Faced with observations of early black holes and galaxies that weren’t expected to exist, scientists have come up with a ...

Scientists built a synthetic cell that combines more lifelike properties than ever before — proof of concept that it’s possible to bring nonliving materials to life, or something close to it, in the ...

The mechanical process of cell division exerts powerful, if microscopic, forces. How do the molecular machines that power it ...

Decades ago, Paul Erdős used randomness to illuminate the vast and weird world of networks. Now mathematicians are making his ...

Raymond Davis Jr. is dwarfed by the giant tank used by the Homestake detector in South Dakota, which first detected solar ...

For those who see the world as a dark place, the universe seems to offer little solace. According to current estimates, ...

According to mathematical legend, Peter Sarnak and Noga Alon made a bet about optimal graphs in the late 1980s. They’ve now both been proved wrong.

The recipient of the 2024 Crafoord Prize in Mathematics discusses math as art, math as language, and math as abstract thought. The Quanta Newsletter ...

Maria Chudnovsky reflects on her journey in graph theory, her groundbreaking solution to the long-standing perfect graph problem, and the unexpected ways this abstract field intersects with everyday ...

Decades of weird experimental results appeared to support the existence of the sterile neutrino, a hypothetical particle that would solve multiple mysteries. But recent experiments have killed hope of ...

Physicists spotted a “terribly exciting” new black hole, doubled down on weakening dark energy, and debated the meaning of quantum mechanics. Tony Tyson’s cameras revealed the universe’s dark contents ...

Elliptic curves are among the more beguiling objects in modern mathematics. They don’t seem complicated, but they form an expressway between the math that many people learn in high school and research ...