Quanta Magazine

The Hidden World of Electrostatic Ecology Feb 19, 2025

Invisibly to us, insects and other tiny creatures use static electricity to travel, avoid predators, collect pollen and more. New experiments explore how evolution may have influenced this phenomenon.

The post The Hidden World of Electrostatic Ecology first appeared on Quanta Magazine

The Cellular Secret to Resisting the Pressure of the Deep Sea Feb 05, 2025

Cell membranes from comb jellies reveal a new kind of adaptation to the deep sea: curvy lipids that conform to an ideal shape under pressure.

The post The Cellular Secret to Resisting the Pressure of the Deep Sea first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Computer Scientists Prove That Heat Destroys Quantum Entanglement Jan 22, 2025

While devising a new quantum algorithm, four researchers accidentally established a hard limit on entanglement.

The post Computer Scientists Prove That Heat Destroys Quantum Entanglement first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Physicists Pinpoint the Quantum Origin of the Greenhouse Effect Jan 15, 2025

Carbon dioxide’s powerful heat-trapping effect has been traced to a quirk of its quantum structure. The finding may explain climate change better than any computer model.

The post Physicists Pinpoint the Quantum Origin of the Greenhouse Effect first appeared on Quanta Magazine

What Happens in a Mind That Can't 'See' Mental Images Dec 11, 2024

Neuroscience research into people with aphantasia, who don’t experience mental imagery, is revealing how imagination works and demonstrating the sweeping variety in our subjective experiences.

The post What Happens in a Mind That Can’t ‘See’ Mental Images first appeared on Quanta Magazine

What Could Explain the Gallium Anomaly? Nov 26, 2024

Physicists have ruled out a mundane explanation for the strange findings of an old Soviet experiment, leaving open the possibility that the results point to a new fundamental particle.

The post What Could Explain the Gallium Anomaly? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Cryptographers Discover a New Foundation for Quantum Secrecy Nov 13, 2024

Researchers have proved that secure quantum encryption is possible in a world without hard problems.

The post Cryptographers Discover a New Foundation for Quantum Secrecy first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Electric 'Ripples' in the Resting Brain Tag Memories for Storage Oct 30, 2024

New experiments reveal how the brain chooses which memories to save and add credence to advice about the importance of rest.

AI Starts to Sift Through String Theory's Near-Endless Possibilities Oct 16, 2024

Using machine learning, string theorists are finally showing how microscopic configurations of extra dimensions translate into sets of elementary particles — though not yet those of our universe.

Insects and Other Animals Have Consciousness, Experts Declare Oct 02, 2024

A group of prominent biologists and philosophers announced a new consensus: There’s “a realistic possibility” that insects, octopuses, crustaceans, fish and other overlooked animals experience consciousness.

Dark Energy May Be Weakening, Major Astrophysics Study Finds Sep 18, 2024

A generation of physicists has referred to the dark energy that permeates the universe as “the cosmological constant.” Now the largest map of the cosmos to date hints that this mysterious energy has been changing over billions of years.

Brain's 'Background Noise' May Explain Value of Shock Therapy Sep 04, 2024

Electroconvulsive therapy is highly effective in treating major depressive disorder, but no one knows why it works. New research suggests it may restore balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain.

Swirling Forces, Crushing Pressures Measured in the Proton Aug 21, 2024

Long-anticipated experiments that use light to mimic gravity are revealing the distribution of energies, forces and pressures inside a subatomic particle for the first time.

Never-Repeating Tiles Can Safeguard Quantum Information Aug 07, 2024

Two researchers have proved that Penrose tilings, famous patterns that never repeat, are mathematically equivalent to a kind of quantum error correction. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod.

Radio Maps May Reveal the Universe's Biggest Magnetic Fields Jul 25, 2024

A controversial technique has produced detailed maps of the magnetic fields in colossal galaxy clusters. If confirmed, the approach could be used to reveal where cosmic magnetic fields come from.

New Clues for What Will Happen When the Sun Eats the Earth Jul 10, 2024

Recent observations of an aging, alien planetary system are helping to answer the question: What will happen to our planet when the sun dies? Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Dark Toys” by SYBS.

New Cell Atlases Reveal Untold Variety in the Brain and Beyond Jun 26, 2024

Recent efforts to map every cell in the human body have researchers floored by unfathomable diversity, with many thousands of subtly different types of cells in the human brain alone. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Confusing Disco” by Birocratic.

Extra-Long Blasts Challenge Our Theories of Cosmic Cataclysms Jun 11, 2024

Astronomers thought they had solved the mystery of gamma-ray bursts. A few recent events suggest otherwise. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Light Gazing” by Andrew Langdon.

Meet Strange Metals: Where Electricity May Flow Without Electrons May 29, 2024

For 50 years, physicists have understood current as a flow of charged particles. But a new experiment has found that in at least one strange material, this understanding falls apart. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Thought Bot” by Audionautix.

In the Gut's 'Second Brain,' Key Agents of Health Emerge May 15, 2024

Sitting alongside the neurons in your enteric nervous system are underappreciated glial cells, which play key roles in digestion and disease that scientists are only just starting to understand. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Running Out” by Patrick Patrikios.

During Pregnancy, a Fake 'Infection' Protects the Fetus May 01, 2024

Cells in the placenta have an unusual trick for activating gentle immune defenses and keeping them turned on when no infection is present. It involves crafting and deploying a fake virus. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Unanswered Questions” by Kevin MacLeod.

Why the Human Brain Perceives Small Numbers Better Apr 17, 2024

The discovery that the brain has different systems for representing small and large numbers provokes new questions about memory, attention and mathematics. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod.

Inside Scientists' Life-Saving Prediction of the Iceland Eruption Apr 03, 2024

The Reykjanes Peninsula has entered a new volcanic era. Innovative efforts to map and monitor the subterranean magma are saving lives. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Fire Water” by Saidbysed.

Echoes of Electromagnetism Found in Number Theory Mar 20, 2024

A new magnum opus posits the existence of a hidden mathematical link akin to the connection between electricity and magnetism. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Clover 3” by Vibe Mountain.

Tiny Language Models Come of Age Mar 06, 2024

To better understand how neural networks learn to simulate writing, researchers trained simpler versions on synthetic children’s stories. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Thought Bot” by Audionautix.

Rogue Worlds Throw Planetary Ideas Out of Orbit Feb 21, 2024

Scientists have recently discovered scores of free-floating worlds that defy classification. The new observations have forced them to rethink their theories of star and planet formation. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Light Gazing” by Andrew Langdon.

What Makes Life Tick? Mitochondria May Keep Time for Cells Feb 07, 2024

Every species develops at its own unique tempo, leaving scientists to wonder what governs their timing. A suite of new findings suggests that cells use basic metabolic processes as clocks. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer.

An Old Conjecture Falls, Making Spheres a Lot More Complicated Jan 24, 2024

The telescope conjecture gave mathematicians a handle on ways to map one sphere to another. Now that it has been disproved, the universe of shapes has exploded. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Slow Burn” by Kevin MacLeod.

Even Synthetic Life Forms With a Tiny Genome Can Evolve Jan 10, 2024

By watching “minimal” cells regain the fitness they lost, researchers are testing whether a genome can be too simple to evolve. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Hidden Agenda” by Kevin MacLeod.

