Pencils Down: Experiments in Education
Latest Articles
‘Reverse Mathematics’ Illuminates Why Hard Problems Are Hard
Researchers have used metamathematical techniques to show that certain theorems that look superficially distinct are in fact logically equivalent.
Particle Physicists Detect ‘Magic’ at the Large Hadron Collider
The supercollider is now being used to explore quantum phenomena, including a “magic” form of quantum entanglement.
A Cell So Minimal That It Challenges Definitions of Life
The newly described microbe represents a world of parasitic, intercellular biodiversity only beginning to be revealed by genome sequencing.
A New Bridge Links the Strange Math of Infinity to Computer Science
Descriptive set theorists study the niche mathematics of infinity. Now, they’ve shown that their problems can be rewritten in the concrete language of algorithms.
Cosmic Paradox Reveals the Awful Consequence of an Observer-Free Universe
Encouraged by successes in understanding black holes, theoretical physicists are applying what they’ve learned to whole universes. What they’re finding has them questioning fundamental assumptions about how physics ought to be done.
Old ‘Ghost’ Theory of Quantum Gravity Makes a Comeback
Has the secret to understanding gravity been hiding in plain sight for nearly 50 years?
Mixing Is the Heartbeat of Deep Lakes. At Crater Lake, It’s Slowing Down.
The physics of mixing water layers — an interplay of wind, climate and more — makes lakes work. When it stops, impacts can ripple across an ecosystem.
New Proofs Probe Soap-Film Singularities
Mathematicians have broken through a long-standing barrier in the study of “minimizing surfaces,” which play an important role in both math and physics.
To Have Machines Make Math Proofs, Turn Them Into a Puzzle
Marijn Heule turns mathematical statements into something like Sudoku puzzles, then has computers go to work on them. His proofs have been called “disgusting,” but they go beyond what any human can do.