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Abstractions blog

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A domino, a two of clubs, and a clock face.
Abstractions blog

Why the Laws of Physics Are Inevitable

By Natalie Wolchover
December 9, 2019
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By considering simple symmetries, physicists working on the “bootstrap” can rediscover the basic form of the known forces that shape the universe.

Animation of a black hole rotating.
Abstractions blog

Black Hole Singularities Are as Inescapable as Expected

By Steve Nadis
December 2, 2019
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For the first time, physicists have calculated exactly what kind of singularity lies at the center of a realistic black hole.

An overhead shot of an engineer working on a metal tank with pipes and cables coming out of it.
Abstractions blog

Top Dark Matter Candidate Loses Ground to Tiniest Competitor

By Charlie Wood
November 27, 2019
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Physicists have long searched for hypothesized dark matter particles called WIMPs. Now, focus may be shifting to the axion — an ultra-lightweight particle whose existence would solve two mysteries at once.

Illustration of a circle representing a black hole on a flat black plane with a multicolored bridge rising out of the plane and spanning from the inside to the outside of the circle.
Abstractions blog

Hologram Within a Hologram Hints at Fate of Black Holes

By Charlie Wood
November 19, 2019
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Calculations involving a higher dimension are guiding physicists toward a misstep in Stephen Hawking’s legendary black hole analysis.

Abstractions blog

Mathematicians Calculate How Randomness Creeps In

By Marcus Woo
November 12, 2019
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Mathematicians have figured out exactly how many moves it takes to randomize a 15 puzzle.

Illustration of three flat sheets, connoting a flat universe, and three balls, connoting a closed universe.
Abstractions blog

What Shape Is the Universe? A New Study Suggests We’ve Got It All Wrong

By Natalie Wolchover
November 4, 2019
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Most every cosmologist believes the universe is flat. A new analysis argues that it’s closed.

A Tsimané man plays an instrument resembling a violin.
Abstractions blog

Perceptions of Musical Octaves Are Learned, Not Wired in the Brain

By Elena Renken
October 30, 2019
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Singing experiments with residents of the Bolivian rainforest demonstrate how biology and experience shape the way we hear music.

Illustration of a magnetar with blue magnetic field lines.
Abstractions blog

The Most-Magnetic Objects in the Universe Attract New Controversy

By Erika K. Carlson
October 28, 2019
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How do magnetars get so magnetic? A study of stellar explosions shows that the long-accepted theory might be wrong.

Photos of Google’s quantum computer system on the left, IMB’s supercomputer Summit on the right.
Abstractions blog

Google and IBM Clash Over Milestone Quantum Computing Experiment

By Kevin Hartnett
October 23, 2019
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Today Google announced that it achieved “quantum supremacy.” Its chief quantum computing rival, IBM, said it hasn’t. The disagreement hinges on what the term really means.


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