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Is Mathematics Mostly Chaos or Mostly Order?
Two new notions of infinity challenge a long-standing plan to define the mathematical universe.
Is Gravity Just Entropy Rising? Long-Shot Idea Gets Another Look.
A new argument explores how the growth of disorder could cause massive objects to move toward one another. Physicists are both interested and skeptical.
Singularities in Space-Time Prove Hard to Kill
Black hole and Big Bang singularities break our best theory of gravity. A trilogy of theorems hints that physicists must go to the ends of space and time to find a fix.
For Algorithms, a Little Memory Outweighs a Lot of Time
One computer scientist’s “stunning” proof is the first progress in 50 years on one of the most famous questions in computer science.
‘Turbocharged’ Mitochondria Power Birds’ Epic Migratory Journeys
Slight changes in the number, shape, efficiency and interconnectedness of organelles in the cells of flight muscles provide extra energy for birds’ continent-spanning feats.
New ‘Superdiffusion’ Proof Probes the Mysterious Math of Turbulence
Turbulence is a notoriously difficult phenomenon to study. Mathematicians are now starting to untangle it at its smallest scales.
Mathematical Beauty, Truth and Proof in the Age of AI
Mathematicians have started to prepare for a profound shift in what it means to do math.
When ChatGPT Broke an Entire Field: An Oral History
Researchers in “natural language processing” tried to tame human language. Then came the transformer.
AI Is Nothing Like a Brain, and That’s OK
The brain’s astounding cellular diversity and networked complexity could show how to make AI better.