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The Computer Scientist Who Builds Big Pictures From Small Details

To better understand machine learning algorithms, Lenka Zdeborová treats them like physical materials.

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Computer Scientists Combine Two ‘Beautiful’ Proof Methods

Three researchers have figured out how to craft a proof that spreads out information while keeping it perfectly secret.

When Data Is Missing, Scientists Guess. Then Guess Again.

Across the social and biological sciences, statisticians use a technique that leverages randomness to deal with the unknown.

The Hidden World of Electrostatic Ecology

Invisibly to us, insects and other tiny creatures use static electricity to travel, avoid predators, collect pollen and more. New experiments explore how evolution may have influenced this phenomenon.

The Unraveling of Space-Time

This special issue of Quanta Magazine explores the ultimate scientific quest: the search for the fundamental nature of reality.

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Searching for Dark Matter with a Tabletop ‘Quantum Compass’

Emily Buder/Quanta Magazine; Rui Braz for Quanta Magazine

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The Thought Experiments That Fray the Fabric of Space-Time

These three imagined scenarios lead many physicists to doubt that space-time is fundamental.

The Joy of Why


A cave on another planet with a view of an alien solar system
00:00 / 44:32

Extremophiles, or microbes that live in the most seemingly hostile environments, are the darlings of astrobiologists, who study the potential for life beyond Earth. In this episode, co-host Janna Levin speaks with astrobiologist and cave explorer Penelope Boston about how life finds a way — and whether it might have found a way elsewhere in our solar system or around a distant star.

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Illuminating basic science and math research through public service journalism.

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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.

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