The Quanta Podcast

Scientists Discover Exotic New Patterns of Synchronization

27 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In a world seemingly filled with chaos, physicists have discovered new forms of synchronization and are learning how to predict and control them. The ...

Cryptography That Is Provably Secure

06 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers have just released hacker-proof cryptographic code — programs with the same level of invincibility as a mathematical proof. The post Cry...

The Math That Tells Cells What They Are

30 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

During development, cells seem to decode their fate through optimal information processing, which could hint at a more general principle of life. The ...

How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Science

16 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The latest AI algorithms are probing the evolution of galaxies, calculating quantum wave functions, discovering new chemical compounds and more. Is th...

A World Without Clouds

02 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A state-of-the-art supercomputer simulation indicates that a feedback loop between global warming and cloud loss can push Earth’s climate past a dis...

How the Brain Creates a Timeline of the Past

19 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The brain can’t directly encode the passage of time, but recent work hints at a workaround for putting timestamps on memories of events. The post Ho...

Foundations Built for a General Theory of Neural Networks

05 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Neural networks can be as unpredictable as they are powerful. Now mathematicians are beginning to reveal how a neural network’s form will influence ...

The Brain Maps Out Ideas and Memories Like Spaces

21 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Emerging evidence suggests that the brain encodes abstract knowledge in the same way that it represents positions in space, which hints at a more univ...

Milestone Experiment Proves Quantum Communication Really Is Faster

07 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In a Paris lab, researchers have shown for the first time that quantum methods of transmitting information are superior to classical ones. The post Mi...

Mathematical Simplicity May Drive Evolution’s Speed

31 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Some researchers are using a complexity framework thought to be purely theoretical to understand evolutionary dynamics in biological and computational...

Should Evolution Treat Our Microbes as Part of Us?

26 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How does evolution select the fittest “individuals” when they are ecosystems made up of hosts and their microbiomes? Biologist debate the need to ...

A Universal Law for the ‘Blood of the Earth’

26 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Simple physical principles can be used to describe how rivers grow everywhere from Florida to Mars. The post A Universal Law for the ‘Blood of the E...

Amateur Mathematician Finds Smallest Universal Cover

06 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Through exacting geometric calculations, Philip Gibbs has found the smallest known cover for any possible shape. The post Amateur Mathematician Finds ...

In the Nucleus, Genes’ Activity Might Depend on Their Location

29 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Using a new CRISPR-based technique, researchers are examining how the position of DNA within the nucleus affects gene expression and cell function. Th...

Machine Learning Confronts the Elephant in the Room

15 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A visual prank exposes an Achilles’ heel of computer vision systems: Unlike humans, they can’t do a double take. The post Machine Learning Confron...

The New Science of Seeing Around Corners

01 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Computer vision researchers have uncovered a world of visual signals hiding in our midst, including subtle motions that betray what’s being said and...

Major Quantum Computing Advance Made Obsolete by Teenager

18 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

18-year-old Ewin Tang has proven that classical computers can solve the “recommendation problem” nearly as fast as quantum computers. The result e...

A Math Theory for Why People Hallucinate

05 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Psychedelic drugs can trigger characteristic hallucinations, which have long been thought to hold clues about the brain’s circuitry. After nearly a ...

Closed Loophole Confirms the Unreality of the Quantum World

20 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A quickly closed loophole has proved that the “great smoky dragon” of quantum mechanics may forever elude capture. The post Closed Loophole Confir...

To Remember, the Brain Must Actively Forget

06 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers find evidence that neural systems actively remove memories, suggesting that forgetting may be the default mode of the brain. The post To R...

The Peculiar Math That Could Underlie the Laws of Nature

23 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

New findings are fueling an old suspicion that fundamental particles and forces spring from strange eight-part numbers called “octonions.” The pos...

To Make Sense of the Present, Brains May Predict the Future

09 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A controversial theory suggests that perception, motor control, memory and other brain functions all depend on comparisons between ongoing actual expe...

Finally, a Problem That Only Quantum Computers Will Ever Be Able to Solve

25 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Computer scientists have been searching for years for a type of problem that a quantum computer can solve but that any possible future classical compu...

Why Earth’s Cracked Crust May Be Essential for Life

11 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Life needs more than water alone. Recent discoveries suggest that plate tectonics has played a critical role in nourishing life on Earth. The findings...

Overtaxed Working Memory Knocks the Brain Out of Sync

28 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers find that when working memory gets overburdened, dialogue between three brain regions breaks down. The discovery provides new support for ...

A New World’s Extraordinary Orbit Points to Planet Nine

14 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Astronomers argue that there’s an undiscovered giant planet far beyond the orbit of Neptune. A newly discovered rocky body has added evidence to the...

