Category: Quantum Stuff

Detailed Footage Finally Reveals What Triggers Lightning

So Dwyer and his team turned to the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR), a network of thousands of small radio telescopes mostly in the Netherlands. LOFAR usually gazes at distant galaxies and exploding stars. But according to Dwyer, “it just so happens to work really well for measuring lightning, too.” When thunderstorms roll overhead, there’s little… Continue reading Detailed Footage Finally Reveals What Triggers Lightning

We Discovered a Rogues’ Gallery of Monster-Sized Gas Giants – Facts So Romantic

It doesn’t feel right to see a toddler walking down the street by themselves. Toddlers don’t just go rogue, and if they do they are quickly chased down by a parent or grandparent or teacher and brought back where they belong. Most planets are like toddlers: They follow a well-behaved orbit around a star. It… Continue reading We Discovered a Rogues’ Gallery of Monster-Sized Gas Giants – Facts So Romantic

The Anti–Critical Race Theory Movement Will Profoundly Affect Public Education

The recent election of Glenn Youngkin as the next governor of Virginia based on his anti–critical race theory platform is the latest episode in a longstanding conservative disinformation campaign of falsehoods, half-truths and exaggerations designed to create, mobilize and exploit anxiety around white status to secure political power. The problem is, these lies work, and… Continue reading The Anti–Critical Race Theory Movement Will Profoundly Affect Public Education

How COVID Might Sow Chaos in the Brain

“Brain fog” is not a formal medical descriptor. But it aptly describes an inability to think clearly that can turn up in multiple sclerosis, cancer or chronic fatigue. Recently, the condition has grabbed headlines because of reports that it afflicts those recovering from COVID-19. COVID’s brain-related symptoms go beyond mere mental fuzziness. They range across… Continue reading How COVID Might Sow Chaos in the Brain

Plants Feel Pain and Might Even See – Issue 111: Spotlight

Happy Holidays. In this special issue we are reprinting our top stories of the past year. This article first appeared online in our “Harmony” issue in July, 2021. In 2018, a German newspaper asked me if I would be interested in having a conversation with the philosopher Emanuele Coccia, who had just written a book… Continue reading Plants Feel Pain and Might Even See – Issue 111: Spotlight

Astrophysicists Unveil Glut of Gravitational-Wave Detections

Gravitational-wave observatories have released their latest catalogue of cosmic collisions, bringing their total number of detections to 90. The new crop of 35 events includes one featuring the lightest neutron star ever seen, as well as two clashes involving surprisingly large black holes. The detections come from the two Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) sites,… Continue reading Astrophysicists Unveil Glut of Gravitational-Wave Detections

The Year in Math and Computer Science

Quanta Magazine > 0; if (typeof predicate !== ‘function’) { throw new TypeError(‘predicate must be a function’); } var thisArg = arguments[1]; var k = 0; while (k We care about your data, and we’d like to use cookies to give you a smooth browsing experience. Please agree and read more about our privacy policy.Agree… Continue reading The Year in Math and Computer Science

The Incredible Fig – Issue 111: Spotlight

Happy Holidays. In this special issue we are reprinting our top stories of the past year. This article first appeared online in our “Harmony” issue in July, 2021. One of my favorite walkways in the world spans a beautiful fig in the village of Falealupo on the island of Savai’i, Samoa, formerly Western Samoa. My… Continue reading The Incredible Fig – Issue 111: Spotlight