Selfish, Virus-Like DNA Can Carry Genes Between Species Dec 20, 2023

Genetic elements called Mavericks that have some viral features could be responsible for the large-scale smuggling of DNA between species. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Clover” by Vibe Mountain.

Exoplanets Could Help Us Learn How Planets Make Magnetism Dec 06, 2023

New observations of a faraway rocky world that might have its own magnetic field could help astronomers understand the seemingly haphazard magnetic fields in our own solar system. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Light Gazing” by Andrew Langdon.

To Move Fast, Quantum Maze Solvers Must Forget the Past Nov 21, 2023

Quantum algorithms can find their way out of mazes exponentially faster than classical ones, at the cost of forgetting the paths they took. A new result suggests that the trade-off may be inevitable. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Confusing Disco” by Birocratic.

Underground Cells Make 'Dark Oxygen' Without Light Nov 08, 2023

In some deep subterranean aquifers, cells have a chemical trick for making oxygen that could sustain whole underground ecosystems. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer.

How the Brain Protects Itself From Blood-Borne Threats Oct 25, 2023

To buffer the brain against menaces in the blood, a dynamic, multi-tiered system of protection is built into the brain’s blood vessels. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Good Times” by Patrick Patrikios.

JWST Spots Giant Black Holes All Over the Early Universe Oct 11, 2023

Giant black holes were supposed to be bit players in the early cosmic story. But recent James Webb Space Telescope observations are finding an unexpected abundance of the beasts. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Light Gazing” by Andrew Langdon.

Is It Real or Imagined? How Your Brain Tells the Difference. Sep 27, 2023

New experiments show that the brain distinguishes between perceived and imagined mental images by checking whether they cross a “reality threshold.” Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Who’s Using Who” by The Mini Vandals.

Chatbots Don't Know What Stuff Isn't Sep 13, 2023

Today’s language models are more sophisticated than ever, but they still struggle with the concept of negation. That’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Hidden Agenda” by Kevin MacLeod.

Global Microbiome Study Gives New View of Shared Health Risks Aug 30, 2023

The most comprehensive survey of how we share our microbiomes suggests a new way of thinking about the risks of developing some diseases that aren’t usually considered contagious. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Transmission” by John Deley and the 41 Players.

Physicists Use Quantum Mechanics to Pull Energy out of Nothing Aug 16, 2023

The quantum energy teleportation protocol was proposed in 2008 and largely ignored. Now two independent experiments have shown that it works. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer.

How Loneliness Reshapes the Brain Aug 02, 2023

Feelings of loneliness prompt changes in the brain that further isolate people from social contact. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Slow Burn” by Kevin MacLeod.

Gene Expression in Neurons Solves a Brain Evolution Puzzle Jul 19, 2023

The neocortex of our brain is the seat of our intellect. New data suggests that mammals created it with new types of cells that they developed only after their evolutionary split from reptiles. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer.

Machines Learn Better if We Teach Them the Basics Jul 05, 2023

A wave of research improves reinforcement learning algorithms by pre-training them as if they were human. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod.

The Cause of Depression Is Probably Not What You Think Jun 21, 2023

Depression has often been blamed on low levels of serotonin in the brain. That answer is insufficient, but alternatives are coming into view and changing our understanding of the disease. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Redwood Trail” by Audionautix.

Ants Live 10 Times Longer by Altering Their Insulin Responses Jun 07, 2023

Queen ants live far longer than genetically identical workers. Researchers are learning what their longevity secrets could mean for aging in other species. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Good Times” by Patrick Patrikios.

How the Brain Distinguishes Memories From Perceptions May 24, 2023

The neural representations of a perceived image and the memory of it are almost the same. New work shows how and why they are different. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Light Gazing” by Andrew Langdon.

What Causes Alzheimer's? Scientists Are Rethinking the Answer. (Pt 2) May 10, 2023

If plaques of amyloid protein in the brain aren’t the root cause of Alzheimer’s disease, what is? Researchers investigating alternative possibilities have faced resistance from the biomedical establishment for decades, but intriguing theories about the role of defects in protein processing and the immune system have emerged. (Part 2 of two episodes.)

What Causes Alzheimer's? Scientists Are Rethinking the Answer. (Pt. 1) Apr 26, 2023

After decades in the shadow of the reigning model for Alzheimer’s disease, alternative explanations are finally getting the attention they deserve. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Redwood Trail” by Audionautix.

Astronomers Say They Have Spotted the Universe's First Stars Apr 12, 2023

Theory has it that “Population III” stars brought light to the cosmos. The James Webb Space Telescope may have just glimpsed them. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Light Gazing” by Andrew Langdon.

New Chip Expands the Possibilities for AI Mar 29, 2023

An energy-efficient chip called NeuRRAM fixes an old design flaw to run large-scale AI algorithms on smaller devices, reaching the same accuracy as wasteful digital computers. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Cast of Pods” by Doug Maxwell.

How Supergenes Fuel Evolution Despite Harmful Mutations Mar 15, 2023

Supergenes that lock inherited traits together are widespread in nature. Recent work shows that their blend of genetic benefits and risks for species can be complex. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Chee Zee Jungle – Primal Drive” by Kevin MacLeod.

Brightest-Ever Space Explosion Reveals Possible Hints of Dark Matter Mar 01, 2023

A recent gamma-ray burst known as the BOAT — “brightest of all time” — appears to have produced a high-energy particle that shouldn’t exist. For some, dark matter provides the explanation. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer.

Inside the Proton, the 'Most Complicated Thing You Could Possibly Imagine' Feb 16, 2023

The positively charged particle at the heart of the atom is an object of unspeakable complexity, one that changes its appearance depending on how it is probed. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Light Gazing” by Andrew Langdon.

High-Temperature Superconductivity Understood at Last Feb 01, 2023

A new atomic-scale experiment all but settles the origin of the strong form of superconductivity seen in cuprate crystals, confirming a 35-year-old theory. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod.

Record-Breaking Robot Highlights How Animals Excel at Jumping Jan 18, 2023

Robots can surpass the limitations on how high and far animals can jump, but their success only underscores nature’s ingenuity in making the most of what’s available. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Pixel Peeker Polka” by Kevin MacLeod.

A Good Memory or a Bad One? One Brain Molecule Decides. Jan 04, 2023

When the brain encodes memories as positive or negative, one molecule determines which way they will go. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Retro” by Wayne Jones.

Old Problem About Mathematical Curves Falls to Young Couple Dec 21, 2022

Eric Larson and Isabel Vogt have solved the interpolation problem — a centuries-old question about some of the most basic objects in geometry. Some credit goes to the chalkboard in their living room. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Good Times” by Patrick Patrikios.

How the Physics of Nothing Underlies Everything Dec 07, 2022

The key to understanding the origin and fate of the universe may be a more complete understanding of the vacuum. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer.

Geometric Analysis Reveals How Birds Mastered Flight Nov 23, 2022

Partnerships between engineers and biologists have begun to reveal how birds evolved their superb maneuverability. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Running Out” by Patrick Patrikios.

How the 'Diamond of the Plant World' Helped Land Plants Evolve Nov 09, 2022

Structural studies of the robust material called sporopollenin reveal how it made plants hardy enough to reproduce on dry land. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Redwood Trail” by Audionautix.

Protein Blobs Linked to Alzheimer's Affect Aging in All Cells Oct 26, 2022

Protein buildups like those seen around neurons in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other brain diseases occur in all aging cells, a new study suggests. Learning their significance may reveal new strategies for treating age-related diseases. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Aimless Amos” by Rondo Brothers.

