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‘Huge Breakthrough’ in the Math of Imbalance

For the first time in 30 years, computer scientists have found a better way to allocate objects evenly between two groups.

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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.

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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.”

Graduate Student Proves a Quantum Uncertainty Principle for Fractals

The math, which combines chaos, quantum theory, and infinitely complex fractal structures, has been called a “foundational result.”

Neutrinos From Deep Inside Earth Provide a New Picture of the Mantle

A global constellation of neutrino detectors is creating a never-before-seen view of the radioactive elements that power Earth’s tectonic heat engine.

Corals Spin Tiny Vortices to Get Oxygen, but Not if It’s Too Hot

New research is helping biologists understand how an overlooked aspect of coral physiology may affect their fate under climate change.

Why the Legendary Erdős Problems Are Falling to AI

AI’s greatest mathematical successes have come from answers to problems posed by a mid-20th century iconoclast. By examining what makes the Erdős problems unique, mathematicians are trying to understand how AI might change the rest of math.

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

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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.

00:00 / 36:00

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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.

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