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topology

How Complex Is a Knot? New Proof Reveals Ranking System That Works

By Leila Sloman
May 18, 2022
Read Later

“Ribbon concordance” will let mathematicians compare knots by linking them across four-dimensional space.

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Q&A

How to Write Software With Mathematical Perfection

By Sheon Han
May 17, 2022
Read Later

Leslie Lamport revolutionized how computers talk to each other. Now he’s working on how engineers talk to their machines.

Illustration of a glass box illuminated inside by a red lightbulb. A ray of green light shoots out of the box.
quantum physics

Puzzling Quantum Scenario Appears Not to Conserve Energy

By Katie McCormick
May 16, 2022
Read Later

By resolving a paradox about light in a box, researchers hope to clarify the concept of energy in quantum theory.

astrophysics

Black Hole Image Reveals the Beast Inside the Milky Way’s Heart

By Jonathan O'Callaghan
May 12, 2022
Read Later

In 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope released a historic image of a supermassive black hole in another galaxy. The follow-up — an image of Sagittarius A* — shows it shimmering at the center of our own.

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Illustration of an ornate balance demonstrating that the expression x2 + 2x + 1 weighs more than the equivalent expression (x + 1)(x + 1)
computational complexity

Computer Scientists Prove That Certain Problems Are Truly Hard

By Mordechai Rorvig
Read Later

Finding out whether a question is too difficult to ever solve efficiently depends on figuring out just how hard it is. Researchers have now shown how to do that for a major class of problems.

Illustration of pieces of paper with scientific images on them feeding into a machine. A human hand turns a crank, and equations come out of the machine.
algorithms

Powerful ‘Machine Scientists’ Distill the Laws of Physics From Raw Data

By Charlie Wood
May 10, 2022
Read Later

Researchers say we’re on the cusp of “GoPro physics,” where a camera can point at an event and an algorithm can identify the underlying physics equation.

Illustration of a wooly mammoth with its hind quarters still being assembled from digital blocks.
explainers

Why ‘De-Extinction’ Is Impossible (But Could Work Anyway)

By Yasemin Saplakoglu
May 9, 2022
Read Later

Several projects are aiming to bring back mammoths and other species that have vanished from the planet. Whether that’s technically possible is beside the point.

Illustration of a network of self-replicating RNA molecules evolving and getting more complex.
origins of life

In Test Tubes, RNA Molecules Evolve Into a Tiny Ecosystem

By Yasemin Saplakoglu
May 5, 2022
Read Later

When researchers gave a genetic molecule the ability to replicate, it evolved over time into a complex network of “hosts” and “parasites” that both competed and cooperated to survive.

A red-headed man in a purple suit runs alongside a white rabbit against a bright teal background. Large white numbers are falling out of his top hat.
Insights puzzle

Think of a Number. How Do Math Magicians Know What It Is?

By Pradeep Mutalik
May 4, 2022
Read Later

Mathematical magic can seem like mind reading. Your job is to reveal the secret behind these four tricks.


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