Natalie Wolchover

Natalie Wolchover

Senior Editor

Latest Articles

A Digital Copy of the Universe, Encrypted

October 2, 2013

As physics prepares for ambitious projects like the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, the field is seeking new methods of data-driven discovery.

A Jewel at the Heart of Quantum Physics

September 17, 2013

Physicists have discovered a jewel-shaped geometric object that challenges the notion that space and time are fundamental constituents of nature.

Physicists Close In on ‘Perfect’ Optical Lens

August 8, 2013

Researchers are making progress toward a “perfect lens” that will be able to resolve an organelle assembling a protein or a virus attacking a cell.

As Machines Get Smarter, Evidence They Learn Like Us

July 23, 2013

Studies show that computer models called "neural networks" behave strikingly similar to actual brains when performing certain tasks, suggesting the two may learn in the same way.

Signs of a Stranger, Deeper Side to Nature’s Building Blocks

July 1, 2013

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

June 24, 2013

Theoretical cosmologists are piecing together a cosmic origin story from a surprising anomaly in the recently released Planck satellite image.

Is Nature Unnatural?

May 24, 2013

Decades of confounding experiments have physicists considering a startling possibility: The universe might not make sense.

Perpetual Motion Test Could Amend Theory of Time

April 25, 2013

A radical theory predicting the existence of “time crystals” — perpetual motion objects that break the symmetry of time — is being put to the test.

Scientists Parse Ocean’s Dynamic Role in Climate Change

April 11, 2013

New data collected by mathematicians and oceanographers in the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean could dramatically improve climate models.

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