Quanta Magazine

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A New Framework for How the Brain Compresses Our Noisy World

An updated view of categorization reflects the modern understanding that the nervous system is more of a prediction engine than a filing cabinet. The post A New Framework for How the Brain Compresses Our Noisy World first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Conor FeehlyAug 24, 2026

Quanta Magazine

‘Huge Breakthrough’ in the Math of Imbalance

For the first time in 30 years, computer scientists have found a better way to allocate objects evenly between two groups. The post ‘Huge Breakthrough’ in the Math of Imbalance first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Max G. LevyAug 21, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Are We Thinking Correctly About AI Intelligence?

Computer scientist Melanie Mitchell discusses why artificial intelligence doesn’t “think” or “reason” like humans, and how we can create better methods for measuring machine cognition. The post Are We Thinking Correctly About AI Intelligence? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Steven Strogatz and Janna LevinAug 20, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Building a Quantum Computer, One Fragile Qubit at a Time

No one yet knows which technology will power the quantum computers of the future, but the race to create them has already produced some of science’s most intricate machinery. The post Building a Quantum Computer, One Fragile Qubit at a Time first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Ben BrubakerAug 19, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Theory of Fluids Enters the 21st Century

From the 1800s to the early 2000s, physicists used the same theory to understand the behavior of fluids. Now, using a modern insight, they have redefined fluids from the bottom up. The post Theory of Fluids Enters the 21st Century first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Charlie WoodAug 17, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Why Aging May Be a Program, Not a Breakdown

By deciphering the molecular signatures of millions of mouse cells, Junyue Cao has found that aging is not haphazard wear and tear but rather a “remodeling of the cell society.” The post Why Aging May Be a Program, Not a Breakdown first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Ingrid WickelgrenAug 14, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Graduate Student Proves a Quantum Uncertainty Principle for Fractals

The math, which combines chaos, quantum theory, and infinitely complex fractal structures, has been called a “foundational result.” The post Graduate Student Proves a Quantum Uncertainty Principle for Fractals first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Shalma WegsmanAug 12, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Why Are Rivers So Mathematical?

A simple scaling law brings order to the chaos of flowing water, rock, and sediment. New findings have extended the law even further. The post Why Are Rivers So Mathematical? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Natalie WolchoverAug 10, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Neutrinos From Deep Inside Earth Provide a New Picture of the Mantle

A global constellation of neutrino detectors is creating a never-before-seen view of the radioactive elements that power Earth’s tectonic heat engine. The post Neutrinos From Deep Inside Earth Provide a New Picture of the Mantle first appeared on Quanta Magazine

James DinneenAug 7, 2026

Quanta Magazine

How Does Touch Lead To Pain Or Pleasure?

Neuroscientist Ishmail Abdus-Saboor discusses efforts to understand how skin contact can be painful or pleasurable, and what touch-obsessed naked mole rats might teach us about human social behavior. The post How Does Touch Lead To Pain Or Pleasure? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Janna Levin and Steven StrogatzAug 6, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Corals Spin Tiny Vortices to Get Oxygen, but Not if It’s Too Hot

New research is helping biologists understand how an overlooked aspect of coral physiology may affect their fate under climate change. The post Corals Spin Tiny Vortices to Get Oxygen, but Not if It’s Too Hot first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Marlowe StarlingAug 5, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Why the Legendary Erdős Problems Are Falling to AI

AI’s greatest mathematical successes have come from answers to problems posed by a mid-20th century iconoclast. By examining what makes the Erdős problems unique, mathematicians are trying to understand how AI might change the rest of math. The post Why the Legendary Erdős Problems Are Falling to AI first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Konstantin KakaesAug 3, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Is AI Reasoning Right for the Wrong Reasons?

The idea that artificial intelligence can “reason” is more intuitive than ever. But intuitions can be wrong, and the science is far from settled. The post Is AI Reasoning Right for the Wrong Reasons? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

John PavlusJul 31, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Physicists Solve a Big Quantum Mystery. Now, Old Results Don’t Add Up.

