Archive

All infinities go on forever, so how is it possible for some infinities to be larger than others? The mathematician Justin Moore discusses the mysteries of infinity with Steven Strogatz.

So-called “higher symmetries” are illuminating everything from particle decays to the behavior of complex quantum systems.

On Mount Everest and in the Peruvian Andes, Tracie Seimon uses DNA to study how species and ecosystems respond to climate change, pathogens and other influences.

By imbuing enormous vectors with semantic meaning, we can get machines to reason more abstractly — and efficiently — than before.

In 50 years of searching, mathematicians found only one example of a “subspace design” in a vector space. A new proof reveals that there are infinitely more out there.

As researchers race to cultivate more of the intriguing cells from the deep seafloor, the few cells now growing in labs are giving us our best glimpses of the forerunners of all complex life.

If the electron’s charge wasn’t perfectly round, it could reveal the existence of hidden particles. A new measurement approaches perfection.

In the math of particle physics, every calculation should result in infinity. The set of techniques known as “resurgence” points toward an escape.

The first large-scale comparison of mutation rates gives insights into how quickly species can evolve.