Nick Slater for Quanta Magazine
Large language models do better at solving problems when they show their work. Researchers are beginning to understand why.
Recursion builds bridges between ideas from across different math classes and illustrates the power of creative mathematical thinking.
The French mathematician spent decades developing a set of tools now widely used for taming random processes.
Recent controversies bode ill for the effort to detect life on other planets by analyzing the gases in their atmospheres.
Electroconvulsive therapy is highly effective in treating major depressive disorder, but no one knows why it works. New research suggests it may restore balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain.
The recipient of the 2024 Crafoord Prize in Mathematics discusses math as art, math as language, and math as abstract thought.
Researchers have shown that a problem relating to the energy of a quantum system is easy for quantum computers but hard for classical ones.
Altering a protein in the neurons that coordinate a rattlesnake’s movement made a slow slither neuron more like a speedy rattle neuron, showing one way evolution can generate new ways of moving.
Teleporting people through space is still science fiction. But quantum teleportation is dramatically different and entirely real. In this episode, Janna Levin interviews the theoretical physicist John Preskill about teleporting bits and the promise of quantum technology.
Illuminating basic science and math research through public service journalism.
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