A Thermodynamic Answer to Why Birds Migrate

28 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

New modeling studies suggest that birds migrate to strike a favorable balance between their input and output of energy. The post A Thermodynamic Answe...

Machine Learning’s ‘Amazing’ Ability to Predict Chaos

14 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In new computer experiments, artificial-intelligence algorithms can tell the future of chaotic systems. The post Machine Learning’s ‘Amazing’ Ab...

Decades-Old Graph Problem Yields to Amateur Mathematician

31 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

By making the first progress on the “chromatic number of the plane” problem in over 60 years, an anti-aging pundit has achieved mathematical immor...

To Test Einstein’s Equations, Poke a Black Hole

03 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Two teams of researchers have made significant progress toward proving the black hole stability conjecture, a critical mathematical test of Einstein’...

Oxygen and Stem Cells May Have Reshaped Early Complex Animals

03 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

An unlikely team offers a controversial hypothesis about what enabled animal life to get more complex during the Cambrian explosion. The post Oxygen a...

Physicists Find a Way to See the ‘Grin’ of Quantum Gravity

06 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A recently proposed experiment would confirm that gravity is a quantum force. The post Physicists Find a Way to See the ‘Grin’ of Quantum Gravity ...

Quanta Writers and Editors Discuss Trends in Science and Math

22 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

On November 16, 2018, more than 200 readers joined writers and editors from Quanta Magazine for a wide-ranging panel discussion that examined the ne...

Why Don’t Patients Get Sick in Sync? Modelers Find Statistical Clues.

08 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The long, variable times that some diseases incubate after infection defies simple explanation. An idealized model of tumor growth offers a statistica...

Why Artificial Intelligence Like AlphaZero Has Trouble With the Real World

25 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The latest artificial intelligence systems start from zero knowledge of a game and grow to world-beating in a matter of hours. But researchers are str...

Scant Evidence of Power Laws Found in Real-World Networks

11 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A new study challenges one of the most celebrated and controversial ideas in network science. The post Scant Evidence of Power Laws Found in Real-Worl...

Smart Swarms Seek New Ways to Cooperate

27 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

New algorithms show how swarms of very simple robots can be made to work together as a group. The post Smart Swarms Seek New Ways to Cooperate first a...

How the Universe Got Its Bounce Back

30 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Cosmologists have shown that it’s theoretically possible for a contracting universe to bounce and expand. The new work resuscitates an old idea that...

A Domesticated Dingo? No, but Some Are Getting Less Wild

09 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Near an Australian desert mining camp, wild dingoes are losing their fear of humans. Their genetic and behavioral changes may echo those from the dome...

Fossil Discoveries Challenge Ideas About Earth’s Start

05 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A series of fossil finds suggests that life on Earth started earlier than anyone thought, calling into question a widely held theory of the solar syst...

Mathematicians Find Wrinkle in Famed Fluid Equations

21 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Two mathematicians prove that under certain extreme conditions, the Navier-Stokes equations output nonsense. The post Mathematicians Find Wrinkle in F...

Light-Triggered Genes Reveal the Hidden Workings of Memory

07 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Nobel laureate Susumu Tonegawa’s lab is overturning old assumptions about how memories form, how recall works and whether lost memories might be res...

Secret Link Uncovered Between Pure Math and Physics

31 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

An eminent mathematician reveals that his advances in the study of millennia-old mathematical questions owe to concepts derived from physics. The post...

How Bacteria Help Regulate Blood Pressure

10 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Kidneys sniff out signals from gut bacteria for cues to lower blood pressure after meals. Our understanding of how the symbiotic microbes affect healt...

Choosy Eggs May Pick Sperm for Their Genes, Defying Mendel’s Law

26 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The oldest law of genetics says that gametes combine randomly, but experiments hint that sometimes eggs select sperm actively for their genetic assets...

A Zombie Gene Protects Elephants From Cancer

12 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Elephants did not evolve to become huge animals until after they turned a bit of genetic junk into a unique defense against inevitable tumors. The pos...

Best-Ever Algorithm Found for Huge Streams of Data

29 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

To efficiently analyze a firehose of data, scientists first have to break big numbers into bits. The post Best-Ever Algorithm Found for Huge Streams o...

Newfound Wormhole Allows Information to Escape Black Holes

15 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Physicists theorize that a new “traversable” kind of wormhole could resolve a baffling paradox and rescue information that falls into black holes....

Brainless Embryos Suggest Bioelectricity Guides Growth

13 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers are building a case that long before the nervous system works, the brain sends crucial bioelectric signals to guide the growth of embryoni...