The Brain Has a 'Low-Power Mode' That Blunts Our Senses Oct 12, 2022

Neuroscientists uncovered an energy-saving mode in vision-system neurons that works at the cost of being able to see fine-grained details. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Unanswered Questions” by Kevin MacLeod.

Researchers Achieve 'Absurdly Fast' Algorithm for Network Flow Sep 28, 2022

Computer scientists can now solve a decades-old problem in practically the time it takes to write it down. Read more at quantamagazine.org. Music is “Aimless Amos” by Rondo Brothers.

Graduate Student's Side Project Proves Prime Number Conjecture Sep 14, 2022

Jared Duker Lichtman, 26, has proved a longstanding conjecture relating prime numbers to a broad class of “primitive” sets. To his adviser, it came as a “complete shock.” Read more at quantamagazine.org. Music is “Thought Bot” by Audionautix.

Physicists Rewrite the Fundamental Law That Leads to Disorder Aug 31, 2022

The second law of thermodynamics is among the most sacred in all of science, but it has always rested on 19th century arguments about probability. New arguments trace its true source to the flows of quantum information. Read more at quantamagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer.

Secrets of the Moon's Permanent Shadows Are Coming to Light Aug 17, 2022

Robots are about to venture into the sunless depths of lunar craters to investigate ancient water ice trapped there, while remote studies find hints about how water arrives on rocky worlds. Read more and explore infographics at quantamagazine.org.

Deep Learning Poised to 'Blow Up' Famed Fluid Equations Aug 03, 2022

For centuries, mathematicians have tried to prove that Euler’s fluid equations can produce nonsensical answers. A new approach to machine learning has researchers betting that “blowup” is near. Read more at quantamagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer.

Researchers Identify 'Master Problem' Underlying All Cryptography Jul 19, 2022

The existence of secure cryptography depends on one of the oldest questions in computational complexity. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Transmission” by John Deley and the 41 Players.

Brain Chemical Helps Signal to Neurons When to Start a Movement Jul 06, 2022

Dopamine, a neurochemical often associated with reward behavior, also seems to help organize precisely when the brain initiates movements. It’s the latest revelation about the power of neuromodulators. Read more at quantamagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer.

This Animal's Behavior Is Mechanically Programmed Jun 22, 2022

Biomechanical interactions, rather than neurons, control the movements of one of the simplest animals. The discovery offers a glimpse into how animal behavior worked before neurons evolved.

The post This Animal’s Behavior Is Mechanically Programmed first appeared in Quanta Magazine.

Music is “Running Out” by Patrick Patrikios.

Tiny Galaxies Reveal Secrets of Supermassive Black Holes Jun 08, 2022

Dwarf galaxies weren’t supposed to have big black holes. Their surprise discovery has revealed clues about how the universe’s biggest black holes could have formed. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Light Gazing” by Andrew Langdon.

A Deepening Crisis Forces Physicists to Rethink Structure of Nature's Laws May 25, 2022

Physicists are reexamining a longstanding assumption: that big stuff consists of smaller stuff.

The post A Deepening Crisis Forces Physicists to Rethink Structure of Nature’s Laws first appeared on Quanta Magazine

New Map of Meaning in the Brain Changes Ideas About Memory May 11, 2022

Researchers have mapped hundreds of semantic categories to the tiny bits of the cortex that represent them in our thoughts and perceptions. What they discovered might change our view of memory.

The post New Map of Meaning in the Brain Changes Ideas About Memory first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Machine Learning Gets a Quantum Speedup Apr 27, 2022

Two teams have shown how quantum approaches can solve problems faster than classical computers, bringing physics and computer science closer together.

The post Machine Learning Gets a Quantum Speedup first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Secrets of Early Animal Evolution Revealed by Chromosome 'Tectonics' Apr 14, 2022

Large blocks of genes conserved through hundreds of millions of years of evolution hint at how the first animal chromosomes came to be.

The post Secrets of Early Animal Evolution Revealed by Chromosome ‘Tectonics’ first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A Solution to the Faint-Sun Paradox Reveals a Narrow Window for Life Mar 31, 2022

We might have a past faint sun to owe for life’s existence. This has consequences for the possibility of life outside Earth.

The post A Solution to the Faint-Sun Paradox Reveals a Narrow Window for Life first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Evolution 'Landscapes' Predict What's Next for COVID Virus Mar 18, 2022

Studies that map the adaptive value of viral mutations hint at how the COVID-19 pandemic might progress next.

The post Evolution ‘Landscapes’ Predict What’s Next for COVID Virus first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Flying Fish and Aquarium Pets Yield Secrets of Evolution Mar 03, 2022

New studies reveal the ancient, shared genetic “grammar” underpinning the diverse evolution of fish fins and tetrapod limbs.

The post Flying Fish and Aquarium Pets Yield Secrets of Evolution first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Mathematicians Outwit Hidden Number Conspiracy Feb 17, 2022

Decades ago, a mathematician posed a warmup problem for some of the most difficult questions about prime numbers. It turned out to be just as difficult to solve, until now.

The post Mathematicians Outwit Hidden Number Conspiracy first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Mathematician Hurls Structure and Disorder Into Century-Old Problem Feb 03, 2022

A new paper shows how to create longer disordered strings than mathematicians had thought possible, proving that a well-known recent conjecture is “spectacularly wrong.”

The post Mathematician Hurls Structure and Disorder Into Century-Old Problem first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Researchers Defeat Randomness to Create Ideal Code Jan 20, 2022

By carefully constructing a multidimensional and well-connected graph, a team of researchers has finally created a long-sought locally testable code that can immediately betray whether it’s been corrupted.

The post Researchers Defeat Randomness to Create Ideal Code first appeared on Quanta Magazine

The Brain Processes Speech in Parallel With Other Sounds Jan 06, 2022

Scientists thought that the brain’s hearing centers might just process speech along with other sounds. But new work suggests that speech gets some special treatment very early on.

The post The Brain Processes Speech in Parallel With Other Sounds first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Biologists Rethink the Logic Behind Cells' Molecular Signals Dec 23, 2021

The molecular signaling systems of complex cells are nothing like simple electronic circuits. The logic governing their operation is riotously complex — but it has advantages.

The post Biologists Rethink the Logic Behind Cells’ Molecular Signals first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A Massive Subterranean ‘Tree’ Is Moving Magma to Earth’s Surface Dec 09, 2021

Deep in the mantle, a branching plume of intensely hot material appears to be the engine powering vast volcanic activity.

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One Lab’s Quest to Build Space-Time Out of Quantum Particles Nov 24, 2021

For over two decades, physicists have pondered how the fabric of space-time may emerge from some kind of quantum entanglement. In Monika Schleier-Smith’s lab at Stanford University, the thought experiment is becoming real.

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The New Thermodynamic Understanding of Clocks Nov 11, 2021

Investigations of the simplest possible clocks have revealed their fundamental limitations — as well as insights into the nature of time itself.

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The Brain Doesn’t Think the Way You Think It Does Oct 28, 2021

Familiar categories of mental functions such as perception, memory and attention reflect our experience of ourselves, but they are misleading about how the brain works. More revealing approaches are emerging.

