Where Did the Universe Come From?

This year, two teams of physicists made profound progress on ideas that could bring about the next revolution in physics. Another has identified the source of a longstanding cosmic mystery.

Catherine Dulac of Harvard University discusses the roots of “male” and “female” parenting behaviors in mammalian brains.

Jelani Nelson explains how his streaming algorithms answer questions about big data without having to remember everything they’ve seen.

Bryna Kra explains how to describe complex systems in symbols.

Cora Dvorkin explains her approach to exploring dark matter.

L. Mahadevan describes how he approaches science and where he finds his ideas.

Vinton Cerf discusses the challenges of creating an interplanetary internet.

Physicist Jeff Gore of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discusses the puzzle of high diversity in ecosystems, and how his background in physics has influenced his experimental approach to studying ecology.

Carlos Gershenson explains how principles of adaptation and self-organization can help transportation systems beat traffic jams and other urban mobility problems.