KEEP IT DOWN IN THERE
Longevity Linked To Proteins That Calm Overexcited Neurons
New research makes a molecular connection between the brain and aging — and shows that overactive neurons can shorten life span.
FAR OUT
Mathematicians Catch A Pattern By Figuring Out How To Avoid It
We finally know how big a set of numbers can get before it has to contain a pattern known as a "polynomial progression."
TELL ME, DID YOU SAIL ACROSS THE SUN
Are Saturn's Rings Really As Young As The Dinosaurs?
A surprisingly youthful estimate of the age of the rings has stirred a backlash.
FOUNDING MOTHER
The Architect Of Modern Algorithms
Barbara Liskov pioneered the modern approach to writing code. She warns that the challenges facing computer science today can't be overcome with good design.
THAT'S A SPICY BLACK HOLE
A Hologram Within A Hologram Hints At A Solution To The Black Hole Information Paradox
Calculations involving a higher dimension are guiding physicists toward a misstep in Stephen Hawking's legendary black hole analysis.
CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER
Playing Hide-And-Seek, Machines Invent New Tools
After millions of games, machine learning algorithms found creative solutions and unexpected new strategies that could transfer to the real world.
WEEKEND INDULGENCE INCOMING
Cells That 'Taste' Danger Set Off Immune Responses
Taste and smell receptors in unexpected organs monitor the state of the body's natural microbial health and raise an alarm over invading parasites.
NEUTRINO + NEUTRINO = ?
Neutrinos Lead To Unexpected Discovery In Basic Math
Three physicists stumbled across an unexpected relationship between some of the most ubiquitous objects in math.
TAKE ME DOWN TO PARADOX CITY
Mathematicians Calculate How To Manufacture Randomness
Mathematicians have figured out exactly how many moves it takes to randomize a 15 puzzle.
BRAIN TEASE
'Noise' In The Brain Encodes Surprisingly Important Signals
Sensory areas in the brain are dominated by signals about body movements, down to little tics and twitches, that are so much more important than you think.
MAKING THE NEURAL LEAP
Computers Are Evolving A New Path Toward Human Intelligence
Neural networks that borrow strategies from biology are making profound leaps in their abilities. Is ignoring a goal the best way to make truly intelligent machines?
MATHTER OF NONE
Why The Sum Of Three Cubes Is A Weirdly Hard Math Problem
Looking for answers in infinite space is hard. High school math can help narrow your search.
CIRCULAR REASONING
What Shape Is the Universe? A New Study Suggests We've Got It All Wrong
When researchers reanalyzed the gold-standard data set of the early universe, they concluded that the cosmos must be "closed," or curled up like a ball. Most others remain unconvinced.
...WHAT
Cosmic Triangles Open A Window To The Origin Of Time
A close look at fundamental symmetries has exposed hidden patterns in the universe — possibly including the origins of time.
POLAR OPPOSITION
The Most Magnetic Objects In The Universe Attract New Controversy
How do magnetars get so magnetic? A study of stellar explosions shows that the long-accepted theory might be wrong.
POWER IS KNOWLEDGE
The Power Law That Keeps The Brain's Perceptions Balanced
Researchers have discovered a mathematical relationship in the brain's representations of sensory information, with possible applications to AI.
'CLEVER BUT NOT SMART'
Machines Beat Humans On A Reading Test. But Do They Understand?
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.
YOU SAY EQUAL, I SAY EQUAL-ISH
Mathematicians Are Back-Peddling From The Equal Sign With Category Theory
The equal sign is the bedrock of mathematics. But there is a growing community of mathematicians who regard it as math's original error: "It should have been equivalence all along."
*SAM NEAL TAKES OFF HIS SUNGLASSES*
How Jurassic Plankton Stole Control Of The Ocean's Chemistry
Only 170 million years ago, new plankton evolved. Their demand for carbon and calcium permanently transformed the seas as homes for life.
OR NOT TO INVENT, COULD BE EITHER
To Invent A Quantum Internet
Fifty years after the current internet was born, the physicist and computer scientist Stephanie Wehner is planning and designing the next internet — a quantum one.