The post The Brain Doesn’t Think the Way You Think It Does first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Eternal Change for No Energy: A Time Crystal Finally Made Real Oct 14, 2021

Like a perpetual motion machine, a time crystal forever cycles between states without consuming energy. Physicists claim to have built this new phase of matter inside a quantum computer.

How Many Numbers Exist? Infinity Proof Moves Math Closer to an Answer. Sep 30, 2021

For 50 years, mathematicians have believed that the total number of real numbers is unknowable. A new proof suggests otherwise.

The post How Many Numbers Exist? Infinity Proof Moves Math Closer to an Answer. first appeared on Quanta Magazine

DNA Has Four Bases. Some Viruses Swap in a Fifth. Sep 16, 2021

The DNA of some viruses doesn’t use the same four nucleotide bases found in all other life. New work shows how this exception is possible and hints that it could be more common than we think.

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The Mystery at the Heart of Physics That Only Math Can Solve Sep 02, 2021

The accelerating effort to understand the mathematics of quantum field theory will have profound consequences for both math and physics.

The post The Mystery at the Heart of Physics That Only Math Can Solve first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Radioactivity May Fuel Life Deep Underground and Inside Other Worlds Aug 19, 2021

New work suggests that the radiolytic splitting of water supports giant subsurface ecosystems of life on Earth — and could do it elsewhere, too.

The post Radioactivity May Fuel Life Deep Underground and Inside Other Worlds first appeared on Quanta Magazine

DNA of Giant ‘Corpse Flower’ Parasite Surprises Biologists Aug 05, 2021

The bizarre genome of the world’s most mysterious flowering plants shows how far parasites will go in stealing, deleting and duplicating DNA.

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Scientists Pin Down When Earth’s Crust Cracked, Then Came to Life Jul 22, 2021

New data indicating that Earth’s surface broke up about 3.2 billion years ago helps clarify how plate tectonics drove the evolution of complex life.

The post Scientists Pin Down When Earth’s Crust Cracked, Then Came to Life first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A New Twist Reveals Superconductivity’s Secrets Jul 08, 2021

An unexpected superconductor was beginning to look like a fluke, but a new theory and a second discovery have revealed that emergent quasiparticles may be behind the effect.

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Statistics Postdoc Tames Decades-Old Geometry Problem Jun 24, 2021

To the surprise of experts in the field, a postdoctoral statistician has solved one of the most important problems in high-dimensional convex geometry.

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Mathematicians Set Numbers in Motion to Unlock Their Secrets Jun 10, 2021

A new proof demonstrates the power of arithmetic dynamics, an emerging discipline that combines insights from number theory and dynamical systems.

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Artificial Neural Nets Finally Yield Clues to How Brains Learn May 27, 2021

The learning algorithm that enables the runaway success of deep neural networks doesn’t work in biological brains, but researchers are finding alternatives that could.

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Brain’s ‘Background Noise’ May Hold Clues to Persistent Mysteries May 13, 2021

By digging out signals hidden within the brain’s electrical chatter, scientists are getting new insights into sleep, aging and more.

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Rumbles on Mars Raise Hopes of Underground Magma Flows Apr 29, 2021

Small and cold, Mars has long been considered a dead planet. But a series of recent discoveries has forced scientists to rethink how recently its insides stopped churning — if they ever stopped at all.

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Mathematicians Resurrect Hilbert’s 13th Problem Apr 15, 2021

Long considered solved, David Hilbert’s question about seventh-degree polynomials is leading researchers to a new web of mathematical connections.

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A Newfound Source of Cellular Order in the Chemistry of Life Apr 01, 2021

Inside cells, droplets of biomolecules called condensates merge, divide and dissolve. Their dance may regulate vital processes.

The post A Newfound Source of Cellular Order in the Chemistry of Life first appeared on Quanta Magazine

The Mystery of Mistletoe’s Missing Genes Mar 18, 2021

Mistletoes have all but shut down the powerhouses of their cells. Scientists are still trying to understand the plants’ unorthodox survival strategy.

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The New History of the Milky Way Mar 04, 2021

Over the past two years, astronomers have rewritten the story of our galaxy.

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Scientists Uncover the Universal Geometry of Geology Feb 18, 2021

An exercise in pure mathematics has led to a wide-ranging theory of how the world comes together.

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The Most Famous Paradox in Physics Nears Its End Feb 04, 2021

In a landmark series of calculations, physicists have proved that black holes can shed information.

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Quantum Tunnels Show How Particles Can Break the Speed of Light Jan 21, 2021

Recent experiments show that particles should be able to go faster than light when they quantum mechanically “tunnel” through walls.

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Computer Scientists Break Traveling Salesperson Record Jan 07, 2021

After 44 years, there’s finally a better way to find approximate solutions to the notoriously difficult traveling salesperson problem.

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Mitochondria May Hold Keys to Anxiety and Mental Health Dec 16, 2020

Research hints that the energy-generating organelles of cells may play a surprisingly pivotal role in mediating anxiety and depression.

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The Hidden Magnetic Universe Begins to Come Into View Dec 03, 2020

Astronomers are discovering that magnetic fields permeate much of the cosmos. If these fields date back to the Big Bang, they could solve a major cosmological mystery.

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Graduate Student Solves Decades-Old Conway Knot Problem Nov 19, 2020

It took Lisa Piccirillo less than a week to answer a long-standing question about a strange knot discovered over half a century ago by the legendary John Conway.

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The Grand Unified Theory of Rogue Waves Nov 05, 2020

Rogue waves — enigmatic giants of the sea — were thought to be caused by two different mechanisms. But a new idea that borrows from the hinterlands of probability theory has the potential to predict them all.

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Hidden Computational Power Found in the Arms of Neurons Oct 22, 2020

The dendritic arms of some human neurons can perform logic operations that once seemed to require whole neural networks.

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Neutrinos Lead to Unexpected Discovery in Basic Math Oct 08, 2020

Three physicists stumbled across an unexpected relationship between some of the most ubiquitous objects in math.

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Machines Beat Humans on a Reading Test. But Do They Understand? Sep 24, 2020

A tool known as BERT can now beat humans on advanced reading-comprehension tests. But it's also revealed how far AI has to go.

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How Jurassic Plankton Stole Control of the Ocean’s Chemistry Sep 10, 2020

Only 170 million years ago, new plankton evolved. Their demand for carbon and calcium permanently transformed the seas as homes for life.

The post How Jurassic Plankton Stole Control of the Ocean’s Chemistry first appeared on Quanta Magazine

To Pay Attention, the Brain Uses Filters, Not a Spotlight Aug 27, 2020

A brain circuit that suppresses distracting sensory information holds important clues about attention and other cognitive processes.

The post To Pay Attention, the Brain Uses Filters, Not a Spotlight first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Fossil DNA Reveals New Twists in Modern Human Origins Aug 13, 2020

Modern humans and more ancient hominins interbred many times throughout Eurasia and Africa, and the genetic flow went both ways.

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For Embryo's Cells, Size Can Determine Fate Jul 30, 2020

Modeling suggests that many embryonic cells commit to a developmental fate when they become too small to divide unevenly anymore.

The post For Embryo’s Cells, Size Can Determine Fate first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Scientists Debate the Origin of Cell Types in the First Animals Jul 16, 2020

Theories about how animals became multicellular are shifting as researchers find greater complexity in our single-celled ancestors.

The post Scientists Debate the Origin of Cell Types in the First Animals first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Wandering Space Rocks Help Solve Mysteries of Planet Formation Jul 02, 2020

After an interstellar asteroid shot past the sun, scientists realized that there’s probably a lot of itinerant rocks out there.

