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A Surprise for Evolution in Giant Tree of Life

May 5, 2015

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?

April 30, 2015

Imagine the fabric of space-time peeled back layer by layer.

How Quantum Pairs Stitch Space-Time

April 28, 2015

New tools may reveal how quantum information builds the structure of space.

Wormholes Untangle a Black Hole Paradox

April 24, 2015

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.

Q&A

Concerns of an Artificial Intelligence Pioneer

April 21, 2015

Computer scientist Stuart Russell wants to ensure that our increasingly intelligent machines remain aligned with human values.

How Structure Arose in the Primordial Soup

April 16, 2015

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 …

April 14, 2015

A mathematician who has analyzed card shuffling for decades is tackling one final nemesis: “smooshing.”

A Grand Theory of Wrinkles

April 8, 2015

A collaboration between mechanical engineers and mathematicians has revealed universal rules for how wrinkles form.

Q&A

After Prime Proof, an Unlikely Star Rises

April 2, 2015

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?

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