The rainbow of pigments that animals use for blood illustrates a central truth of evolution.
Jim Gunn shaped the theory of the evolution of the cosmos before building cameras and spectrographs for major observatories like the Hubble Space Telescope.
In harsh ecosystems around the world, microbiologists are finding evidence that “microbial seed banks” protect biodiversity from changing conditions.
By chopping up large numbers into smaller ones, researchers have rewritten a fundamental mathematical speed limit.
The astrophysicist Janna Levin reflects on the newly unveiled, first-ever photograph of a black hole.
Solve a linguistic whodunit about a college mascot by thinking like a self-referencing computer subroutine.
New studies revise ideas about the symbiosis that gave mitochondria to cells and about whether the last common ancestor of all eukaryotes was one cell or many.
In a world seemingly filled with chaos, physicists have discovered new forms of synchronization and are learning how to predict and control them.
Just how fast can the fastest human run? This adapted book excerpt from Infinite Powers reveals how calculus helps us investigate the nature of motion and change.
Life needs more than water alone. Recent discoveries suggest that plate tectonics has played a critical role in nourishing life on Earth. The findings carry major consequences for the search for life elsewhere in the universe.
Turbulence is everywhere, yet it is one of the most difficult concepts for physicists to understand.
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.