The post Wandering Space Rocks Help Solve Mysteries of Planet Formation first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Random Surfaces Hide an Intricate Order Jun 18, 2020

Mathematicians have proved that a random process applied to a random surface will yield consistent patterns.

The post Random Surfaces Hide an Intricate Order first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Where We See Shapes, AI Sees Textures Jun 04, 2020

To researchers’ surprise, deep learning vision algorithms often fail at classifying images because they mostly take cues from textures, not shapes.

The post Where We See Shapes, AI Sees Textures first appeared on Quanta Magazine

What’s in a Name? Taxonomy Problems Vex Biologists May 21, 2020

Researchers struggle to incorporate ongoing evolutionary discoveries into an animal classification scheme older than Darwin.

The post What’s in a Name? Taxonomy Problems Vex Biologists first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Bacterial Complexity Revises Ideas About ‘Which Came First?’ May 07, 2020

Contrary to popular belief, bacteria have organelles too. Scientists are now studying them for insights into how complex cells evolved.

The post Bacterial Complexity Revises Ideas About ‘Which Came First?’ first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Ancient DNA Yields Snapshots of Vanished Ecosystems Apr 23, 2020

Surviving fragments of genetic material preserved in sediments allow scientists to see the full diversity of past life — even microbes.

The post Ancient DNA Yields Snapshots of Vanished Ecosystems first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Computer Scientists Expand the Frontier of Verifiable Knowledge Apr 09, 2020

The universe of problems that a computer can check has grown. The researchers’ secret ingredient? Quantum entanglement.

The post Computer Scientists Expand the Frontier of Verifiable Knowledge first appeared on Quanta Magazine

The Hidden Heroines of Chaos Mar 26, 2020

Two women programmers played a pivotal role in the birth of chaos theory. Their previously untold story illustrates the changing status of computation in science. Read more at quantamagazine.org. Music is “Clover 3” by Vibe Mountain.

Heat-Loving Microbes, Once Dormant, Thrive Over Decades-Old Fire Mar 12, 2020

In harsh ecosystems around the world, microbiologists are finding evidence that “microbial seed banks” protect biodiversity from changing conditions.

The post Heat-Loving Microbes, Once Dormant, Thrive Over Decades-Old Fire first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Scientists Discover Exotic New Patterns of Synchronization Feb 27, 2020

In a world seemingly filled with chaos, physicists have discovered new forms of synchronization and are learning how to predict and control them.

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Cryptography That Is Provably Secure Feb 06, 2020

Researchers have just released hacker-proof cryptographic code — programs with the same level of invincibility as a mathematical proof.

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The Math That Tells Cells What They Are Jan 30, 2020

During development, cells seem to decode their fate through optimal information processing, which could hint at a more general principle of life.

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How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Science Jan 16, 2020

The latest AI algorithms are probing the evolution of galaxies, calculating quantum wave functions, discovering new chemical compounds and more. Is there anything that scientists do that can’t be automated?

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A World Without Clouds Jan 02, 2020

A state-of-the-art supercomputer simulation indicates that a feedback loop between global warming and cloud loss can push Earth’s climate past a disastrous tipping point in as little as a century.

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How the Brain Creates a Timeline of the Past Dec 19, 2019

The brain can’t directly encode the passage of time, but recent work hints at a workaround for putting timestamps on memories of events.

The post How the Brain Creates a Timeline of the Past first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Foundations Built for a General Theory of Neural Networks Dec 05, 2019

Neural networks can be as unpredictable as they are powerful. Now mathematicians are beginning to reveal how a neural network’s form will influence its function.

The post Foundations Built for a General Theory of Neural Networks first appeared on Quanta Magazine

The Brain Maps Out Ideas and Memories Like Spaces Nov 21, 2019

Emerging evidence suggests that the brain encodes abstract knowledge in the same way that it represents positions in space, which hints at a more universal theory of cognition.

The post The Brain Maps Out Ideas and Memories Like Spaces first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Milestone Experiment Proves Quantum Communication Really Is Faster Nov 07, 2019

In a Paris lab, researchers have shown for the first time that quantum methods of transmitting information are superior to classical ones.

The post Milestone Experiment Proves Quantum Communication Really Is Faster first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Mathematical Simplicity May Drive Evolution’s Speed Oct 31, 2019

Some researchers are using a complexity framework thought to be purely theoretical to understand evolutionary dynamics in biological and computational systems.

The post Mathematical Simplicity May Drive Evolution’s Speed first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Should Evolution Treat Our Microbes as Part of Us? Sep 26, 2019

How does evolution select the fittest “individuals” when they are ecosystems made up of hosts and their microbiomes? Biologist debate the need to revise theories.

The post Should Evolution Treat Our Microbes as Part of Us? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A Universal Law for the ‘Blood of the Earth’ Sep 26, 2019

Simple physical principles can be used to describe how rivers grow everywhere from Florida to Mars.

The post A Universal Law for the ‘Blood of the Earth’ first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Amateur Mathematician Finds Smallest Universal Cover Sep 06, 2019

Through exacting geometric calculations, Philip Gibbs has found the smallest known cover for any possible shape.

The post Amateur Mathematician Finds Smallest Universal Cover first appeared on Quanta Magazine

In the Nucleus, Genes’ Activity Might Depend on Their Location Aug 29, 2019

Using a new CRISPR-based technique, researchers are examining how the position of DNA within the nucleus affects gene expression and cell function.

The post In the Nucleus, Genes’ Activity Might Depend on Their Location first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Machine Learning Confronts the Elephant in the Room Aug 15, 2019

A visual prank exposes an Achilles’ heel of computer vision systems: Unlike humans, they can’t do a double take.

The post Machine Learning Confronts the Elephant in the Room first appeared on Quanta Magazine

The New Science of Seeing Around Corners Aug 01, 2019

Computer vision researchers have uncovered a world of visual signals hiding in our midst, including subtle motions that betray what’s being said and faint images of what’s around a corner.

The post The New Science of Seeing Around Corners first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Major Quantum Computing Advance Made Obsolete by Teenager Jul 18, 2019

18-year-old Ewin Tang has proven that classical computers can solve the “recommendation problem” nearly as fast as quantum computers. The result eliminates one of the best examples of quantum speedup.

The post Major Quantum Computing Advance Made Obsolete by Teenager first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A Math Theory for Why People Hallucinate Jul 05, 2019

Psychedelic drugs can trigger characteristic hallucinations, which have long been thought to hold clues about the brain’s circuitry. After nearly a century of study, a possible explanation is crystallizing.

The post A Math Theory for Why People Hallucinate first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Closed Loophole Confirms the Unreality of the Quantum World Jun 20, 2019

A quickly closed loophole has proved that the “great smoky dragon” of quantum mechanics may forever elude capture.

The post Closed Loophole Confirms the Unreality of the Quantum World first appeared on Quanta Magazine

To Remember, the Brain Must Actively Forget Jun 06, 2019

Researchers find evidence that neural systems actively remove memories, suggesting that forgetting may be the default mode of the brain.

The post To Remember, the Brain Must Actively Forget first appeared on Quanta Magazine

The Peculiar Math That Could Underlie the Laws of Nature May 23, 2019

New findings are fueling an old suspicion that fundamental particles and forces spring from strange eight-part numbers called “octonions.”

