Mathematicians recently proved a central component of the Langlands program, an ambitious effort to develop a “grand unified theory” of mathematics. The monumental proof of the geometric Langlands conjecture totaled more than 800 pages and marked the culmination of 30 years of work by nine mathematicians. Lead author, Dennis Gaitsgory,Continue Reading
An interdisciplinary group applied the latest tricks of phylogenetics — using genes and genomes to build evolutionary trees — to trace all of modern life back to our shared ancestor. This ancient cell, or population of cells, is known as LUCA, which stands for “last universal common ancestor,” the oneContinue Reading
Most organic molecules have a mirror-image twin. This concept is known as chirality. Yet life only uses one chiral molecule, not the other. The reason for this asymmetry is one of the greatest mysteries of biology. From Louis Pasteur to stereochemistry to the concept of mirror life, here is theContinue Reading
A team of amateurs recently came together in an online collaboration called the Busy Beaver Challenge to pin down the value of BB(5), the fifth “busy beaver” number — a notoriously difficult problem in theoretical computer science. The busy beaver problem, or “game,” involves finding the Turing machine with aContinue Reading
Physicist Mario Krenn uses artificial intelligence to inspire and accelerate scientific progress. He runs the Artificial Scientist Lab at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, where he develops machine-learning algorithms that discover new experimental techniques at the frontiers of physics and microscopy. He also develops algorithms thatContinue Reading
When black holes collide and merge, the smashup is so violent that it shakes the very fabric of space-time itself. Astrophysicists detect these space-time ripples, which are known as gravitational waves. ——— Quanta Magazine is an editorially independent publication supported by the Simons Foundation. We focus on developments in mathematics,Continue Reading
New observations of microscopic vortices, known as quantum tornadoes, confirm the existence of a paradoxical phase of matter called supersolids. Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhG56kltfP4 ——— – VISIT our website: https://www.quantamagazine.org – LIKE us on Facebook: / quantanews – FOLLOW us Twitter: / quantamagazine Quanta Magazine is an editoriallyContinue Reading