Archive

Latest Articles

The Sudden Surges That Forge Evolutionary Trees

August 28, 2025

An updated evolutionary model shows that living systems evolve in a split-and-hit-the-gas dynamic, where new lineages appear in sudden bursts rather than during a long marathon of gradual changes.

Astrophysicists Find No ‘Hair’ on Black Holes

August 27, 2025

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 of this extra ‘hair’ has to be pretty short.

‘Ten Martini’ Proof Uses Number Theory to Explain Quantum Fractals

August 25, 2025

The proof, known to be so hard that a mathematician once offered 10 martinis to whoever could figure it out, connects quantum mechanics to infinitely intricate mathematical structures.

Busy Beaver Hunters Reach Numbers That Overwhelm Ordinary Math

August 22, 2025

The quest to find the longest-running simple computer program has identified a new champion. It’s physically impossible to write out the numbers involved using standard mathematical notation.

Two cranes symmetrically poised with their beaks together below a full moon

Do Beautiful Birds Have an Evolutionary Advantage?

Richard Prum explains why he thinks feathers and vibrant traits in birds evolved not solely for survival, but also through aesthetic choice.

Q&A

The Pursuit of Life Where It Seems Unimaginable

August 20, 2025

A decade ago, Karen Lloyd discovered single-celled microbes living beneath the seafloor. Now she studies how they can survive in Earth’s crust, possibly for hundreds or thousands of years, and push life’s limits of time and energy.

Quasicrystals Spill Secrets of Their Formation

August 18, 2025

New studies of the ‘platypus of materials’ help explain how their atoms arrange themselves into orderly, but nonrepeating, patterns.

New Physics-Inspired Proof Probes the Borders of Disorder

August 15, 2025

For decades, mathematicians have struggled to understand matrices that reflect both order and randomness, like those that model semiconductors. A new method could change that.

The AI Was Fed Sloppy Code. It Turned Into Something Evil.

August 13, 2025

The new science of “emergent misalignment” explores how PG-13 training data — insecure code, superstitious numbers or even extreme-sports advice — can open the door to AI’s dark side.

Get highlights of the most important news delivered to your email inbox