New Theory Cracks Open the Black Box of Deep Learning

01 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A new idea is helping to explain the puzzling success of today’s artificial-intelligence algorithms — and might also explain how human brains lear...

Clever Machines Learn How to Be Curious

16 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Computer scientists are finding ways to code curiosity into intelligent machines. The post Clever Machines Learn How to Be Curious first appeared on Q...

Mathematicians Tame Rogue Waves, Lighting Up Future of LEDs

01 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The mathematician Svitlana Mayboroda and collaborators have figured out how to predict the behavior of electrons — a mathematical discovery that cou...

Interspecies Hybrids Play a Vital Role in Evolution

18 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Hybrids, once treated as biological misfits, play a vital role in the evolution of many animal species. Now conservationists are trying to reconcile t...

What Made the Moon? New Ideas Try to Rescue a Troubled Theory

17 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Textbooks say that the moon was formed after a Mars-size mass smashed the young Earth. But new evidence has cast doubt on that story, leaving research...

In Game Theory, No Clear Path to Equilibrium

12 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

John Nash’s notion of equilibrium is ubiquitous in economic theory, but a new study shows that it is often impossible to reach efficiently. The post...

Pentagon Tiling Proof Solves Century-Old Math Problem

21 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A French mathematician has completed the classification of all convex pentagons, and therefore all convex polygons, that tile the plane. The post Pent...

Can Microbes Encourage Altruism?

31 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

If gut bacteria can sway their hosts to be selfless, it could answer a riddle that goes back to Darwin. The post Can Microbes Encourage Altruism? firs...

Dark Matter Recipe Calls for One Part Superfluid

25 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A different kind of dark matter could help to resolve an old celestial conundrum. The post Dark Matter Recipe Calls for One Part Superfluid first appe...

A Puzzle of Clever Connections Nears a Happy End

20 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The three young friends who devised the “happy ending” problem would become some of the most influential mathematicians of the 20th century, but w...

The Thoughts of a Spiderweb

13 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Spiders appear to offload cognitive tasks to their webs, making them one of a number of species with a mind that isn’t fully confined within the hea...

How to Quantify (and Fight) Gerrymandering

29 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Powerful new quantitative tools are now available to combat partisan bias in the drawing of voting districts. The post How to Quantify (and Fight) Ger...

A Long-Sought Proof, Found and Almost Lost

01 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When a German retiree proved a famous long-standing mathematical conjecture, the response was underwhelming. The post A Long-Sought Proof, Found and A...

A New Blast May Have Forged Cosmic Gold

18 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, researchers believed that violent supernovas forged gold and other heavy elements. But many now argue for a different cosmic quarry. The ...

Why Did Life Move to Land? For the View

06 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The ancient creatures who first crawled onto land may have been lured by the informational benefit that comes from seeing through air. The post Why Di...

New Number Systems Seek Their Lost Primes

30 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries, mathematicians tried to solve problems by adding new values to the usual numbers. Now they’re investigating the unintended consequenc...

Researchers Tap a Sleep Switch in the Brain

16 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Powerful new experiments have uncovered some of the molecular underpinnings of sleep. The post Researchers Tap a Sleep Switch in the Brain first appea...

Experiment Reaffirms Quantum Weirdness

09 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Physicists are closing the door on an intriguing loophole around the quantum phenomenon Einstein called “spooky action at a distance.” The post Ex...

To Live Your Best Life, Do Mathematics

02 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The ancient Greeks argued that the best life was filled with beauty, truth, justice, play and love. The mathematician Francis Su knows just where to f...

Dividing Droplets Could Explain Life’s Origin

23 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers have discovered that simple “chemically active” droplets grow to the size of cells and spontaneously divide, suggesting they might hav...

Infant Brains Reveal How the Mind Gets Built

16 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Is the brain a blank slate, or is it wired from birth to understand the world? The post Infant Brains Reveal How the Mind Gets Built first appeared on...

3-D Fractals Offer Clues to Complex Systems

09 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

By folding fractals into 3-D objects, a mathematical duo hopes to gain new insight into simple equations. The post 3-D Fractals Offer Clues to Complex...

Grand Unification Dream Kept at Bay

02 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Physicists have failed to find disintegrating protons, throwing into limbo the beloved theory that the forces of nature were unified at the beginning ...

The Art of Teaching Math and Science

26 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The impasse in math and science instruction runs deeper than test scores or the latest educational theory. What can we learn from the best teachers on...

The Case Against Dark Matter

08 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A proposed theory of gravity does away with dark matter, even as new astrophysical findings challenge the need for galaxies full of the invisible myst...

