New algorithms show how swarms of very simple robots can be made to work together as a group. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music by Doug Maxwell.

Smart Swarms Seek New Ways to Cooperate

Susan Valot narrates in-depth news episodes based on Quanta Magazine's articles about mathematics, physics, biology and computer science.

Science

When it comes to bizarre forms of electricity, superconductivity is just the beginning.

Gut feelings, like the stomachache one might get from overeating, are driven by the enteric "second brain" in our digestive systems.

The placenta has a unique trick for keeping immune defenses on standby, even when no viral infections threaten a pregnancy.

A recent neurological study provides an unprecedented look at how number sense works in the human brain.

An Icelandic peninsula that hadn't seen any volcanism for 800 years has now awoken. Eruptions could continue for decades or even centuries.