Scott Martin for Quanta Magazine
To begin to understand what mathematicians and physicists see in the abstract structures of symmetries, let’s start with a familiar shape.
If DNA repair makes useful mutations more likely, it could accelerate cells’ adaptations to harsh environments.
Two “rare jewels” have illuminated a mysterious multidimensional object that connects a huge variety of mathematical work.
The first major results from the Dark Energy Survey signal the start of a new era of cosmology.
Textbooks say that the moon was formed after a Mars-size mass smashed the young Earth. But new evidence has cast doubt on that story, leaving researchers to dream up new ways to get a giant rock into orbit.
Prime numbers are endlessly fascinating to number theorists and math enthusiasts. This month’s puzzle explores primes by cooking up a whimsical dish of grilled snake ribs.
The pot-stirring string theorist and quantum gravity theorist never sits still for long.
The three young friends who devised the “happy ending” problem would become some of the most influential mathematicians of the 20th century, but were never able to solve their own puzzle. Now it receives its first big breakthrough.
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.
