Archive

Mathematicians are using topological abstractions to find places where it’s hard to vote.

In the search for the most scalable hardware to use for quantum computers, qubits made of individual atoms are having a breakout moment.

Recursion builds bridges between ideas from across different math classes and illustrates the power of creative mathematical thinking.

Large language models do better at solving problems when they show their work. Researchers are beginning to understand why.

The French mathematician spent decades developing a set of tools now widely used for taming random processes.

Recent controversies bode ill for the effort to detect life on other planets by analyzing the gases in their atmospheres.

Electroconvulsive therapy is highly effective in treating major depressive disorder, but no one knows why it works. New research suggests it may restore balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain.

Long-anticipated experiments that use light to mimic gravity are revealing the distribution of energies, forces and pressures inside a subatomic particle for the first time.

Teleporting people through space is still science fiction. But quantum teleportation is dramatically different and entirely real. In this episode, Janna Levin interviews the theoretical physicist John Preskill about teleporting bits and the promise of quantum technology.