How to Find Rational Points Like Your Job Depends on It | Quanta Magazine

Using high school algebra and geometry, and knowing just one rational point on a circle or elliptic curve, we can locate infinitely many others.

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Quanta Magazine

Where Did Earth Get Its Oceans? Maybe It Made Them Itself.

At first, scientists thought Earth’s water came from comets. Then, asteroids. Now, they wonder if Earth’s water is homegrown. The post Where Did Earth Get Its Oceans? Maybe It Made Them Itself. first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Robin George Andrews·Jun 12, 2026

Quanta Magazine

What’s the Future of Gene Editing?

In the first episode of the new season of ‘The Joy of Why,’ Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna discusses how she discovered CRISPR’s genome-editing power, the breakthroughs and hurdles during its explosive growth, and what lies ahead for this groundbreaking technology. The post What’s the Future of Gene Editing? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Janna Levin and Steven Strogatz·Jun 11, 2026

Quanta Magazine

An Early Step on the Long, Strange Road to Photosynthesis

An ancient lineage of cyanobacteria is helping biologists uncover an early evolutionary stage of the mind-boggling process that turns light into life. The post An Early Step on the Long, Strange Road to Photosynthesis first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Carrie Arnold·Jun 10, 2026

Quanta Magazine

How Terry Tao Became an Evangelist for AI in Math

With automated proof-checkers, a problem can be broken up into small chunks, solved bit-by-bit, then reassembled with confidence that every piece is correct. For some, this heralds a new area in mathematical research. The post How Terry Tao Became an Evangelist for AI in Math first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Kevin Hartnett·Jun 8, 2026

Quanta Magazine

More Conversations, Complex Questions, and Bold Ideas in Season Five of ‘The Joy of Why’

The podcast returns with 12 all-new episodes that explore the biggest questions in basic science and mathematics. The post More Conversations, Complex Questions, and Bold Ideas in Season Five of ‘The Joy of Why’ first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Simon Frantz·Jun 4, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Plasmid, Virus or Other? DNA ‘Borgs’ Blur Boundaries. | Quanta Magazine

Scientists have reported large DNA structures in some archaea that defy easy categorization.

Jul 21, 2021·8 min read