Archive

Scientists have long struggled to understand how common planets form. A new supercomputer simulation shows that the missing ingredient may be magnetism.

A new proof establishes the boundary at which a shape becomes so corrugated, it can be crushed.

In some symbiotic partnerships, an RNA-based mechanism may sabotage the growth of greedy hosts.

Scientists have begun to decipher the subtle signs that reveal how explosive a volcanic eruption is going to be.

Playing with numbers can lead to deep mathematical and scientific insights.

Jordan Ellenberg enjoys studying — and writing about — the mathematics underlying everyday phenomena.

Groundbreaking results show that neutron stars of different masses may have the same size — upending astrophysical models.

Hilbert’s 12th problem asked for novel analogues of the roots of unity, the building blocks for certain number systems. Now, over 100 years later, two mathematicians have produced them.

New work suggests that the radiolytic splitting of water supports giant subsurface ecosystems of life on Earth — and could do it elsewhere, too.