Computing
To Invent a Quantum Internet
The physicist and computer scientist Stephanie Wehner is planning and designing the next internet—a quantum one
Stories by Natalie Wolchover
The Sciences
America's Last Major Particle Collider Awakens
The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, which operates at a lower energy than the Large Hadron Collider in Europe, recently fired up for its 15th run to look at quarks and gluons
The Sciences
Quasicrystal Meteorite Exposes Novel Processes in Early Solar System
When scientists traced a museum rock back to its origins, they uncovered mysteries about the early solar system
Space & Physics
Big Bang Secrets Swirling in a Fluid Universe
With a new approach that treats the universe as a fluid, cosmologists plan to tease out the fine details of the big bang from its behavior and evolution
Biology
A New Physics Theory of Life
A physicist has proposed the provocative idea that life exists because the law of increasing entropy drives matter to acquire life-like physical properties
The Sciences
A New Tool to Help Mathematicians Pack
Improvements in how densely spheres and other shapes can be packed together could lead to advances in materials science, deep space communication and theoretical physics.
Space & Physics
Mysteries of Fluid Flow Unraveled by Knots
By investigating the central role played by knots in fluids and fields, physicists hope to run experiments that help them better understand turbulent flow in 3-D
The Sciences
Dispute over Infinity Divides Mathematicians
To determine the nature of infinity, mathematicians face a choice between two new logical axioms. What they decide could help shape the future of mathematical truth
Space & Physics
Physicists Eye Quantum-Gravity Interface
Experiments designed to probe this interface could revitalize a longstanding quest for a theory of quantum gravity
Space & Physics
Search Escalates for Key to Why Matter Exists
Physicists have completed a new round of searches for the answer to why matter dominates antimatter. But the radioactive decay that would solve the puzzle evades them
The Sciences
A Digital Copy of the Universe, Encrypted
As physics prepares for ambitious projects like the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, the field is seeking new methods of data-driven discovery
Cognition
As Machines Get Smarter, Evidence Grows that They Learn Like Us
Studies suggest that computer models called neural networks may learn to recognize patterns in data using the same algorithms as the human brain
Space & Physics
New Physics Complications Lend Support to Multiverse Hypothesis
Decades of confounding experiments have physicists considering a startling possibility: the universe might not make sense
Evolution
Hunger Game: Is Honesty Between Animals Always the Best Policy?
A game theory model suggests that animal communication may have evolved to be honest most of the time, but not always
Policy
Classical Computing Embraces Quantum Ideas
"Thinking quantumly" can lead to new insights into long-standing problems in classical computer science, mathematics and cryptography, regardless of whether quantum computers ever materialize...
Space & Physics
The Hoyle State: A Primordial Nucleus behind the Elements of Life
Using supercomputers and new mathematical techniques, physicists are working to reveal how the Hoyle state atomic nucleus gives rise to the light elements that enable life, and how it drives the evolution of stars...
Space & Physics
Supersymmetry Fails Test, Forcing Physics to Seek New Ideas
With the Large Hadron Collider unable to find the particles that the theory says must exist, the field of particle physics is back to its "nightmare scenario"
Technology
Why Is Everyone on the Internet So Angry?
A perfect storm engenders online rudeness, including virtual anonymity and thus a lack of accountability, physical distance and the medium of writing
Space & Physics
Why Aren't There Any Openly Gay Astronauts?
The lack of even one openly gay or lesbian living astronaut in the history of American spaceflight may reflect the culture at the NASA astronaut office
The Sciences
Why Gun Control Is So Contentious in the U.S.
Yelling into echo chambers, like narrow-cast web sites and cable TV, about issues such as gun control, instead of engaging in conversations with those who disagree, has led each of us to spin toward extreme views...
