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A Surprise for Evolution in Giant Tree of Life
The largest evolutionary tree ever compiled leads researchers to conclude that chance mutation — not natural selection — drives the development of new species.
Interactive: What Is Space?
Imagine the fabric of space-time peeled back layer by layer.
How Quantum Pairs Stitch Space-Time
New tools may reveal how quantum information builds the structure of space.
Wormholes Untangle a Black Hole Paradox
A bold new idea aims to link two famously discordant descriptions of nature. In doing so, it may also reveal how space-time owes its existence to the spooky connections of quantum information.
Concerns of an Artificial Intelligence Pioneer
Computer scientist Stuart Russell wants to ensure that our increasingly intelligent machines remain aligned with human values.
How Structure Arose in the Primordial Soup
Life’s first epoch saw incredible advances — cells, metabolism and DNA, to name a few. Researchers are resurrecting ancient proteins to illuminate the biological dark ages.
For Persi Diaconis’ Next Magic Trick …
A mathematician who has analyzed card shuffling for decades is tackling one final nemesis: “smooshing.”
A Grand Theory of Wrinkles
A collaboration between mechanical engineers and mathematicians has revealed universal rules for how wrinkles form.
After Prime Proof, an Unlikely Star Rises
Two years ago, Yitang Zhang was virtually unknown. Now his surprise solution to a major problem in number theory has catapulted him to mathematical stardom. Where does he go from here?