There was just one wrinkle: Pasten had no exam to give his students. He instead had them write an essay on whatever topic they wanted. “This turned out to result in very high-quality work,” he said. Pasten submitted his proof to Inventiones Mathematicae, one of math’s preeminent journals, where it was accepted in just over… Continue reading Big Advance on Simple-Sounding Math Problem Was a Century in the Making
‘Quantum Memory’ Proves Exponentially Powerful
It’s not easy to study quantum systems — collections of particles that follow the counterintuitive rules of quantum mechanics. Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, a cornerstone of quantum theory, says it’s impossible to simultaneously measure a particle’s exact position and its speed — pretty important information for understanding what’s going on. In order to study, say, a… Continue reading ‘Quantum Memory’ Proves Exponentially Powerful
Book Review: Andrew Chow’s ‘Cryptomania’
Uber really started to become a thing in 2012. It was a spectacular revelation. Gone were the days of worrying about calling a cab or hailing one in order to get to the airport. Similarly gone were the days of worrying about being able to secure a ride in bad weather. Thanks to “surge pricing,”… Continue reading Book Review: Andrew Chow’s ‘Cryptomania’
Nope—It’s Never Aliens
I grew up believing in UFOs. I watched every TV show about aliens, spaceships, and aliens in spaceships. I voraciously read magazines and books on the topic, credulously soaking up everything I saw and believing it wholeheartedly because, after all, if someone published a book saying these things are real, they must be real, right?… Continue reading Nope—It’s Never Aliens
Why Women Should Vote for Trump
Dear fellow women, You are being played. And falling for this particular confidence scheme won’t just cost you, it’ll cost all of us. I’m an affluent 30-something divorced, white, childless, American woman with multiple postgraduate degrees, and a busy career. I’ve lived abroad in several metropolitan cities and I own my home. According to every single… Continue reading Why Women Should Vote for Trump
How the Human Brain Contends With the Strangeness of Zero
At first, zero caused confusion. “Its ability to represent ‘nothing’ and enable complex mathematical operations challenged deeply ingrained theological and philosophical ideas,” Nieder said. Particularly due to the influence of the church, philosophers and theologians associated “nothing” with chaos and disorder and were disinclined to accept it. Many even feared it, considering it “the devil’s… Continue reading How the Human Brain Contends With the Strangeness of Zero
Meet the First U.S. Species to Go Extinct from Sea-Level Rise
Meet the First U.S. Species to Go Extinct from Sea-Level Rise A tall cactus found only in Florida’s Key Largo is the U.S.’s first species to go extinct from sea-level rise By Ayurella Horn-Muller & Grist The Key Largo tree cactus was initially found growing in the United States in 1992 at a single site.… Continue reading Meet the First U.S. Species to Go Extinct from Sea-Level Rise
A Second Trump Term and the States
The presidential election is in its final stretch and the race is neck-and-neck, according to the polls. The outcome will have a profound impact at all levels of government and business, so preparing for a second Trump term would be prudent. In office and on the campaign trail, former President Trump has championed federalism and… Continue reading A Second Trump Term and the States
The Mystery of Pontius Pilate (Biblical Mystery)
Podcast: Download MYS334: Pontius Pilate may be the most famous Roman governor because of his role in Jesus’ death. But who was he? Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli look into who Pilate was and competing claims as to whether he was a villain or a saint. Get all new episodes automatically and for free: Follow… Continue reading The Mystery of Pontius Pilate (Biblical Mystery)
Bizarre Mineral Clumps Make ‘Dark Oxygen’ on Deep Seafloor
The dark seabed of the Pacific Ocean’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) is littered with what look like hunks of charcoal. These unassuming metal deposits, called polymetallic nodules, contain metals such as manganese and cobalt used to produce batteries, marking them as targets for deep-sea mining companies. Now researchers have discovered that the valuable nodules do something… Continue reading Bizarre Mineral Clumps Make ‘Dark Oxygen’ on Deep Seafloor