Abstractions blog

Sometimes a mirror that reflects 99.9999% of light isn’t good enough.

Three progressively heavier copies of each type of matter particle exist, and no one knows why. A new paper by Steven Weinberg takes a stab at explaining the pattern.

A recently unearthed fossil and new genomic discoveries are filling important gaps in scientists’ understanding of how primitive green algae eventually evolved into land vegetation.

“Rainbow colorings” recently led to a new proof. It’s not the first time they’ve come in handy.

In a new paper, physicists argue that hypothetical particles called axions could explain why the universe isn’t empty.

The recent discovery of some of the first galaxies in the universe illuminates the darkest era in cosmic history.

A problem confronts cosmology: Two independent measurements of the universe’s expansion give incompatible answers. Now a third method, advanced by an astronomy pioneer, appears to bridge the divide.

Faced with a decision, the brain weighs its options by bundling them into rapidly alternating cycles of brain waves.

A recent neutron star merger has defied astronomers’ expectations, leading them to question longstanding ideas about neutron stars and the supernovas that create them. “We have to go back to the drawing board.”