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An animated illustration shows a person looking at a scalloped shape with three rounded projections peeking out above a brick wall. The person's head is depicted as containing a paper label that is blank. On the label, different words appear — clown, tree, balloons, sheep — one at a time. Just a moment after the word appears, the illustration of the object, including the scalloped shape, appears on the wall.

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Latest Articles

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.

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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.

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.”

Why Are Rivers So Mathematical?

A simple scaling law brings order to the chaos of flowing water, rock, and sediment. New findings have extended the law even further.

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.

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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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Illuminating basic science and math research through public service journalism.

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