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Abstractions blog

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An image of space with lines emanating from a central point, as if the viewer is traveling at warp speed.
Abstractions blog

What Might Be Speeding Up the Universe’s Expansion?

By Thomas Lewton
April 27, 2020
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Physicists have proposed extra cosmic ingredients that could explain the faster-than-expected expansion of space.

Video of hot gas falling into a supermassive black hole.
Abstractions blog

Why Are Black Holes So Bright?

By Liz Kruesi
April 22, 2020
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And why is the black hole at the center of our own galaxy so dim?

Destruction from 1999 Taiwan earthquake.
Abstractions blog

New Earthquake Math Predicts How Destructive They’ll Be

By Robin George Andrews
April 21, 2020
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The “pinball” model of a slipping fault line borrows from the mathematics of avalanches.

Black and white photo of John Conway against a black background
Abstractions blog

John Conway Solved Mathematical Problems With His Bare Hands

By Kevin Hartnett
April 20, 2020
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The legendary mathematician, who died on April 11, was curious, colorful and one of the greatest problem-solvers of his generation.

Abstractions blog

Neutrino Asymmetry Passes Critical Threshold

By Natalie Wolchover
April 15, 2020
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The first official evidence of a key imbalance between neutrinos and antineutrinos provides one of the best clues for why the universe contains something rather than nothing.

Animation showing multiple particles of light flowing together and leaving blue trails
Abstractions blog

Graced With Knowledge, Mathematicians Seek to Understand

By Kevin Hartnett
April 8, 2020
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A landmark proof in computer science has also solved an important problem called the Connes embedding conjecture. Mathematicians are working to understand it.

Image of LIGO’s mirror.
Abstractions blog

To Make the Perfect Mirror, Physicists Confront the Mystery of Glass

By Natalie Wolchover
April 2, 2020
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Sometimes a mirror that reflects 99.9999% of light isn’t good enough.

Abstractions blog

Why Do Matter Particles Come in Threes? A Physics Titan Weighs In.

By Charlie Wood
March 30, 2020
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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 split level photo shows algae growing on rocks both above and below the surface of the water at a margin of a Welsh glacial lake.
Abstractions blog

Billion-Year-Old Algae and Newer Genes Hint at Land Plants’ Origin

By Dana Najjar
March 26, 2020
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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.


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