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The 4-Page Paper That Broke Mathematics
For thousands of years, mathematicians avoided the concept of infinity. Then, in 1874, Georg Cantor published a four-page paper that changed mathematics forever. Hidden inside was a shocking claim: some infinities are larger than others. Today, Cantor is celebrated as the father of set theory and one of the great mathematical revolutionaries. But newly uncovered letters reveal a far more complicated story — one involving collaboration, secrecy, and plagiarism.
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Pencils Down: The Art of Teaching Math and Science
What can we learn from the best teachers on the front lines? To shine a spotlight on this linchpin of our education system, Quanta Magazine followed four master science and math teachers into their classrooms.
Peter and Rosemary Grant: Watching Evolution Happen in Two Lifetimes
Peter and Rosemary Grant explain how our understanding of evolution has changed in their lifetimes.
Tracy Slatyer: A Seeker of Dark Matter’s Hidden Light
Tracy Slatyer explains why she’s not disappointed when a mysterious cosmic signal turns out to be something other than dark matter.
Miranda Cheng: A Moonshine Master Toys With String Theory
Miranda Cheng explains what umbral moonshine is and how it might illuminate string theory.
How Does Life Come From Randomness?
David Kaplan explains how the law of increasing entropy could drive random bits of matter into the stable, orderly structures of life.
Suchitra Sebastian: An Explorer of Quantum Borderlands
Suchitra Sebastian talks about how extreme conditions can create unexpected quantum behavior.
Ken Ono: A Life Inspired by an Unexpected Genius
Ken Ono explains how Ramanujan has served as his “guardian angel” throughout his life and career.
Janna Levin on Science and Culture
Janna Levin talks about her roles as scientific director at a “center for art and innovation” in Brooklyn and as a physicist and writer.
Tiny Tests Seek the Universe’s Big Mysteries
David Moore explains why we might expect to find strange things when we study gravity at small scales.