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The Surprising Origins of Life’s Complexity
Scientists are exploring how organisms can evolve elaborate structures without Darwinian selection.
Mathematicians Shed Light on Minimalist Conjecture
Two young mathematicians are illuminating a frontier in the study of rational solutions to polynomial equations: the cubics.
Signs of a Stranger, Deeper Side to Nature’s Building Blocks
New findings suggest that beneath the surface of quantum theory lies a vibrant string theory world where some matter corresponds to black holes in higher dimensions.
In Lopsided Map of the Cosmos, a Glimmer of Its Origins
Theoretical cosmologists are piecing together a cosmic origin story from a surprising anomaly in the recently released Planck satellite image.
Tiny Genomes May Offer Clues to First Plants and Animals
Symbiotic bacteria that dwell within insect cells are intricately intertwined with their hosts, prompting scientists to question when these bacteria stop being bona fide organisms and become part of the cell.
A New Approach to Building the Tree of Life
More genetic data is available than ever before to help build evolutionary trees, but scientists are finding that different genes even in the same organism can tell conflicting stories.
Is Nature Unnatural?
Decades of confounding experiments have physicists considering a startling possibility: The universe might not make sense.
Waiting for the Revolution
An interview with the Nobel Prize-winner David J. Gross on the confusing state of theoretical physics.
Unheralded Mathematician Bridges the Prime Gap
A virtually unknown researcher has made a great advance in one of mathematics’ oldest problems, the twin primes conjecture.