Monster Neutrino Could Be a Messenger of Ancient Black Holes
Nearly three years ago, a particle from space slammed into the Mediterranean Sea and lit up the partially complete Cubic Kilometer Neutrino Telescope (KM3NET) detector off the coast of Sicily. The particle was a neutrino, a fundamental component of matter commonly known for its ability to slip through other matter unnoticed. The IceCube observatory in Antarctica, a comparable detector that has…
[Source][1]
How Animals Build a Sense of Direction
On a remote island in the Indian Ocean, six closely watched bats took to the star-draped skies. As they flew across the seven-acre speck of land, devices implanted in their brains pinged data back to a group of sleepy-eyed neuroscientists monitoring them from below. The researchers were working to understand how these flying mammals, who have brains not unlike our own, develop a sense of direction…
[Source][1]
[1]: https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-animals-build-a-sense-of-direction-20260121/
https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-animals-build-a-sense-of-direction-20260121/
Two Twisty Shapes Resolve a Centuries-Old Topology Puzzle
Imagine if our skies were always filled with a thick layer of opaque clouds. With no way to see the stars, or to view our planet from above, would we have ever discovered that the Earth is round? The answer is yes. By measuring particular distances and angles on the ground, we can determine that the Earth is a sphere and not, say, flat or doughnut-shaped — even without a satellite picture.
[Source][1]
[1]: https://www.quantamagazine.org/two-twisty-shapes-resolve-a-centuries-old-topology-puzzle-20260120/
https://www.quantamagazine.org/two-twisty-shapes-resolve-a-centuries-old-topology-puzzle-20260120/
Why There’s No Single Best Way To Store Information
Just as there’s no single best way to organize your bookshelf, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to storing information. Consider the simple situation where you create a new digital file. Your computer needs to rapidly find a place to put it. If you later want to delete it, the machine must quickly find the right bits to erase. Researchers aim to design storage systems…
[Source][1]
[1]: https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-theres-no-single-best-way-to-store-information-20260116/
https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-theres-no-single-best-way-to-store-information-20260116/
String Theory Can Now Describe a Universe That Has Dark Energy
In 1998, astronomers discovered dark energy. The finding, which transformed our conception of the cosmos, came with a little-known consequence: It threw a wrench into the already daunting task of finding a version of string theory that describes the universe we live in. Dark energy is a “positive” energy that causes our universe to expand at an accelerating rate. But the best-understood models…
[Source][1]
Cells Use ‘Bioelectricity’ To Coordinate and Make Group Decisions
We’re used to thinking of the brain as an electric organ. The rest of the body? Not so much. But it would be a mistake to dismiss your other tissues as dumb hunks of electrically inert flesh. Even the protective layers of cells that compose your skin and line your organs use electrical signals to make decisions, according to recent research. Results published in Nature show that cells use…
[Source][1]
Using AI, Mathematicians Find Hidden Glitches in Fluid Equations
Nearly 200 years ago, the physicists Claude-Louis Navier and George Gabriel Stokes put the finishing touches on a set of equations that describe how fluids swirl. And for nearly 200 years, the Navier-Stokes equations have served as an unimpeachable theory of how fluids in the real world behave — from ocean currents threading their way between the continents to air wrapping around an aircraft’s…
[Source][1]
Distinct AI Models Seem To Converge On How They Encode Reality
Read a story about dogs, and you may remember it the next time you see one bounding through a park. That’s only possible because you have a unified concept of “dog” that isn’t tied to words or images alone. Bulldog or border collie, barking or getting its belly rubbed, a dog can be many things while still remaining a dog. Artificial intelligence systems aren’t always so lucky.
[Source][1]
In Quantum Mechanics, Nothingness Is the Potential To Be Anything
Suppose you want to empty a box. Really, truly empty it. You remove all its visible contents, pump out any gases, and — applying some science-fiction technology — evacuate any unseeable material such as dark matter. According to quantum mechanics, what’s left inside? It sounds like a trick question. And in quantum mechanics, you know to expect a trick answer. Not only is the box still filled…
[Source][1]
How Dad’s Fitness May Be Packaged and Passed Down in Sperm RNA
Research into how a father’s choices, including diet, exercise, stress and nicotine use, may transfer traits to his children epigenetically has become impossible to ignore.
The post [How Dad’s Fitness May Be Packaged and Passed Down in Sperm RNA][1] first appeared on [Quanta Magazine][2]
The Year in Mathematics
Explore a shape that can’t pass through itself, a teenage prodigy, and two new kinds of infinity.
The post [The Year in Mathematics][1] first appeared on [Quanta Magazine][2]
[1]: https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-mathematics-20251218/
[2]: https://www.quantamagazine.org
https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-mathematics-20251218/
The Year in Physics
Physicists spotted a “terribly exciting” new black hole, doubled down on weakening dark energy, and debated the meaning of quantum mechanics.
