Quanta Magazine 2 months ago

Physicists Discover the Most Complex Forms of Ice Yet

Quanta Magazine

Physicists Discover the Most Complex Forms of Ice Yet | Quanta Magazine

Scientists keep detecting new forms of ice. According to simulations, there could be many more left to find.

Quanta Magazine 2 months ago

A New Type of Neuroplasticity Rewires the Brain After a Single Experience

Quanta Magazine

A New Type of Neuroplasticity Rewires the Brain After a Single Experience | Quanta Magazine

“Neurons that fire together, wire together” is not the full story. A novel mechanism explains how the brain can learn across longer timescales.

Quanta Magazine 2 months ago

A Powerful New ‘QR Code’ Untangles Math’s Knottiest Knots

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A Powerful New ‘QR Code’ Untangles Math’s Knottiest Knots | Quanta Magazine

With a newly discovered mathematical tool, researchers are hoping to gain unprecedented insight into the structure of complex knots.

Quanta Magazine 2 months ago

What Physical ‘Life Force’ Turns Biology’s Wheels?

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What Physical ‘Life Force’ Turns Biology’s Wheels? | Quanta Magazine

The bacterial flagellar motor is finally understood after 50 years. In its workings, columnist Natalie Wolchover finds the essence of life.

Quanta Magazine 2 months ago

Quantum ‘Jamming’ Explores the Truly Fundamental Principles of Nature

Quanta Magazine

Quantum ‘Jamming’ Explores the Truly Fundamental Principles of Nature | Quanta Magazine

Some quantum cryptographers want to find ways to keep messages secret even if the rules of quantum mechanics don’t hold. The recently rediscovere...

Quanta Magazine 2 months ago

The Ancient Weapons Active in Your Immune System Today

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The Ancient Weapons Active in Your Immune System Today | Quanta Magazine

Dozens of new discoveries reveal that defenses evolved by bacteria and viruses billions of years ago still define our own innate immune system.

Quanta Magazine 2 months ago

The AI Revolution in Math Has Arrived

Quanta Magazine

The AI Revolution in Math Has Arrived | Quanta Magazine

AI is being used to prove new results at a rapid pace. Mathematicians think this is just the beginning.

Quanta Magazine 2 months ago

Why Do We Tell Ourselves Scary Stories About AI?

Quanta Magazine

Why Do We Tell Ourselves Scary Stories About AI? | Quanta Magazine

Our tales of AI developing the will to survive, commandeer resources, and manipulate people say more about us than they do about language models.

Quanta Magazine 2 months ago

Experiments Ring the ‘Death Knell’ for Sterile Neutrinos

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Experiments Ring the ‘Death Knell’ for Sterile Neutrinos | Quanta Magazine

Decades of weird experimental results appeared to support the existence of the sterile neutrino, a hypothetical particle that would solve multiple ...

Quanta Magazine 2 months ago

An Arctic Road Trip Brings Vital Underground Networks into View

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An Arctic Road Trip Brings Vital Underground Networks into View | Quanta Magazine

A vast meshwork of soil-bound fungi governs life aboveground. In Alaska, and at field sites around the world, researchers are racing to unders...

Quanta Magazine 2 months ago

New Advances Bring the Era of Quantum Computers Closer Than Ever

Quanta Magazine

New Advances Bring the Era of Quantum Computers Closer Than Ever | Quanta Magazine

Two research groups say they have significantly reduced the amount of qubits and time required to crack common online security technologies.

Quanta Magazine 3 months ago

A Through-The-Lens Look at the World’s Particle Physics Labs

Quanta Magazine

Global Physics Photowalk: 2025 winners revealed | Quanta Magazine

The winning entries in the 2025 Global Physics Photowalk contest showcase the beauty of toil and discovery.

Quanta Magazine 3 months ago

In Expanding de Sitter Space, Quantum Mechanics Gets Even More Elusive

Quanta Magazine

In Expanding de Sitter Space, Quantum Mechanics Gets Even More Elusive | Quanta Magazine

The basic shape that best describes our expanding universe is also the hardest shape for physicists to understand.

Quanta Magazine 3 months ago

When Coupled Volcanoes Talk, These Researchers Listen

Quanta Magazine

When Coupled Volcanoes Talk, These Researchers Listen | Quanta Magazine

Around the world, volcanologists are following the path of magma as it travels between connected volcanoes, in an effort that could lead to improve...

Quanta Magazine 3 months ago

In Math, Rigor Is Vital. But Are Digitized Proofs Taking It Too Far?

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In Math, Rigor Is Vital. But Are Digitized Proofs Taking It Too Far? | Quanta Magazine

The quest to make mathematics rigorous has a long and spotty history — one mathematicians can learn from as they push to formalize everything in ...

Quanta Magazine 3 months ago

How Writing Changes Mathematical Thought

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How Writing Changes Mathematical Thought | Quanta Magazine

David E. Dunning explores how mathematical notation is a social, world-building technology.

Quanta Magazine 3 months ago

Are Strings Still Our Best Hope for a Theory of Everything?

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Are Strings Still Our Best Hope for a Theory of Everything? | Quanta Magazine

Columnist Natalie Wolchover examines the latest developments in the “forever war” over whether string theory can describe the world.

Quanta Magazine 3 months ago

The Jellies That Evolved a Different Way To Keep Time

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The Jellies That Evolved a Different Way To Keep Time | Quanta Magazine

Off the coast of Japan, biologists netted a pea-size jellyfish with an unusual circadian clock — a chance finding that suggests there are li...

Quanta Magazine 3 months ago

Quantum Cryptography Pioneers Win Turing Award

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Quantum Cryptography Pioneers Win Turing Award | Quanta Magazine

Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard were recognized for their foundational work in quantum information science.

Quanta Magazine 3 months ago

The Math That Explains Why Bell Curves Are Everywhere

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The Math That Explains Why Bell Curves Are Everywhere | Quanta Magazine

The central limit theorem started as a bar trick for 18th-century gamblers. Now scientists rely on it every day.