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A video of the sun showing the eruption of a solar flare.
solar physics

Tiny Jets on the Sun Power the Colossal Solar Wind

By Theo Nicitopoulos
April 24, 2023
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A new analysis argues that ubiquitous eruptions in the sun’s corona explain the vast flow of charged particles seen streaming out through the solar system.

combinatorics

The Number 15 Describes the Secret Limit of an Infinite Grid

By Kevin Hartnett
April 20, 2023
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The “packing coloring” problem asks how many numbers are needed to fill an infinite grid so that identical numbers never get too close to one another. A new computer-assisted proof finds a surprisingly straightforward answer.

Quantized Columns

Why the Brain’s Connections to the Body Are Crisscrossed

By R. Douglas Fields
April 19, 2023
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In all bilaterally symmetrical animals, from humans down to simple worms, nerves cross from one side of the body to the opposite side of the brain. Geometry may explain why.

The Joy of Why

How Can Some Infinities Be Bigger Than Others?

By Steven Strogatz
April 19, 2023
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All infinities go on forever, so how is it possible for some infinities to be larger than others? The mathematician Justin Moore discusses the mysteries of infinity with Steven Strogatz.

mathematical physics

A New Symmetry Shakes Up Physics

By Kevin Hartnett
April 18, 2023
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So-called “higher symmetries” are illuminating everything from particle decays to the behavior of complex quantum systems.

Q&A

She Tracks the DNA of Elusive Species That Hide in Harsh Places

By Rachel Crowell
April 17, 2023
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On Mount Everest and in the Peruvian Andes, Tracie Seimon uses DNA to study how species and ecosystems respond to climate change, pathogens and other influences.

machine learning

A New Approach to Computation Reimagines Artificial Intelligence

By Anil Ananthaswamy
April 13, 2023
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By imbuing enormous vectors with semantic meaning, we can get machines to reason more abstractly — and efficiently — than before.

combinatorics

Mathematicians Find Hidden Structure in a Common Type of Space

By Jordana Cepelewicz
April 12, 2023
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In 50 years of searching, mathematicians found only one example of a “subspace design” in a vector space. A new proof reveals that there are infinitely more out there.

Colored micrograph of the new Loki Asgard archaeon that was reported in December 2022.
microbes

Primitive Asgard Cells Show Life on the Brink of Complexity

By Joshua Sokol
April 11, 2023
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As researchers race to cultivate more of the intriguing cells from the deep seafloor, the few cells now growing in labs are giving us our best glimpses of the forerunners of all complex life.


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