Archive
topology
How Complex Is a Knot? New Proof Reveals Ranking System That Works
“Ribbon concordance” will let mathematicians compare knots by linking them across four-dimensional space.
Q&A
How to Write Software With Mathematical Perfection
Leslie Lamport revolutionized how computers talk to each other. Now he’s working on how engineers talk to their machines.
quantum physics
Puzzling Quantum Scenario Appears Not to Conserve Energy
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
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.
computational complexity
Computer Scientists Prove That Certain Problems Are Truly Hard
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.
algorithms
Powerful ‘Machine Scientists’ Distill the Laws of Physics From Raw Data
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.
explainers
Why ‘De-Extinction’ Is Impossible (But Could Work Anyway)
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.
origins of life
In Test Tubes, RNA Molecules Evolve Into a Tiny Ecosystem
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.
Insights puzzle
Think of a Number. How Do Math Magicians Know What It Is?
Mathematical magic can seem like mind reading. Your job is to reveal the secret behind these four tricks.