Lauren Williams tells 'The Joy of Why' how studying a fundamental object in algebraic combinatorics led to a career full of surprises.
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For the First Time, a Cell Built From Scratch Grows and Divides
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Scientists built a synthetic cell that combines more lifelike properties than ever before — proof of concept that it’s possible to bring nonliving materials to life, or something close to it, in the lab.
What Breaks a Cell’s Ribs Can Make It Stronger
The mechanical process of cell division exerts powerful, if microscopic, forces. How do the molecular machines that power it manage the strain?
After 80 Years, Mathematicians Give Famed ‘Erdős Method’ an Upgrade
Decades ago, Paul Erdős used randomness to illuminate the vast and weird world of networks. Now mathematicians are making his technique even more powerful.
How Physicists Track and Trap the Elusive Neutrino
The hunt for these ghostly particles has required some of the most audacious experimental setups ever built.
A Dark Dimension Could Link Two of the Universe’s Great Unknowns
Recent observations suggest that dark energy is changing over time. Theorists wonder if dark matter is, too.
Seven Perfect Shuffles Randomize a Deck of Cards. But How Many Sloppy Ones?
A decades-old proof showed that seven shuffles are enough to mix up a deck of cards. But it requires you to cut the deck with the precision of a professional magician. A new proof gets around that obstacle.
How Many Elementary Particles Are There, Really?
Plausible answers range from 17 to — in all seriousness — 995.5.
Where Did Earth Get Its Oceans? Maybe It Made Them Itself.
At first, scientists thought Earth’s water came from comets. Then, asteroids. Now, they wonder if Earth’s water is homegrown.
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Intuition breaks down once we’re dealing with the endless. To begin with: Some infinities are bigger than others.
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