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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Shark Data Suggests Animals Scale Like Geometric Objects
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Despite their wide variety of sizes, niches and shapes, sharks scale geometrically, pointing to possible fundamental constraints on evolution.
First Shape Found That Can’t Pass Through Itself
After more than three centuries, a geometry problem that originated with a royal bet has been solved.
The Game Theory of How Algorithms Can Drive Up Prices
Recent findings reveal that even simple pricing algorithms can make things more expensive.
How Soon Will the Seas Rise?
The uniquely vulnerable West Antarctic Ice Sheet holds enough water to raise global sea levels by 5 meters. But when that will happen — and how fast — is anything but settled.
How the Brain Moves From Waking Life to Sleep (and Back Again)
Neuroscientists probing the boundary between sleep and awareness are finding many types of liminal states, which help explain the sleep disorders that can result when sleep transitions go wrong.
Researchers Discover the Optimal Way To Optimize
The leading approach to the simplex method, a widely used technique for balancing complex logistical constraints, can’t get any better.
Genes Have Harnessed Physics to Help Grow Living Things
The same pulling force that causes “tears” in a glass of wine also shapes embryos. It’s another example of how genes exploit mechanical forces for growth and development.
Loops of DNA Equipped Ancient Life To Become Complex
New work shows that physical folding of the genome to control genes located far away may have been an early evolutionary development.
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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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