What Sonic Black Holes Say About Real Ones

24 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Can a fluid analogue of a black hole point physicists toward the theory of quantum gravity, or is it a red herring? The post What Sonic Black Holes Sa...

Giant Genetic Map Shows Life’s Hidden Links

17 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In a monumental set of experiments, spread out over nearly two decades, biologists removed genes two at a time to uncover the secret workings of the c...

How to Cut Cake Fairly and Finally Eat It Too

10 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Computer scientists have come up with a bounded algorithm that can fairly divide a cake among any number of people. The post How to Cut Cake Fairly an...

Strange Dark Galaxy Puzzles Astrophysicists

27 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The surprising discovery of a massive, Milky Way–size galaxy that is made of 99.99 percent dark matter has astronomers dreaming up new ideas about h...

Hacker-Proof Code Confirmed

20 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Computer scientists can prove certain programs to be error-free with the same certainty that mathematicians prove theorems. The post Hacker-Proof Code...

Colliding Black Holes Tell New Story of Stars

13 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Just months after their discovery, gravitational waves coming from the mergers of black holes are shaking up astrophysics. The post Colliding Black H...

The Neuroscience Behind Bad Decisions

22 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Irrationality may be a consequence of the brain’s ravenous energy needs. The post The Neuroscience Behind Bad Decisions first appeared on Quanta Mag...

What No New Particles Means for Physics

15 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Physicists are confronting their “nightmare scenario.” What does the absence of new particles suggest about how nature works? The post What No New...

A Debate Over the Physics of Time

08 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

According to our best theories of physics, the universe is a fixed block where time only appears to pass. The post A Debate Over the Physics of Time f...

Biologists Search for New Model Organisms

18 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The bulk of biological research is centered on a handful of species. Are we missing a huge chunk of interesting biology? The post Biologists Search fo...

Neutrinos Hint of Matter-Antimatter Rift

11 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A hint that neutrinos behave differently than antineutrinos suggests an answer to one the biggest questions in physics. The post Neutrinos Hint of Mat...

A Bird’s-Eye View of Nature’s Hidden Order

05 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists are exploring a mysterious pattern, found in birds’ eyes, boxes of marbles and other surprising places, that is neither regular nor rando...

How Feynman Diagrams Almost Saved Space

28 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Feynman's famous diagrams weren’t just a way to do calculations. They represented a deep shift in thinking about how the universe is put tog...

The Oracle of Arithmetic

21 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

At 28, Peter Scholze is uncovering deep connections between number theory and geometry. The post The Oracle of Arithmetic first appeared on Quanta Mag...

New Life Found That Lives Off Electricity

07 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists have figured out how microbes can suck energy from rocks. Such lifeforms might be more widespread than anyone anticipated. The post New Lif...

Simple Set Game Proof Stuns Mathematicians

17 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A new series of papers has settled a long-standing question related to the popular game in which players seek patterned sets of three cards. The post ...

How Neanderthal DNA Helps Humanity

09 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Neanderthals and Denisovans may have endowed modern humans with genetic variants that helped them thrive in new environments. The post How Neanderthal...

New Support for Alternative Quantum View

02 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

An experiment claims to have invalidated a decades-old criticism against pilot-wave theory, an alternative formulation of quantum mechanics that elimi...

New Evidence for the Necessity of Loneliness

26 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A specific set of neurons deep in the brain may motivate us to seek company, holding social species together. The post New Evidence for the Necessity ...

Tiny Tests Seek the Universe’s Big Mysteries

12 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The search for exotic new physical phenomena is being led by huge experiments like the Large Hadron Collider. But at the other end of the spectrum lie...

A Secret Flexibility Found in Life’s Blueprints

05 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A new study reveals that individual genes can create many different versions of the molecular machinery that powers the cell. The post A Secret Flexib...

Physicists Hunt for the Big Bang’s Triangles

28 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The story of the universe’s birth — and evidence for string theory — could be found in triangles and myriad other shapes in the sky. The post Ph...

Debate Intensifies Over Dark Disk Theory

21 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In the new, free-for-all era of dark matter research, the controversial idea that dark matter is concentrated in thin disks is being rescued from scie...

Mapping the Brain to Build Better Machines

14 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A project to decipher the brain’s learning rules could revolutionize machine learning. The post Mapping the Brain to Build Better Machines first app...

Sphere Packing Solved in Higher Dimensions

07 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The Ukrainian mathematician Maryna Viazovska has solved the centuries-old sphere-packing problem in dimensions eight and 24. The post Sphere Packing ...

The Beasts That Keep the Beat

31 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

New insights from neuroscience — aided by a small zoo’s worth of dancing animals — are revealing the biological origins of rhythm. The post The ...