Quanta Magazine | Science and Math News

Ada Zejun Shen for Quanta Magazine

Latest Articles

Genome Duplication Is a Radical Evolutionary Gamble

By doubling their entire genome, organisms can evolve extremely rapidly — or they can lose it all. New studies reveal how to survive the high-risk, high-reward evolutionary event.

Read article

Does Computer Science Need Computers?

The theoretical side of the field doesn’t require computing machines. But many questions would never have been posed without them.

In Hilbert Space, All Things Are Quantumly Possible

To explore quantum phenomena, we must leave the familiar world and enter the abstract realm of Hilbert space.

A New Framework for How the Brain Compresses Our Noisy World

An updated view of categorization reflects the modern understanding that the nervous system is more of a prediction engine than a filing cabinet.

Building a Quantum Computer, One Fragile Qubit at a Time

No one yet knows which technology will power the quantum computers of the future, but the race to create them has already produced some of science’s most intricate machinery.

Theory of Fluids Enters the 21st Century

From the 1800s to the early 2000s, physicists used the same theory to understand the behavior of fluids. Now, using a modern insight, they have redefined fluids from the bottom up.

Q&A

Why Aging May Be a Program, Not a Breakdown

By deciphering the molecular signatures of millions of mouse cells, Junyue Cao has found that aging is not haphazard wear and tear but rather a “remodeling of the cell society.”

Featured Videos

See all videos
By clicking to watch this video, you agree to our privacy policy.

The 17-Year-Old Student Who Solved a Major Math Mystery

Emily Buder/Quanta Magazine

Special Features

The Joy of Why


Scientists investigating a neural network mechanical brain
00:00 / 52:09

Computer scientist Melanie Mitchell discusses why artificial intelligence doesn’t “think” or “reason” like humans, and how we can create better methods for measuring machine cognition.

Multimedia


How Can Infinity Come in Many Sizes?

Intuition breaks down once we’re dealing with the endless. To begin with: Some infinities are bigger than others.

About Quanta Magazine

Illuminating basic science and math research through public service journalism.

More about us

Quanta 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.

More about us