The post The Peculiar Math That Could Underlie the Laws of Nature first appeared on Quanta Magazine

To Make Sense of the Present, Brains May Predict the Future May 09, 2019

A controversial theory suggests that perception, motor control, memory and other brain functions all depend on comparisons between ongoing actual experiences and the brain’s modeled expectations.

The post To Make Sense of the Present, Brains May Predict the Future first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Finally, a Problem That Only Quantum Computers Will Ever Be Able to Solve Apr 25, 2019

Computer scientists have been searching for years for a type of problem that a quantum computer can solve but that any possible future classical computer cannot. Now they’ve found one.

The post Finally, a Problem That Only Quantum Computers Will Ever Be Able to Solve first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Why Earth’s Cracked Crust May Be Essential for Life Apr 11, 2019

Life needs more than water alone. Recent discoveries suggest that plate tectonics has played a critical role in nourishing life on Earth. The findings carry major consequences for the search for life elsewhere in the universe.

The post Why Earth’s Cracked Crust May Be Essential for Life first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Overtaxed Working Memory Knocks the Brain Out of Sync Mar 28, 2019

Researchers find that when working memory gets overburdened, dialogue between three brain regions breaks down. The discovery provides new support for a larger concept about how the brain works.

The post Overtaxed Working Memory Knocks the Brain Out of Sync first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A New World’s Extraordinary Orbit Points to Planet Nine Mar 14, 2019

Astronomers argue that there’s an undiscovered giant planet far beyond the orbit of Neptune. A newly discovered rocky body has added evidence to the circumstantial case for it.

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A Thermodynamic Answer to Why Birds Migrate Feb 28, 2019

New modeling studies suggest that birds migrate to strike a favorable balance between their input and output of energy.

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Machine Learning’s ‘Amazing’ Ability to Predict Chaos Feb 14, 2019

In new computer experiments, artificial-intelligence algorithms can tell the future of chaotic systems.

The post Machine Learning’s ‘Amazing’ Ability to Predict Chaos first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Decades-Old Graph Problem Yields to Amateur Mathematician Jan 31, 2019

By making the first progress on the “chromatic number of the plane” problem in over 60 years, an anti-aging pundit has achieved mathematical immortality.

The post Decades-Old Graph Problem Yields to Amateur Mathematician first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Oxygen and Stem Cells May Have Reshaped Early Complex Animals Jan 03, 2019

An unlikely team offers a controversial hypothesis about what enabled animal life to get more complex during the Cambrian explosion.

The post Oxygen and Stem Cells May Have Reshaped Early Complex Animals first appeared on Quanta Magazine

To Test Einstein’s Equations, Poke a Black Hole Jan 03, 2019

Two teams of researchers have made significant progress toward proving the black hole stability conjecture, a critical mathematical test of Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

The post To Test Einstein’s Equations, Poke a Black Hole first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Physicists Find a Way to See the ‘Grin’ of Quantum Gravity Dec 06, 2018

A recently proposed experiment would confirm that gravity is a quantum force.

The post Physicists Find a Way to See the ‘Grin’ of Quantum Gravity first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Quanta Writers and Editors Discuss Trends in Science and Math Nov 22, 2018

On November 16, 2018, more than 200 readers joined writers and editors from Quanta Magazine for a wide-ranging panel discussion that examined the newest ideas in fundamental physics, biology and mathematics research.

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Why Don’t Patients Get Sick in Sync? Modelers Find Statistical Clues. Nov 08, 2018

The long, variable times that some diseases incubate after infection defies simple explanation. An idealized model of tumor growth offers a statistical solution.

The post Why Don’t Patients Get Sick in Sync? Modelers Find Statistical Clues. first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Why Artificial Intelligence Like AlphaZero Has Trouble With the Real World Oct 25, 2018

The latest artificial intelligence systems start from zero knowledge of a game and grow to world-beating in a matter of hours. But researchers are struggling to apply these systems beyond the arcade.

The post Why Artificial Intelligence Like AlphaZero Has Trouble With the Real World first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Scant Evidence of Power Laws Found in Real-World Networks Oct 11, 2018

A new study challenges one of the most celebrated and controversial ideas in network science.

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Smart Swarms Seek New Ways to Cooperate Sep 27, 2018

New algorithms show how swarms of very simple robots can be made to work together as a group.

The post Smart Swarms Seek New Ways to Cooperate first appeared on Quanta Magazine

How the Universe Got Its Bounce Back Aug 30, 2018

Cosmologists have shown that it’s theoretically possible for a contracting universe to bounce and expand. The new work resuscitates an old idea that directly challenges the Big Bang theory of cosmic origins.

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A Domesticated Dingo? No, but Some Are Getting Less Wild Aug 09, 2018

Near an Australian desert mining camp, wild dingoes are losing their fear of humans. Their genetic and behavioral changes may echo those from the domestication of dogs.

The post A Domesticated Dingo? No, but Some Are Getting Less Wild first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Fossil Discoveries Challenge Ideas About Earth’s Start Jul 05, 2018

A series of fossil finds suggests that life on Earth started earlier than anyone thought, calling into question a widely held theory of the solar system’s beginnings.

The post Fossil Discoveries Challenge Ideas About Earth’s Start first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Mathematicians Find Wrinkle in Famed Fluid Equations Jun 21, 2018

Two mathematicians prove that under certain extreme conditions, the Navier-Stokes equations output nonsense.

The post Mathematicians Find Wrinkle in Famed Fluid Equations first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Light-Triggered Genes Reveal the Hidden Workings of Memory Jun 07, 2018

Nobel laureate Susumu Tonegawa’s lab is overturning old assumptions about how memories form, how recall works and whether lost memories might be restored from "silent engrams."

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Secret Link Uncovered Between Pure Math and Physics May 31, 2018

An eminent mathematician reveals that his advances in the study of millennia-old mathematical questions owe to concepts derived from physics.

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How Bacteria Help Regulate Blood Pressure May 10, 2018

Kidneys sniff out signals from gut bacteria for cues to lower blood pressure after meals. Our understanding of how the symbiotic microbes affect health is becoming much more molecular.

The post How Bacteria Help Regulate Blood Pressure first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Choosy Eggs May Pick Sperm for Their Genes, Defying Mendel’s Law Apr 26, 2018

The oldest law of genetics says that gametes combine randomly, but experiments hint that sometimes eggs select sperm actively for their genetic assets.

The post Choosy Eggs May Pick Sperm for Their Genes, Defying Mendel’s Law first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A Zombie Gene Protects Elephants From Cancer Apr 12, 2018

Elephants did not evolve to become huge animals until after they turned a bit of genetic junk into a unique defense against inevitable tumors.

The post A Zombie Gene Protects Elephants From Cancer first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Best-Ever Algorithm Found for Huge Streams of Data Mar 29, 2018

To efficiently analyze a firehose of data, scientists first have to break big numbers into bits.

The post Best-Ever Algorithm Found for Huge Streams of Data first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Newfound Wormhole Allows Information to Escape Black Holes Mar 15, 2018

Physicists theorize that a new “traversable” kind of wormhole could resolve a baffling paradox and rescue information that falls into black holes.

The post Newfound Wormhole Allows Information to Escape Black Holes first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Brainless Embryos Suggest Bioelectricity Guides Growth Mar 13, 2018

Researchers are building a case that long before the nervous system works, the brain sends crucial bioelectric signals to guide the growth of embryonic tissues.

