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What Can We Gain by Losing Infinity?
Ultrafinitism, a philosophy that rejects the infinite, has long been dismissed as mathematical heresy. But it is also producing new insights in math and beyond.
The Ancient Weapons Active in Your Immune System Today
Dozens of new discoveries reveal that defenses evolved by bacteria and viruses billions of years ago still define our own innate immune system.
In Math, Rigor Is Vital. But Are Digitized Proofs Taking It Too Far?
The quest to make mathematics rigorous has a long and spotty history — one mathematicians can learn from as they push to formalize everything in the computer program Lean.
Are Strings Still Our Best Hope for a Theory of Everything?
Columnist Natalie Wolchover examines the latest developments in the “forever war” over whether string theory can describe the world.
Quantum Cryptography Pioneers Win Turing Award
Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard were recognized for their foundational work in quantum information science.
Why Do Humanoid Robots Still Struggle With the Small Stuff?
The last decade has seen vast improvements in humanoid robots, but graduating to widespread use might require going back to the fundamentals.
Disorder Drives One of Nature’s Most Complex Machines
Every second, hundreds to thousands of molecules move through thousands of nuclear pores in each of your cells. A new high-definition view reveals the machine in action.
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.
Are the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics Beginning To Dissolve?
Columnist Philip Ball thinks the phenomenon of decoherence might finally bridge the quantum-classical divide.