Richard Prum explains why he thinks feathers and vibrant traits in birds evolved not solely for survival, but also through aesthetic choice.
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Latest Articles
Can the Most Abstract Math Make the World a Better Place?
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Columnist Natalie Wolchover explores whether applied category theory can be “green” math.
What Crystals Older Than the Sun Reveal About the Start of the Solar System
Microscopic crystals extracted from meteorites could help settle a debate about the birth of our patch of the Milky Way.
Break It To Make It: How Fracturing Sculpts Tissues and Organs
Growing tissues can crack, break, and dissociate to form structures that can later withstand immense forces.
The Man Who Stole Infinity
In an 1874 paper, Georg Cantor proved that there are different sizes of infinity and changed math forever. A trove of newly unearthed letters shows that it was also an act of plagiarism.
How Can Infinity Come in Many Sizes?
Intuition breaks down once we’re dealing with the endless. To begin with: Some infinities are bigger than others.
The Biophysical World Inside a Jam-Packed Cell
Innovations in imaging and genetic engineering are coming together to probe the biophysics of cytoplasm inside living animals.
A New Complexity Theory for the Quantum Age
Henry Yuen is developing a new mathematical language to describe problems whose inputs and outputs aren’t ordinary numbers.
Are the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics Beginning To Dissolve?
Columnist Philip Ball thinks the phenomenon of decoherence might finally bridge the quantum-classical divide.
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The Quantum Mechanics of Greenhouse Gases
Earth’s radiation can send some molecules spinning or vibrating, which is what makes them greenhouse gases. This infographic explains how relatively few heat-trapping molecules can have a planetary effect.
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Illuminating basic science and math research through public service journalism.
More about usQuanta Magazine is committed to in-depth, accurate journalism that serves the public interest. Each article braids the complexities of science with the malleable art of storytelling and is meticulously reported, edited and fact-checked. Launched and funded by the Simons Foundation, Quanta is editorially independent — our articles do not reflect or represent the views of the foundation.
