Archive

Immunologists confirm an old hunch: T-cells identify what belongs in the body by timing how long they can bind to it.

Decades after the landmark proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem, ideas abound for how to make it even more reliable. But such efforts reflect a deep misunderstanding of what makes the proof so important.

Viruses and other parasites may sync with their host’s biological clock — or reset it — to gain an advantage.

Surviving fragments of genetic material preserved in sediments allow scientists to see the full diversity of past life — even microbes.

A new theoretical model may help explain the shocking onset of superconductivity in stacked, twisted carbon sheets.

The universe of problems that a computer can check has grown. The researchers’ secret ingredient? Quantum entanglement.

A little high school geometry can help you understand the basic math behind movie recommendation engines.

Some viruses can replicate without infecting any one cell with all their genes.

Two women programmers played a pivotal role in the birth of chaos theory. Their previously untold story illustrates the changing status of computation in science.