The post Brainless Embryos Suggest Bioelectricity Guides Growth first appeared on Quanta Magazine

New Theory Cracks Open the Black Box of Deep Learning Mar 01, 2018

A new idea is helping to explain the puzzling success of today’s artificial-intelligence algorithms — and might also explain how human brains learn.

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Clever Machines Learn How to Be Curious Feb 16, 2018

Computer scientists are finding ways to code curiosity into intelligent machines.

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Mathematicians Tame Rogue Waves, Lighting Up Future of LEDs Feb 01, 2018

The mathematician Svitlana Mayboroda and collaborators have figured out how to predict the behavior of electrons — a mathematical discovery that could have immediate practical effects.

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Interspecies Hybrids Play a Vital Role in Evolution Jan 18, 2018

Hybrids, once treated as biological misfits, play a vital role in the evolution of many animal species. Now conservationists are trying to reconcile that truth with policies.

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What Made the Moon? New Ideas Try to Rescue a Troubled Theory Nov 17, 2017

Textbooks say that the moon was formed after a Mars-size mass smashed the young Earth. But new evidence has cast doubt on that story, leaving researchers to dream up new ways to get a giant rock into orbit.

The post What Made the Moon? New Ideas Try to Rescue a Troubled Theory first appeared on Quanta Magazine

In Game Theory, No Clear Path to Equilibrium Oct 12, 2017

John Nash’s notion of equilibrium is ubiquitous in economic theory, but a new study shows that it is often impossible to reach efficiently.

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Pentagon Tiling Proof Solves Century-Old Math Problem Sep 21, 2017

A French mathematician has completed the classification of all convex pentagons, and therefore all convex polygons, that tile the plane.

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Can Microbes Encourage Altruism? Aug 31, 2017

If gut bacteria can sway their hosts to be selfless, it could answer a riddle that goes back to Darwin.

The post Can Microbes Encourage Altruism? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Dark Matter Recipe Calls for One Part Superfluid Aug 25, 2017

A different kind of dark matter could help to resolve an old celestial conundrum.

The post Dark Matter Recipe Calls for One Part Superfluid first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A Puzzle of Clever Connections Nears a Happy End Jul 20, 2017

The three young friends who devised the “happy ending” problem would become some of the most influential mathematicians of the 20th century, but were never able to solve their own puzzle. Now it receives its first big breakthrough.

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The Thoughts of a Spiderweb Jul 13, 2017

Spiders appear to offload cognitive tasks to their webs, making them one of a number of species with a mind that isn’t fully confined within the head.

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How to Quantify (and Fight) Gerrymandering Jun 29, 2017

Powerful new quantitative tools are now available to combat partisan bias in the drawing of voting districts.

The post How to Quantify (and Fight) Gerrymandering first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A Long-Sought Proof, Found and Almost Lost Jun 01, 2017

When a German retiree proved a famous long-standing mathematical conjecture, the response was underwhelming.

The post A Long-Sought Proof, Found and Almost Lost first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A New Blast May Have Forged Cosmic Gold May 18, 2017

For decades, researchers believed that violent supernovas forged gold and other heavy elements. But many now argue for a different cosmic quarry.

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Why Did Life Move to Land? For the View Apr 06, 2017

The ancient creatures who first crawled onto land may have been lured by the informational benefit that comes from seeing through air.

The post Why Did Life Move to Land? For the View first appeared on Quanta Magazine

New Number Systems Seek Their Lost Primes Mar 30, 2017

For centuries, mathematicians tried to solve problems by adding new values to the usual numbers. Now they’re investigating the unintended consequences of that tinkering.

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Researchers Tap a Sleep Switch in the Brain Mar 16, 2017

Powerful new experiments have uncovered some of the molecular underpinnings of sleep.

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Experiment Reaffirms Quantum Weirdness Mar 09, 2017

Physicists are closing the door on an intriguing loophole around the quantum phenomenon Einstein called “spooky action at a distance.”

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To Live Your Best Life, Do Mathematics Mar 02, 2017

The ancient Greeks argued that the best life was filled with beauty, truth, justice, play and love. The mathematician Francis Su knows just where to find them.

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Dividing Droplets Could Explain Life’s Origin Feb 23, 2017

Researchers have discovered that simple “chemically active” droplets grow to the size of cells and spontaneously divide, suggesting they might have evolved into the first living cells.

The post Dividing Droplets Could Explain Life’s Origin first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Infant Brains Reveal How the Mind Gets Built Feb 16, 2017

Is the brain a blank slate, or is it wired from birth to understand the world?

The post Infant Brains Reveal How the Mind Gets Built first appeared on Quanta Magazine

3-D Fractals Offer Clues to Complex Systems Feb 09, 2017

By folding fractals into 3-D objects, a mathematical duo hopes to gain new insight into simple equations.

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Grand Unification Dream Kept at Bay Feb 02, 2017

Physicists have failed to find disintegrating protons, throwing into limbo the beloved theory that the forces of nature were unified at the beginning of time.

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The Art of Teaching Math and Science Jan 26, 2017

The impasse in math and science instruction runs deeper than test scores or the latest educational theory. What can we learn from the best teachers on the front lines?

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The Case Against Dark Matter Dec 08, 2016

A proposed theory of gravity does away with dark matter, even as new astrophysical findings challenge the need for galaxies full of the invisible mystery particles.

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What Sonic Black Holes Say About Real Ones Nov 24, 2016

Can a fluid analogue of a black hole point physicists toward the theory of quantum gravity, or is it a red herring?

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Giant Genetic Map Shows Life’s Hidden Links Nov 17, 2016

In a monumental set of experiments, spread out over nearly two decades, biologists removed genes two at a time to uncover the secret workings of the cell.

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How to Cut Cake Fairly and Finally Eat It Too Nov 10, 2016

Computer scientists have come up with a bounded algorithm that can fairly divide a cake among any number of people.

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Strange Dark Galaxy Puzzles Astrophysicists Oct 27, 2016

The surprising discovery of a massive, Milky Way–size galaxy that is made of 99.99 percent dark matter has astronomers dreaming up new ideas about how galaxies form.

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Hacker-Proof Code Confirmed Oct 20, 2016

Computer scientists can prove certain programs to be error-free with the same certainty that mathematicians prove theorems.

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Colliding Black Holes Tell New Story of Stars Oct 13, 2016

Just months after their discovery, gravitational waves coming from the mergers of black holes are shaking up astrophysics.

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The Neuroscience Behind Bad Decisions Sep 22, 2016

Irrationality may be a consequence of the brain’s ravenous energy needs.

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What No New Particles Means for Physics Sep 15, 2016

Physicists are confronting their “nightmare scenario.” What does the absence of new particles suggest about how nature works?

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A Debate Over the Physics of Time Sep 08, 2016

According to our best theories of physics, the universe is a fixed block where time only appears to pass.

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Biologists Search for New Model Organisms Aug 18, 2016

The bulk of biological research is centered on a handful of species. Are we missing a huge chunk of interesting biology?

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Neutrinos Hint of Matter-Antimatter Rift Aug 11, 2016

A hint that neutrinos behave differently than antineutrinos suggests an answer to one the biggest questions in physics.

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A Bird’s-Eye View of Nature’s Hidden Order Aug 05, 2016

Scientists are exploring a mysterious pattern, found in birds’ eyes, boxes of marbles and other surprising places, that is neither regular nor random.

