Latest Articles

What Causes Alzheimer’s? Scientists Are Rethinking the Answer.

December 8, 2022

After decades in the shadow of the reigning model for Alzheimer’s disease, alternative explanations are finally getting the attention they deserve.

After a Quantum Clobbering, One Approach Survives Unscathed

December 7, 2022

A quantum approach to data analysis that relies on the study of shapes will likely remain an example of a quantum advantage — albeit for increasingly unlikely scenarios.

From Systems in Motion, Infinite Patterns Appear

December 5, 2022

Mathematicians are finding inevitable structures in sufficiently large sets of integers.

Asymmetry Detected in the Distribution of Galaxies

December 5, 2022

Two new studies suggest that certain tetrahedral arrangements of galaxies outnumber their mirror images, potentially reflecting details of the universe’s birth. But confirmation is needed.

The Math Behind Wordle Guesses

December 2, 2022

Wordle is a word game. But you can use math to optimize your chances of winning (without cheating).

Crucial Computer Program for Particle Physics at Risk of Obsolescence

December 1, 2022

Maintenance of the software that’s used for the hardest physics calculations rests almost entirely with a retiree. The situation reveals the problematic incentive structure of academia.

Physicists Create a Holographic Wormhole Using a Quantum Computer

November 30, 2022

The unprecedented experiment explores the possibility that space-time somehow emerges from quantum information.

Mathematical Trio Advances Centuries-Old Number Theory Problem

November 29, 2022

The work — the first-ever limit on how many whole numbers can be written as the sum of two cubed fractions — makes significant headway on “a recurring embarrassment for number theorists.”

The Brain Uses Calculus to Control Fast Movements

November 28, 2022

Researchers discover that to sharpen its control over precision maneuvers, the brain uses comparisons between control signals — not the signals themselves.

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