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Illustration of a network of self-replicating RNA molecules evolving and getting more complex.
origins of life

In Test Tubes, RNA Molecules Evolve Into a Tiny Ecosystem

By Yasemin Saplakoglu
May 5, 2022
Read Later

When researchers gave a genetic molecule the ability to replicate, it evolved over time into a complex network of “hosts” and “parasites” that both competed and cooperated to survive.

Illustration of planets and other objects floating above the deformable sheet of space-time.
The Joy of Why

Where Do Space, Time and Gravity Come From?

By Steven Strogatz
May 4, 2022
Read Later

Einstein’s description of curved space-time doesn’t easily mesh with a universe made up of quantum wavefunctions. Theoretical physicist Sean Carroll discusses the quest for quantum gravity with host Steven Strogatz.

A red-headed man in a purple suit runs alongside a white rabbit against a bright teal background. Large white numbers are falling out of his top hat.
Insights puzzle

Think of a Number. How Do Math Magicians Know What It Is?

By Pradeep Mutalik
May 4, 2022
Read Later

Mathematical magic can seem like mind reading. Your job is to reveal the secret behind these four tricks.

An illustration of calipers that look blurry
quantum physics

Physicists Pin Down How Quantum Uncertainty Sharpens Measurements

By Ben Brubaker
May 3, 2022
Read Later

Throwing out data seems to make measurements of distances and angles more precise. The reason why has been traced to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.

A ring of bubbles in blue water.
fluid dynamics

Mathematicians Coax Fluid Equations Into Nonphysical Solutions

By Leila Sloman
May 2, 2022
Read Later

The famed Navier-Stokes equations can lead to cases where more than one result is possible, but only in an extremely narrow set of situations.

planetary science

Secrets of the Moon’s Permanent Shadows Are Coming to Light

By Jonathan O'Callaghan
April 28, 2022
Read Later

Robots are about to venture into the sunless depths of lunar craters to investigate ancient water ice trapped there, while remote studies find hints about how water arrives on rocky worlds.

Illustration of a red human figured amid blue silhouettes of animals, in front of a red background.
Quantized Columns

What Happens When We Give Animals Our Diseases?

By Tara C. Smith
April 27, 2022
Read Later

While it’s understandable to focus on the diseases affecting humans, it’s important to study how our illnesses may affect animals.

Micrograph of a macrophage phagocytosing bacteria.
evolution

Ancient Genes for Symbiosis Hint at Mitochondria’s Origins

By Veronique Greenwood
April 26, 2022
Read Later

Was the addition of mitochondria a first step in the formation of complex cells or one of the last? A new study of bacteria tries to answer this contentious question in evolutionary biology.

Three circles that have dots connected by lines, as in a graph.
graph theory

Elegant Six-Page Proof Reveals the Emergence of Random Structure

By Jordana Cepelewicz
April 25, 2022
Read Later

Two young mathematicians have astonished their colleagues with a full proof of the Kahn-Kalai conjecture — a sweeping statement about how structure emerges in random sets and graphs.


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