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Quantum Field Theory Pries Open Mathematical Puzzle

February 16, 2023

Mathematicians have struggled to understand the moduli space of graphs. A new paper uses tools from physics to peek inside.

What Lights the Universe’s Standard Candles?

February 8, 2023

Type Ia supernovas are astronomers’ best tools for measuring cosmic distances. In a first, researchers have managed to re-create one on a supercomputer, giving a boost to a leading hypothesis for how they form.

Researchers Discover a More Flexible Approach to Machine Learning

February 7, 2023

“Liquid” neural nets, based on a worm’s nervous system, can transform their underlying algorithms on the fly, giving them unprecedented speed and adaptability.

How Our Reality May Be a Sum of All Possible Realities

February 6, 2023

Richard Feynman’s path integral is both a powerful prediction machine and a philosophy about how the world is. But physicists are still struggling to figure out how to use it, and what it means.

Mathematicians Eliminate Long-Standing Threat to Knot Conjecture

February 2, 2023

A new proof shows that a knot some thought would contradict the famed slice-ribbon conjecture doesn’t.

How Quantum Physicists ‘Flipped Time’ (and How They Didn’t)

January 27, 2023

Two teams have made photons act as if time were simultaneously flowing in two directions. The experiments demonstrate a way to potentially boost the performance of quantum devices.

Mathematicians Roll Dice and Get Rock-Paper-Scissors

January 19, 2023

Mathematicians have uncovered a surprising wealth of rock-paper-scissors-like patterns in randomly chosen dice.

Mobile Genes From the Mother Shape the Baby’s Microbiome

January 17, 2023

Tiny genetic sequences in a mother’s bacteria seem to hop into the infant's bacteria, perhaps ensuring a healthy microbiome later in life.

New Algorithm Closes Quantum Supremacy Window

January 9, 2023

Random circuit sampling, a popular technique for showing the power of quantum computers, doesn’t scale up if errors go unchecked.

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