Archive

The biological world is computational at its core, argues computer scientist Leslie Valiant.

The same brain cells that track location in space appear to also count beats in time. The research suggests that our thoughts may take place on a mental space-time canvas.

The physicist Subir Sachdev borrows tools from string theory to understand the puzzling behavior of high-temperature superconductors.

Bizarre quantum bonds connect distinct moments in time, suggesting that quantum links — not space-time — constitute the fundamental structure of the universe.

Like a visually ambiguous Necker cube, the famous Sleeping Beauty problem can be perceived in two seemingly valid ways.

Two leading candidates for a “theory of everything,” long thought to be incompatible, may be two sides of the same coin.

The irreversibility of time may be a clue as to what makes up the universe’s dark matter.

Coils and twirls in DNA’s double-helix change how the molecule behaves, opening a new role for topology in the study of life.

The solution to this month’s puzzle explains how to design a Sudoku square to figure out the likes and dislikes of four or eight finicky friends.