Quanta Magazine
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Illuminating math and science. Supported by the Simons Foundation. 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting. www.quantamagazine.org
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Transformation | Quanta Magazine
A weekly dispatch exploring the latest news in math and AI…
www.quantamagazine.org
The change AI has brought to math is undeniable — it, after all, helped solve a Millennium Prize Problem just this week.
To keep up with it all, we’ve created Transformation, our dispatch exploring the latest in math and AI, written by @kkakaes.bsky.social. www.quantamagazine.org/updates/tran...
To keep up with it all, we’ve created Transformation, our dispatch exploring the latest in math and AI, written by @kkakaes.bsky.social. www.quantamagazine.org/updates/tran...
Could the James Webb Space Telescope’s infamous little red dots actually be black hole stars? Get the full story on a new theory shaking up astrophysics on the latest episode of The Quanta Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...
Are the Little Red Dots Actually Black Hole Suns?
Podcast Episode · The Quanta Podcast · September 22 · 34m
podcasts.apple.com
September 22, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Could the James Webb Space Telescope’s infamous little red dots actually be black hole stars? Get the full story on a new theory shaking up astrophysics on the latest episode of The Quanta Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...
It was on the small German island of Helgoland that the seed of quantum mechanics first sprouted in Werner Heisenberg’s mind.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/its-a-mess-a-brain-bending-trip-to-quantum-theorys-100th-birthday-party-20250808/#
https://www.quantamagazine.org/its-a-mess-a-brain-bending-trip-to-quantum-theorys-100th-birthday-party-20250808/#
September 22, 2026 at 1:04 AM
It was on the small German island of Helgoland that the seed of quantum mechanics first sprouted in Werner Heisenberg’s mind.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/its-a-mess-a-brain-bending-trip-to-quantum-theorys-100th-birthday-party-20250808/#
https://www.quantamagazine.org/its-a-mess-a-brain-bending-trip-to-quantum-theorys-100th-birthday-party-20250808/#
Does P=NP? It’s one of the most fundamental problems in computer science. But, what is P? What is NP? We explain in our complexity class primer: https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-short-guide-to-hard-problems-20180716/
September 22, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Does P=NP? It’s one of the most fundamental problems in computer science. But, what is P? What is NP? We explain in our complexity class primer: https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-short-guide-to-hard-problems-20180716/
The DNA in your cells has a much more complicated backstory than you might think. To convey this, our art department gave stop-motion a try:
September 21, 2026 at 5:56 PM
The DNA in your cells has a much more complicated backstory than you might think. To convey this, our art department gave stop-motion a try:
Nearly half of your genome is a wild drama: mobile, repetitive, disruptive, even viral. These unruly fragments are connected to the evolution of everything from moths to wombs. @jakebuehler.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/how-virus-li...
How Virus-like ‘Jumping Genes’ Became Our Partners in Evolution | Quanta Magazine
Half of our genome is made of transposons — snips of DNA that can move and copy themselves. But they’re more than parasites or genetic junk.
www.quantamagazine.org
September 21, 2026 at 2:15 PM
Nearly half of your genome is a wild drama: mobile, repetitive, disruptive, even viral. These unruly fragments are connected to the evolution of everything from moths to wombs. @jakebuehler.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/how-virus-li...
Natalie Behague recently helped prove a conjecture that gives researchers a new way to understand complex networks. She called it “almost too good to be true.”
https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-build-long-awaited-graph-sandwich-20260918/
https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-build-long-awaited-graph-sandwich-20260918/
September 20, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Natalie Behague recently helped prove a conjecture that gives researchers a new way to understand complex networks. She called it “almost too good to be true.”
https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-build-long-awaited-graph-sandwich-20260918/
https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-build-long-awaited-graph-sandwich-20260918/
There are two types of physicists: those who believe they know what quantum mechanics means, and those who don’t.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/its-a-mess-a-brain-bending-trip-to-quantum-theorys-100th-birthday-party-20250808/
https://www.quantamagazine.org/its-a-mess-a-brain-bending-trip-to-quantum-theorys-100th-birthday-party-20250808/
‘It’s a Mess’: A Brain-Bending Trip to Quantum Theory’s 100th Birthday Party | Quanta Magazine
Hundreds of physicists (and a few journalists) journeyed to Helgoland, the birthplace of quantum mechanics, and grappled with what they have and haven’t learned about reality.
