With automated proof-checkers, a problem can be broken up into small chunks, solved bit-by-bit, then reassembled with ...

In the 1960s, worm-training experiments and their strange implications captivated the nation. Columnist Claire L. Evans ...

In holographic theories, physicists may have traced the pliability of space-time to its quantum roots: a measure of ...

The podcast returns with 12 all-new episodes that explore the biggest questions in basic science and mathematics.

Lifelike biochemistry continued to unfold in sterilized soil for six years, pointing to a metabolic theory for how biology began. For 15 years, Sébastien Fontaine has been trying to kill dirt. The ...

Over hundreds of years, increasingly sophisticated instruments have revealed — and continue to reveal — the secrets of our star.

The quest to make mathematics rigorous has a long and spotty history — one mathematicians can learn from as they push to formalize everything in the computer program Lean. The Quanta Newsletter ...

According to Einstein’s theory of gravity, black holes have only a small handful of distinguishing characteristics. Quantum theory implies they may have more. Now an experimental search finds that any ...

The math of data structures helps us understand how different storage systems come with different trade-offs between resources such as time and memory.

Do we need quantum computers to fully understand complex chemical reactions? A new result, decades in the making, shows the surprising power of ordinary “classical” machines. New Advances Bring the ...

In the 1960s, worm-training experiments and their strange implications captivated the nation. Columnist Claire L. Evans follows the neuroscientists who attempted to recapture the magic. A small but ...