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How Feynman Diagrams Almost Saved Space Jul 28, 2016

Richard Feynman's famous diagrams weren’t just a way to do calculations. They represented a deep shift in thinking about how the universe is put together.

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The Oracle of Arithmetic Jul 21, 2016

At 28, Peter Scholze is uncovering deep connections between number theory and geometry.

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New Life Found That Lives Off Electricity Jul 07, 2016

Scientists have figured out how microbes can suck energy from rocks. Such lifeforms might be more widespread than anyone anticipated.

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Simple Set Game Proof Stuns Mathematicians Jun 17, 2016

A new series of papers has settled a long-standing question related to the popular game in which players seek patterned sets of three cards.

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How Neanderthal DNA Helps Humanity Jun 09, 2016

Neanderthals and Denisovans may have endowed modern humans with genetic variants that helped them thrive in new environments.

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New Support for Alternative Quantum View Jun 02, 2016

An experiment claims to have invalidated a decades-old criticism against pilot-wave theory, an alternative formulation of quantum mechanics that eliminates the most baffling features of the subatomic universe.

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New Evidence for the Necessity of Loneliness May 26, 2016

A specific set of neurons deep in the brain may motivate us to seek company, holding social species together.

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Tiny Tests Seek the Universe’s Big Mysteries May 12, 2016

The search for exotic new physical phenomena is being led by huge experiments like the Large Hadron Collider. But at the other end of the spectrum lie tabletop experiments — small-scale probes of hidden dimensions, dark matter and dark energy.

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A Secret Flexibility Found in Life’s Blueprints May 05, 2016

A new study reveals that individual genes can create many different versions of the molecular machinery that powers the cell.

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Physicists Hunt for the Big Bang’s Triangles Apr 28, 2016

The story of the universe’s birth — and evidence for string theory — could be found in triangles and myriad other shapes in the sky.

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Debate Intensifies Over Dark Disk Theory Apr 21, 2016

In the new, free-for-all era of dark matter research, the controversial idea that dark matter is concentrated in thin disks is being rescued from scientific oblivion.

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Mapping the Brain to Build Better Machines Apr 14, 2016

A project to decipher the brain’s learning rules could revolutionize machine learning.

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Sphere Packing Solved in Higher Dimensions Apr 07, 2016

The Ukrainian mathematician Maryna Viazovska has solved the centuries-old sphere-packing problem in dimensions eight and 24.

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The Beasts That Keep the Beat Mar 31, 2016

New insights from neuroscience — aided by a small zoo’s worth of dancing animals — are revealing the biological origins of rhythm.

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A Life in Games Mar 24, 2016

The mathematician John Horton Conway’s myriad accomplishments — including the Game of Life, sprouts and the surreal numbers — are the product of a mind at play.

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Mathematicians Discover Prime Conspiracy Mar 24, 2016

A previously unnoticed property of prime numbers seems to violate a long-standing assumption about how they behave.

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After Black Holes Collide, a Puzzling Flash Mar 10, 2016

A satellite spotted a burst of light just as gravitational waves rolled in from the collision of two black holes. Was the flash a cosmic coincidence, or do astrophysicists need to rethink what black holes can do?

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The Quantum Secret to Superconductivity Mar 03, 2016

In a virtuoso experiment, physicists have revealed details of a “quantum critical point” that underlies high-temperature superconductivity.

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How to Build Life in a Pre-Darwinian World Feb 25, 2016

Perhaps chemistry played a more instrumental role in the origin of life than scientists thought.

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Gravitational Waves Discovered at Long Last Feb 18, 2016

Ripples in space-time have been detected a century after Einstein predicted them, launching a new era in astronomy.

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Scientists Debate Signatures of Alien Life Feb 11, 2016

Searching for signs of life on faraway planets, astrobiologists must decide which telltale biosignature gases to target.

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New Clues to How the Brain Maps Time Feb 04, 2016

The same brain cells that track location in space appear to also count beats in time. The research suggests that our thoughts may take place on a mental space-time canvas.

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Quantum Weirdness Now a Matter of Time Jan 28, 2016

Bizarre quantum bonds connect distinct moments in time, suggesting that quantum links — not space-time — constitute the fundamental structure of the universe.

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Landmark Algorithm Breaks 30-Year Impasse Jan 14, 2016

Computer scientists are abuzz over a fast new algorithm for solving one of the central problems in the field.

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Math Quartet Joins Forces on Unified Theory Dec 17, 2015

A new breakthrough that bridges number theory and geometry is just the latest triumph for a close-knit group of mathematicians.

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The Incredible Shrinking Sex Chromosome Dec 10, 2015

Nature offers species a panoply of ways to determine an organism’s sex. That flexibility suggests we need not be concerned about losing sex chromosomes, but it raises the question of why such a fundamental property is so variable.

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Nature’s Critical Warning System Nov 26, 2015

Scientists are homing in on a warning signal that arises in complex systems like ecological food webs, the brain and the Earth’s climate. Could it help prevent future catastrophes?

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How Humans Evolved Supersize Brains Nov 19, 2015

Scientists have begun to identify the symphony of biological triggers that powered the extraordinary expansion of the human brain.

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Mongrel Microbe Tests Story of Complex Life Nov 12, 2015

A newly discovered class of microbe could help to resolve one of the biggest and most controversial mysteries in evolution — how simple microbes transformed into the complex cells that produced animals, plants and fungi.

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A Twisted Path to Equation-Free Prediction Oct 22, 2015

Complex natural systems defy analysis using a standard mathematical toolkit, so one ecologist is throwing out the equations.

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The Mutant Genes Behind the Black Death Oct 15, 2015

Only a few genetic changes were enough to change an ordinary stomach bug into the bacteria responsible for the plague.

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A New Map Traces the Limits of Computation Oct 08, 2015

A major advance in computational complexity reveals deep connections between the classes of problems that computers can — and can’t — possibly do.

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Visions of Future Physics Oct 01, 2015

Nima Arkani-Hamed is championing a campaign to build the world’s largest particle collider, even as he pursues a new vision of the laws of nature.

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How the Body’s Trillions of Clocks Keep Time Sep 25, 2015

Cellular clocks are almost everywhere. Clues to how they work are coming from the places they’re not.

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Einstein’s Parable of Quantum Insanity Sep 16, 2015

Einstein refused to believe in the inherent unpredictability of the world. Is the subatomic world insane, or just subtle?

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A New Design for Cryptography’s Black Box Sep 10, 2015

A recent cryptographic breakthrough has proven difficult to put into practice. But new advances show how near-perfect computer security might be surprisingly close at hand.

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How Mutant Viral Swarms Spread Disease Sep 03, 2015

A new understanding of viral swarms is helping researchers predict how viruses will evolve and where disease is likely to spread.

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A Surprise Source of Life’s Code Aug 27, 2015

Emerging data suggests the seemingly impossible — that mysterious new genes arise from “junk” DNA.

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How Life and Luck Changed Earth’s Minerals Aug 20, 2015

Did the minerals on our planet arise in a predictable fashion, or did they result from chance events? The answers could eventually help scientists identify planets likely to harbor life.

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At Tiny Scales, a Giant Burst on Tree of Life Aug 06, 2015

A new technique for finding and characterizing microbes has boosted the number of known bacteria by almost 50 percent, revealing a hidden world all around us.

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