www.quantamagazine.org
September 20, 2026 at 8:00 PM
There are two types of physicists: those who believe they know what quantum mechanics means, and those who don’t.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/its-a-mess-a-brain-bending-trip-to-quantum-theorys-100th-birthday-party-20250808/
https://www.quantamagazine.org/its-a-mess-a-brain-bending-trip-to-quantum-theorys-100th-birthday-party-20250808/
The heartbeat and other bodily processes play a surprising role in shaping perception and cognition. https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-your-heart-influences-what-you-perceive-and-fear-20200706/
September 20, 2026 at 6:00 PM
The heartbeat and other bodily processes play a surprising role in shaping perception and cognition. https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-your-heart-influences-what-you-perceive-and-fear-20200706/
A new celestial body (may have) just dropped: https://www.quantamagazine.org/black-holes-or-black-hole-stars-astronomers-spar-over-webb-telescopes-little-red-dots-20260914/
September 19, 2026 at 8:19 PM
A new celestial body (may have) just dropped: https://www.quantamagazine.org/black-holes-or-black-hole-stars-astronomers-spar-over-webb-telescopes-little-red-dots-20260914/
Richard Montgomery helped craft a recipe for a mathematical sandwich that’s powerful but difficult to make. https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-build-long-awaited-graph-sandwich-20260918/
September 19, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Richard Montgomery helped craft a recipe for a mathematical sandwich that’s powerful but difficult to make. https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-build-long-awaited-graph-sandwich-20260918/
Clouds are the biggest source of uncertainty in predicting how hot Earth will get. Scientists are racing to build better models.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/climate-physicists-face-the-ghosts-in-their-machines-clouds-20260220/
https://www.quantamagazine.org/climate-physicists-face-the-ghosts-in-their-machines-clouds-20260220/
Climate Physicists Face the Ghosts in Their Machines: Clouds | Quanta Magazine
The planet is getting hotter, but one factor in particular makes it hard to tell just how hot it will get. Physicists and computer scientists are racing to solve the problem of clouds.
www.quantamagazine.org
September 19, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Clouds are the biggest source of uncertainty in predicting how hot Earth will get. Scientists are racing to build better models.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/climate-physicists-face-the-ghosts-in-their-machines-clouds-20260220/
https://www.quantamagazine.org/climate-physicists-face-the-ghosts-in-their-machines-clouds-20260220/
In the 1930s, Kurt Gödel demonstrated that the mathematical universe is fundamentally unknowable. But set theorists still want to describe it as closely as possible. https://www.quantamagazine.org/is-mathematics-mostly-chaos-or-mostly-order-20250620/
September 19, 2026 at 6:00 PM
In the 1930s, Kurt Gödel demonstrated that the mathematical universe is fundamentally unknowable. But set theorists still want to describe it as closely as possible. https://www.quantamagazine.org/is-mathematics-mostly-chaos-or-mostly-order-20250620/
Ctenophores are considered “immortal jellyfish:” they have the Benjamin Button–like ability to reverse their development in the face of prolonged starvation or injury. www.quantamagazine.org/ctenophores-...
September 19, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Ctenophores are considered “immortal jellyfish:” they have the Benjamin Button–like ability to reverse their development in the face of prolonged starvation or injury. www.quantamagazine.org/ctenophores-...
“There’s always new perspectives coming along. The next generation of scientists will have new ways of thinking about these things.” Tune into this week’s episode of The Joy of Why: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-does-the-quantum-world-end-and-ours-begin/id1608948873?i=1000790335281
Where Does the Quantum World End and Ours Begin?
Podcast Episode · The Joy of Why · September 17 · 47m
podcasts.apple.com
September 18, 2026 at 8:27 PM
“There’s always new perspectives coming along. The next generation of scientists will have new ways of thinking about these things.” Tune into this week’s episode of The Joy of Why: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-does-the-quantum-world-end-and-ours-begin/id1608948873?i=1000790335281
After a tumultuous summer, the mathematical community is reasserting itself. https://www.quantamagazine.org/updates/transformation/
Transformation | Quanta Magazine
A weekly dispatch exploring the latest news in math and AI…
www.quantamagazine.org
September 18, 2026 at 8:27 PM
After a tumultuous summer, the mathematical community is reasserting itself. https://www.quantamagazine.org/updates/transformation/
Computer scientists know that certain problems in their field are hard, but proving their difficulty is a hard problem unto itself. A topsy-turvy approach to mathematics has helped show why. https://www.quantamagazine.org/reverse-mathematics-illuminates-why-hard-problems-are-hard-20251201/
‘Reverse Mathematics’ Illuminates Why Hard Problems Are Hard | Quanta Magazine
Researchers have used metamathematical techniques to show that certain theorems that look superficially distinct are in fact logically equivalent.
www.quantamagazine.org
September 18, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Computer scientists know that certain problems in their field are hard, but proving their difficulty is a hard problem unto itself. A topsy-turvy approach to mathematics has helped show why. https://www.quantamagazine.org/reverse-mathematics-illuminates-why-hard-problems-are-hard-20251201/
Comb jellies are ancient marine predators whose hairlike extensions known as cilia refract light as they swim, giving them an iridescent shimmer. They are the largest animals known to use cilia for movement. www.quantamagazine.org/ctenophores-...
September 18, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Comb jellies are ancient marine predators whose hairlike extensions known as cilia refract light as they swim, giving them an iridescent shimmer. They are the largest animals known to use cilia for movement. www.quantamagazine.org/ctenophores-...
