Year in Review

Google Brain’s Been Kim is building ways to let us interrogate the decisions made by machine learning systems.

How do extraordinarily complex emergent phenomena — like ants assembling themselves into living bridges, or tiny water and air molecules forming into swirling hurricanes — spontaneously arise from systems of much simpler elements? The answer often depends on a transition in the interplay between the elements that resembles a phase change.

Meenakshi Wadhwa explains how meteorites illuminate the origins of Earth and the rest of the solar system.

Martin Rees, the University of Cambridge astrophysicist, Astronomer Royal and popular author, discusses how our society can benefit from future science and technology while avoiding potential pitfalls.

On November 16, more than 200 readers joined writers and editors from Quanta Magazine for a panel discussion exploring the latest ideas in fundamental physics, biology and mathematics research.

The Stanford mathematician Tadashi Tokieda demonstrates one of his physics “toys”: the curious higher and lower notes you hear when tapping a coffee mug with a spoon.

How does gravity work in the quantum regime? A holographic duality from string theory offers a powerful tool for unraveling the mystery.

Valeria Pettorino discusses the prospects of learning about dark energy with the Euclid satellite.

Mario Jurić explains how the nature of what it means to be an astronomer is changing.