New calculations seem to have put a 25-year-old particle physics puzzle to rest. But they’ve also created a clash with other experimental results. The post Physicists Solve a Big Quantum Mystery. Now, Old Results Don’t Add Up. first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Matt von HippelJul 29, 2026

Quanta Magazine

A New Way That a Cow’s Inner World Shapes Earth’s Atmosphere

An organelle discovered inside a microbe inside a cow’s gut helps explain how livestock burps contribute to warming our planet. The post A New Way That a Cow’s Inner World Shapes Earth’s Atmosphere first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Marlowe StarlingJul 27, 2026

Quanta Magazine

A Master of the Traveling Salesperson Problem Finds His Own Path

Shayan Oveis Gharan has won the Abacus Medal for using tools from across mathematics to boost the power of algorithms. The post A Master of the Traveling Salesperson Problem Finds His Own Path first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Ben BrubakerJul 23, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Fields and Abacus Medals 2026

Every four years, the math world’s preeminent awards are given to the finest minds of a generation. The young winners — all under 40 on the first day of the year — have reshaped mathematics and theoretical computer science. Here are their stories. The post Fields and Abacus Medals 2026 first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Michael Moyer, Jordana Cepelewicz, Konstantin Kakaes, Ben Brubaker, Kevin Hartnett and Natalie WolchoverJul 23, 2026

Quanta Magazine

How Fast Is the Universe Really Expanding?

One of the most contested issues in astrophysics is our understanding of the Universe’s expansion. Adam Riess discusses why there is disagreement and what might resolve it. The post How Fast Is the Universe Really Expanding? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Steven Strogatz and Janna LevinJul 23, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Amid Life’s Chaos, a Meticulous Mathematician Finds Stability

Before he won a Fields Medal for his pioneering work balancing randomness and order, Yu Deng first had to achieve equilibrium in his own life. The post Amid Life’s Chaos, a Meticulous Mathematician Finds Stability first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Jordana CepelewiczJul 23, 2026

Quanta Magazine

The Quietest Mathematician Has Always Been Worth Listening To

John Pardon sees connections between different areas of math that others don’t. For that vision, he’s now been awarded a Fields Medal. The post The Quietest Mathematician Has Always Been Worth Listening To first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Konstantin KakaesJul 23, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Sometimes Being First Means Seeing the End Before Anyone Else

Determination and effort propelled Jacob Tsimerman to the top of the math world. But now that he’s won a Fields Medal, he worries that the field is in jeopardy. The post Sometimes Being First Means Seeing the End Before Anyone Else first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Kevin HartnettJul 23, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Living Fully in the Math World Means Threading the Needle

Focus, commitment, and insight resulted in a “once in a century” proof. Hong Wang is now just the third woman to win a Fields Medal. The post Living Fully in the Math World Means Threading the Needle first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Natalie WolchoverJul 23, 2026

Quanta Magazine

The Organisms That Make Earth’s Harshest Places Home

Extremophiles that thrive in the most unforgiving environments aren’t just biological curiosities. Understanding their resilience has many implications for us. The post The Organisms That Make Earth’s Harshest Places Home first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Jake BuehlerJul 20, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Martin Picard’s Mitochondrial Theory of Mind

The biologist’s bold “energetic view of life” looks to the body’s strangest organelles as the link between cells, health, and mind and the foundation of our experience of being alive. The post Martin Picard’s Mitochondrial Theory of Mind first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Rachel NuwerJul 17, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Thermodynamic Computers Go With the (Energy) Flow

Today’s computers need safeguards against random energy fluctuations. Thermodynamic computers would put those fluctuations to use. The post Thermodynamic Computers Go With the (Energy) Flow first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Philip BallJul 15, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Why Am I Left-Handed?

An invisible difference in 10% of humans poses deep mysteries in several fields at once. The post Why Am I Left-Handed? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Natalie WolchoverJul 13, 2026

Quanta Magazine

We Know Simple Fluids Can Flow. Turns Out, Some Can Fracture.

Researchers thought that what enabled complex fluids to break apart was their elasticity. But a crack in a nonelastic simple fluid has them questioning that idea. The post We Know Simple Fluids Can Flow. Turns Out, Some Can Fracture. first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Rohini SubrahmanyamJul 10, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Will We Ever Find Alien Civilizations?

Astronomer David Kipping discusses why claims of extraterrestrial life keep dissolving under scrutiny, why we need a more statistically grounded approach to searching for life beyond Earth, and why it’s rational to believe that we may be alone. The post Will We Ever Find Alien Civilizations? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Janna Levin and Steven StrogatzJul 9, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Is Life Just Different?

The idea of ‘biological agency’ — that life devises its own goals and behaves accordingly — complicates our understanding of what it means to be alive. But does it serve a scientific purpose? The post Is Life Just Different? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Philip BallJul 8, 2026

Quanta Magazine

Researchers Reveal the Power of ‘Quantum Proofs’

When checking that solutions to certain problems are correct, it turns out, you can’t get around the inherent complexity of the quantum world. The post Researchers Reveal the Power of ‘Quantum Proofs’ first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Ben BrubakerJul 6, 2026