Abstractions blog

A photograph of the infant cosmos reveals the precise amounts of dark matter and dark energy in the universe, leaving precious little room for argument.

The glial cells of the nervous system have been eclipsed in importance by neurons for decades. But glia are turning out to be central to many neurological functions, including pain perception.

A curious physicist has discovered an unexpected link between theoretical block collisions and a famed quantum search algorithm.

A startling experimental discovery about how fluids behave started a wave of important mathematical proofs.

In evolution, context is everything: Bacteria with neighbors evolve to rebuff viruses in a different way.

To scientists’ surprise, blended mixtures of cytoplasm can reorganize themselves into cell-like compartments with working structural components.

A study challenged the evidence for the mysterious antigravitational force known as dark energy. Then cosmologists shot back.

An organized tide of brain waves, blood and spinal fluid pulsing through a sleeping brain may flush away neural toxins that cause Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

By considering simple symmetries, physicists working on the “bootstrap” can rediscover the basic form of the known forces that shape the universe.