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What Makes Quantum Computing So Hard to Explain?

June 8, 2021

To understand what quantum computers can do — and what they can’t — avoid falling for overly simple explanations.

Astronomers Find Secret Planet-Making Ingredient: Magnetic Fields

June 7, 2021

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

Mathematicians Identify Threshold at Which Shapes Give Way

June 3, 2021

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

RNA Brakes May Stabilize a Cellular Symbiosis

June 2, 2021

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

A Burp or a Blast? Seismic Signals Reveal the Volcanic Eruption to Come

June 1, 2021

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

How a Simple Arithmetic Puzzle Can Guide Discovery

May 28, 2021

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

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A Number Theorist Who Connects Math to Other Creative Pursuits

May 27, 2021

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

Squishy Neutron Star Setback Dampens Hopes of Exotic Matter

May 26, 2021

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

Mathematicians Find Long-Sought Building Blocks for Special Polynomials

May 25, 2021

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.

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