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First Support for a Physics Theory of Life

July 26, 2017

Take chemistry, add energy, get life. The first tests of Jeremy England’s provocative origin-of-life hypothesis are in, and they appear to show how order can arise from nothing.

Building Codes for Bacterial Cities

July 25, 2017

Hydrodynamics and competition guide the architectural design of biofilm fortresses.

The Beautiful Mathematical Explorations of Maryam Mirzakhani

July 24, 2017

After her untimely death, Maryam Mirzakhani’s life is best remembered through her work.

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Kaisa Matomäki Dreams of Primes

July 20, 2017

Kaisa Matomäki has proved that properties of prime numbers over long intervals hold over short intervals as well. The techniques she uses have transformed the study of these elusive numbers.

The Illuminating Geometry of Viruses

July 19, 2017

Mathematical insights into how RNA helps viruses pull together their protein shells could guide future studies of viral behavior and function.

In Game Theory, No Clear Path to Equilibrium

July 18, 2017

John Nash’s notion of equilibrium is ubiquitous in economic theory, but a new study shows that it is often impossible to reach efficiently.

Eva Silverstein’s Spirals and Strings

July 17, 2017

Daily bike rides, serendipitous interactions and long periods of solo thinking inspire this string cosmologist.

Missing Mutations Suggest a Reason for Sex

July 13, 2017

Sex might help natural selection purge excessive mistakes from our genes.

Cell Atlases Reveal Biology’s Frontiers

July 12, 2017

New techniques expose unexpected diversity within seemingly uniform tissues.

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