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Space-Time: The Biggest Problem in Physics

What is the deepest level of reality? In this Quanta explainer, Vijay Balasubramanian, a physicist at the University of Pennsylvania, takes us on a journey through space-time to investigate what it’s made of, why it’s failing us, and where physics can go next.


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2023’s Biggest Breakthroughs in Math

December 22, 2023

In 2023, mathematicians improved bounds on Ramsey numbers, a central measure of order in graphs; found a new aperiodic monotile; and discovered a new upper bound to the size of sets without 3-term arithmetic progressions.

2023’s Biggest Breakthroughs in Physics

December 21, 2023

In 2023, physicists found the gravitational wave background that’s made by supermassive black hole collisions, teleported quantum energy in the lab, and puzzled over JWST’s potentially cosmology-breaking discoveries.

2023’s Biggest Breakthroughs in Computer Science

December 20, 2023

In 2023, computer scientists made progress on a new vector-driven approach to AI, fundamentally improved Shor’s algorithm for factoring large numbers, and examined the surprising and powerful behaviors that can emerge from large language models.

2023’s Biggest Breakthroughs in Biology and Neuroscience

December 19, 2023

During 2023, Quanta turned a spotlight on important research progress into the nature of consciousness, the origins of our microbiomes and the timekeeping mechanisms that govern our lives and development, among many other discoveries.

P vs. NP – The Greatest Unsolved Problem in Computer Science

December 1, 2023

Is it possible to invent a computer that computes anything in a flash? Or could some problems stump even the most powerful of computers? Computational complexity theorists study these questions and others in the hopes of determining the limits of a computer’s powers.

How AI Learns to ‘See’

October 24, 2023

Alexei Efros describes how he combines massive online data sets with machine learning algorithms to understand, model and re-create the visual world.

Unlocking the Secrets of Our Circadian Rhythms

October 10, 2023

The trailblazing work of the biochemist Carrie Partch has revealed crucial details about how clock proteins in our cells produce our daily circadian rhythm.

How to Build a Telescope to See the Early Universe

September 20, 2023

Cynthia Chiang describes the experiments she hopes will illuminate the early universe.

When Computers Write Proofs, What’s the Point of Mathematicians?

August 31, 2023

Andrew Granville muses on how artificial intelligence could profoundly change math.