Quanta Magazine | Science and Math News
Michele Sclafani for Quanta Magazine
Latest Articles
Three Hundred Years Later, a Tool from Isaac Newton Gets an Update
A simple, widely used mathematical technique can finally be applied to boundlessly complex problems.
How Metabolism Can Shape Cells’ Destinies
A growing body of work suggests that cell metabolism — the chemical reactions that provide energy and building materials — plays a vital, overlooked role in the first steps of life.
Is Dark Energy Getting Weaker? New Evidence Strengthens the Case.
Last year, an enormous map of the cosmos hinted that the engine driving cosmic expansion might be sputtering. Now physicists are back with an even bigger map, and a stronger conclusion.
Quantum Speedup Found for Huge Class of Hard Problems
It’s been difficult to find important questions that quantum computers can answer faster than classical machines, but a new algorithm appears to do it for some critical optimization tasks.
‘Once in a Century’ Proof Settles Math’s Kakeya Conjecture
The deceptively simple Kakeya conjecture has bedeviled mathematicians for 50 years. A new proof of the conjecture in three dimensions illuminates a whole crop of related problems.
New Conversations, Deep Questions, Bold Ideas in Season Four of ‘The Joy of Why’
Steven Strogatz and Janna Levin return for a new season on major scientific and mathematical questions of our time, with 12 all-new episodes and a new format.
Why Do Researchers Care About Small Language Models?
Larger models can pull off greater feats, but the accessibility and efficiency of smaller models make them attractive tools.
‘Next-Level’ Chaos Traces the True Limit of Predictability
In math and computer science, researchers have long understood that some questions are fundamentally unanswerable. Now physicists are exploring how even ordinary physical systems put hard limits on what we can predict, even in principle.
Featured Videos
See all videos
Why Some People Don’t ‘See’ Mental Imagery: Aphantasia
Christopher W. Young/Quanta Magazine
Special Features
Multimedia
The Thought Experiments That Fray the Fabric of Space-Time
These three imagined scenarios lead many physicists to doubt that space-time is fundamental.
Recommended Features
Quanta Podcast
How the Human Brain Contends With the Strangeness of Zero
Zero, which was invented late in history, is special among numbers. New studies are uncovering how the brain creates something out of nothing.
About Quanta Magazine
Illuminating basic science and math research through public service journalism.
More about usQuanta Magazine is committed to in-depth, accurate journalism that serves the public interest. Each article braids the complexities of science with the malleable art of storytelling and is meticulously reported, edited and fact-checked. Launched and funded by the Simons Foundation, Quanta is editorially independent — our articles do not reflect or represent the views of the foundation.