The post [The Year in Physics][1] first appeared on [Quanta Magazine][2]
[1]: https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-physics-20251217/
[2]: https://www.quantamagazine.org
https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-physics-20251217/
The Year in Computer Science
Explore the year’s most surprising computational revelations, including a new fundamental relationship between time and space, an undergraduate who overthrew a 40-year-old conjecture, and the unexpectedly effortless triggers that can turn AI evil.
The post [The Year in Computer Science][1] first appeared on [Quanta Magazine][2]
[1]: https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-computer-science-20251216/
[2]: https://www.quantamagazine.org
https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-computer-science-20251216/
The Year in Biology
Take a jaunt through a jungle of strange neurons underlying your sense of touch, hundreds of millions of years of animal evolution and the dense neural networks of brains and AIs.
The post [The Year in Biology][1] first appeared on [Quanta Magazine][2]
[1]: https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-biology-20251215/
[2]: https://www.quantamagazine.org
https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-year-in-biology-20251215/
String Theory Inspires a Brilliant, Baffling New Math Proof
Years ago, an audacious Fields medalist outlined a sweeping program that, he claimed, could be used to resolve a major problem in algebraic geometry. Other mathematicians had their doubts. Now he says he has a proof.
The post [String Theory Inspires a Brilliant, Baffling New Math Proof][1] first appeared on [Quanta Magazine][2]
[1]: https://www.quantamagazine.org/string-theory-inspires-a-brilliant-baffling-new-math-proof-20251212/
[2]: https://www.quantamagazine.org
https://www.quantamagazine.org/string-theory-inspires-a-brilliant-baffling-new-math-proof-20251212/
Cryptographers Show That AI Protections Will Always Have Holes
Large language models such as ChatGPT come with filters to keep certain info from getting out. A new mathematical argument shows that systems like this can never be completely safe.
The post [Cryptographers Show That AI Protections Will Always Have Holes][1] first appeared on [Quanta Magazine][2]
Why Is Ice Slippery? A New Hypothesis Slides Into the Chat.
A newly proposed explanation for the slipperiness of ice has revived a centuries-long debate.
The post [Why Is Ice Slippery? A New Hypothesis Slides Into the Chat.][1] first appeared on [Quanta Magazine][2]
[1]: https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-is-ice-slippery-a-new-hypothesis-slides-into-the-chat-20251208/
[2]: https://www.quantamagazine.org
https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-is-ice-slippery-a-new-hypothesis-slides-into-the-chat-20251208/
The Polyglot Neuroscientist Resolving How the Brain Parses Language
Is language core to thought, or a separate process? For 15 years, the neuroscientist Ev Fedorenko has gathered evidence of a language network in the human brain — and has found some parallels to LLMs.
The post [The Polyglot Neuroscientist Resolving How the Brain Parses Language][1] first appeared on [Quanta Magazine][2]
What Are Lie Groups?
By combining the language of groups with that of geometry and linear algebra, Marius Sophus Lie created one of math’s most powerful tools.
The post [What Are Lie Groups?][1] first appeared on [Quanta Magazine][2]
[1]: https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-are-lie-groups-20251203/
[2]: https://www.quantamagazine.org
https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-are-lie-groups-20251203/
Old ‘Ghost’ Theory of Quantum Gravity Makes a Comeback
Has the secret to understanding gravity been hiding in plain sight for nearly 40 years?
The post [Old ‘Ghost’ Theory of Quantum Gravity Makes a Comeback][1] first appeared on [Quanta Magazine][2]
[1]: https://www.quantamagazine.org/old-ghost-theory-of-quantum-gravity-makes-a-comeback-20251117/
[2]: https://www.quantamagazine.org
https://www.quantamagazine.org/old-ghost-theory-of-quantum-gravity-makes-a-comeback-20251117/
Why the Key to a Mathematical Life is Collaboration
Fan Chung, who has an Erdős number of 1, discusses the importance of connection — both human and mathematical.
The post [Why the Key to a Mathematical Life is Collaboration][1] first appeared on [Quanta Magazine][2]
[1]: https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-the-key-to-a-mathematical-life-is-collaboration-20250728/
[2]: https://www.quantamagazine.org
https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-the-key-to-a-mathematical-life-is-collaboration-20250728/
RNA Is the Cell’s Emergency Alert System
How does a cell know when it’s been damaged? A molecular alarm, set off by mutated RNA and colliding ribosomes, signals danger.
The post [RNA Is the Cell’s Emergency Alert System][1] first appeared on [Quanta Magazine][2]
[1]: https://www.quantamagazine.org/rna-is-the-cells-emergency-alert-system-20250714/
[2]: https://www.quantamagazine.org
https://www.quantamagazine.org/rna-is-the-cells-emergency-alert-system-20250714/