The Navier-Stokes equations are among the most important — and most challenging — equations in physics. So, what makes them so difficult? And how could a new OpenAI proof finally resolve the problem? Watch our new video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsWR...
Why Navier-Stokes Pushes Math and Physics to the Edge
YouTube video by Quanta Magazine
www.youtube.com
September 18, 2026 at 6:00 PM
The Navier-Stokes equations are among the most important — and most challenging — equations in physics. So, what makes them so difficult? And how could a new OpenAI proof finally resolve the problem? Watch our new video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsWR...
In mathematics, different dimensions have decidedly different personalities. https://www.quantamagazine.org/dimension-126-contains-strangely-twisted-shapes-mathematicians-prove-20250505/
Dimension 126 Contains Strangely Twisted Shapes, Mathematicians Prove | Quanta Magazine
A new proof represents the culmination of a 65-year-old story about anomalous shapes in special dimensions.
www.quantamagazine.org
September 18, 2026 at 6:00 PM
In mathematics, different dimensions have decidedly different personalities. https://www.quantamagazine.org/dimension-126-contains-strangely-twisted-shapes-mathematicians-prove-20250505/
In 2004, two mathematicians hypothesized a powerful kind of sandwich. A new proof has finally built it.
www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicia...
www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicia...
Mathematicians Build Long-Awaited Graph Sandwich | Quanta Magazine
The proof of a decades-old conjecture has given researchers a new way to understand complex networks.
www.quantamagazine.org
September 18, 2026 at 2:05 PM
In 2004, two mathematicians hypothesized a powerful kind of sandwich. A new proof has finally built it.
www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicia...
www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicia...
This is a comb jelly — an elegant, voracious predator that lives in the deep sea, the cold poles and the warm tropics. The ribbonlike 𝘊𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘮 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴, or Venus’ girdle, is one of the largest species. It grows up to 1.5 meters in length. www.quantamagazine.org/ctenophores-...
September 18, 2026 at 1:00 AM
This is a comb jelly — an elegant, voracious predator that lives in the deep sea, the cold poles and the warm tropics. The ribbonlike 𝘊𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘮 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴, or Venus’ girdle, is one of the largest species. It grows up to 1.5 meters in length. www.quantamagazine.org/ctenophores-...
As a child, Hannah Cairo learned math by taking online lessons from Khan Academy. By the time she was 14, she had taught herself the equivalent of an advanced undergraduate math degree.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/at-17-hannah-cairo-solved-a-major-math-mystery-20250801/
https://www.quantamagazine.org/at-17-hannah-cairo-solved-a-major-math-mystery-20250801/
https://www.quantamagazine.org/at-17-hannah-cairo-solved-a-major-math-mystery-20250801/
t.co
September 17, 2026 at 8:00 PM
As a child, Hannah Cairo learned math by taking online lessons from Khan Academy. By the time she was 14, she had taught herself the equivalent of an advanced undergraduate math degree.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/at-17-hannah-cairo-solved-a-major-math-mystery-20250801/
https://www.quantamagazine.org/at-17-hannah-cairo-solved-a-major-math-mystery-20250801/
Can machines actually want things? Can they crave power, or scariest of all: Can they acquire the will to survive? Amanda Gefter explores some of the deeper questions behind our fear of total AI domination. https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-do-we-tell-ourselves-scary-stories-about-ai-20260410/
Why Do We Tell Ourselves Scary Stories About AI? | Quanta Magazine
Our tales of AI developing the will to survive, commandeer resources, and manipulate people say more about us than they do about language models.
t.co
September 17, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Can machines actually want things? Can they crave power, or scariest of all: Can they acquire the will to survive? Amanda Gefter explores some of the deeper questions behind our fear of total AI domination. https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-do-we-tell-ourselves-scary-stories-about-ai-20260410/
In the latest episode of The Joy of Why, Jonathan Halliwell explains how quantum decoherence is key to understanding how we transition from the wave-like behavior of the subatomic world to the classical macroscopic world that we’re used to.
🎧 Listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
🎧 Listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
Where Does the Quantum World End and Ours Begin?
Podcast Episode · The Joy of Why · September 17 · 47m
podcasts.apple.com
September 17, 2026 at 3:22 PM
In the latest episode of The Joy of Why, Jonathan Halliwell explains how quantum decoherence is key to understanding how we transition from the wave-like behavior of the subatomic world to the classical macroscopic world that we’re used to.
🎧 Listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
🎧 Listen: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
New on Transformation: Fields medalists denounce AI companies https://www.quantamagazine.org/updates/transformation/#167201
Transformation | Quanta Magazine
A weekly dispatch exploring the latest news in math and AI…
www.quantamagazine.org
September 17, 2026 at 2:20 PM
New on Transformation: Fields medalists denounce AI companies https://www.quantamagazine.org/updates/transformation/#167201