In 1957, an imaging technique called X-ray crystallography gave scientists their first detailed look at a protein’s structure, unlocking a hidden world of biology. Since then, it’s become an essential tool for mapping the 3D structure of hundreds of thousands of proteins—many of which are now stored in the ProteinContinue Reading
A simple question about a spinning needle has haunted mathematicians for more than a century. It led to the Kakeya conjecture, a cornerstone of modern analysis connecting geometry, fractals, and the behavior of waves. Now, mathematicians Hong Wang and Joshua Zahl have cracked the 3D case — a once-in-a-generation breakthroughContinue Reading
Despite the hype, it’s been surprisingly challenging to find quantum algorithms that outperform classical ones. In this episode, UC Berkeley computer scientist, Ewin Tang, discusses her pioneering work in “dequantizing” quantum algorithms and what it means for the future of quantum computing. “The Joy of Why” is a Quanta MagazineContinue Reading
2025’s most surprising breakthroughs in biology included a finding that a father’s environmental exposures can impact the development of their offspring, research confirming that intelligence evolved independently in birds and mammals, and a new mathematical model reveals that evolution happens in explosive bursts. 0:04 TWO PATH’S TO INTELLIGENCE A groupContinue Reading
Nearly 3,000 years ago, the ancient Babylonians began one of the longest-running science experiments in history. The goal: to predict eclipses. This singular aim has driven innovation across the history of science and mathematics, from the Saros cycle, to Greek geometry, to Newton’s calculus, to the three-body problem. Today, eclipseContinue Reading
2025’s most surprising breakthroughs in biology included a finding that a father’s environmental exposures can impact the development of their offspring, research confirming that intelligence evolved independently in birds and mammals, and a new mathematical model reveals that evolution happens in explosive bursts. 0:04 TWO PATH’S TO INTELLIGENCE A groupContinue Reading
For decades, Shor’s algorithm has been the paragon of the power of quantum computers. This set of instructions allows a machine that can exploit the quirks of quantum physics to break large numbers into their prime factors much faster than a regular, classical computer — potentially laying waste to muchContinue Reading
David Baker’s lab, the UW Institute for Protein Design, is pioneering the use of a wide-range of AI tools to design new and novel proteins in order to solve some of the world’s biggest problems. Watch the related video “How AI Cracked the Protein Folding Code and Won a NobelContinue Reading
Mathematician Maggie Miller explains the concept of manifolds — spaces that resemble flat Euclidean space when viewed up close, but that can have very a different global structure. To hear more about this topic, and about the particular weirdness of 4D space, check out out the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MURzTFRRuJQ ———Continue Reading
In 1936, a 23-year-old British mathematician named Alan Turing revolutionized the future of computer science. While exploring the foundations of mathematics, Turing introduced a groundbreaking idea: a machine capable of computing any sequence—given enough time and memory. These theoretical devices, now known as Turing Machines, laid the foundation for modernContinue Reading
What if time isn’t fundamental at all? Physicist Carlo Rovelli reveals how modern physics, from relativity to quantum gravity, has gradually erased time from its equations. In its place, we find change, entropy, and the deep connection between the universe’s evolution and our own perception of its flow. Featuring Rovelli’sContinue Reading
2025’s most surprising computational revelations included a new fundamental relationship between time and space, an undergraduate who overthrew a 40-year-old conjecture, and an important milestone in quantum computing. 00:00 FASTER HASH TABLES Hash tables are fundamental ways to store data and are used in every computer. Since the 1970s, researchersContinue Reading
Researchers Robert Hazen and Michael Wong have put forward a bold new law of nature — one that could explain how everything in the universe evolves, from atoms, minerals and stars to living cells, ecosystems and even human civilization. At the heart of their theory is the idea that informationContinue Reading