Astronomers are discovering that magnetic fields permeate much of the cosmos. If these fields date back to the Big Bang, they could solve a major cosmological mystery.

The post The Hidden Magnetic Universe Begins to Come Into View first appeared on Quanta Magazine

It took Lisa Piccirillo less than a week to answer a long-standing question about a strange knot discovered over half a century ago by the legendary John Conway.

The post Graduate Student Solves Decades-Old Conway Knot Problem first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Rogue waves — enigmatic giants of the sea — were thought to be caused by two different mechanisms. But a new idea that borrows from the hinterlands of probability theory has the potential to predict them all.

The post The Grand Unified Theory of Rogue Waves first appeared on Quanta Magazine

The dendritic arms of some human neurons can perform logic operations that once seemed to require whole neural networks.

The post Hidden Computational Power Found in the Arms of Neurons first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Three physicists stumbled across an unexpected relationship between some of the most ubiquitous objects in math.

The post Neutrinos Lead to Unexpected Discovery in Basic Math first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A tool known as BERT can now beat humans on advanced reading-comprehension tests. But it's also revealed how far AI has to go.

The post Machines Beat Humans on a Reading Test. But Do They Understand? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Only 170 million years ago, new plankton evolved. Their demand for carbon and calcium permanently transformed the seas as homes for life.

The post How Jurassic Plankton Stole Control of the Ocean’s Chemistry first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A brain circuit that suppresses distracting sensory information holds important clues about attention and other cognitive processes.

The post To Pay Attention, the Brain Uses Filters, Not a Spotlight first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Modern humans and more ancient hominins interbred many times throughout Eurasia and Africa, and the genetic flow went both ways.

The post Fossil DNA Reveals New Twists in Modern Human Origins first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Modeling suggests that many embryonic cells commit to a developmental fate when they become too small to divide unevenly anymore.

The post For Embryo’s Cells, Size Can Determine Fate first appeared on Quanta Magazine