For decades, astronomers have been perplexed by planetary magnetic fields. In our own solar system, there is no rule that explains which worlds generate these magnetic sheaths: Earth, for example, has one, but its sister world — Venus — does not. Astronomers suspect that one of the best ways to understand the mysteries of magnetism might be… Continue reading Exoplanets Could Help Us Learn How Planets Make Magnetism
Tag: Quantum Stuff
Most Americans Support NASA—But Don’t Think It Should Prioritize Sending People To Space
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. Most Americans (69%) believe it is essential that the United States continue to be a world leader in space. But only a subsection of that group believes NASA should prioritize sending people to the Moon, according to a new… Continue reading Most Americans Support NASA—But Don’t Think It Should Prioritize Sending People To Space
The Gambling Strategy That’s Guaranteed to Make Money and Why You Should Never Use It
Beneath the varnish of flashing lights and free cocktails, casinos stand on a bedrock of mathematics, engineered to slowly bleed their patrons of cash. For years, mathematically inclined minds have tried to turn the tables by harnessing their knowledge of probability and game theory to exploit weaknesses in a rigged system. An amusing example played… Continue reading The Gambling Strategy That’s Guaranteed to Make Money and Why You Should Never Use It
Even Synthetic Life Forms With a Tiny Genome Can Evolve
The new evolution experiments are starting to provide insights into how the smallest, simplest organisms might evolve — and how principles of evolution unite all forms of life, even genetic novelties developed in labs. “Increasingly, we are seeing evidence that this [minimal cell] is an organism that is not something bizarro and unlike the rest… Continue reading Even Synthetic Life Forms With a Tiny Genome Can Evolve
Two Students Unravel a Widely Believed Math Conjecture
They looked exactly as expected: a wall of white, peppered with black specks for smaller integers. “We expected the black dots to peter out,” Stange said. Rickards added, “I thought maybe it would even be possible to prove they peter out.” He speculated that by looking at charts that synthesized many packings together, the team… Continue reading Two Students Unravel a Widely Believed Math Conjecture
Muon Mystery Deepens with Latest Measurements
Muons continue to confound physicists. These unstable subatomic particles are much like familiar electrons, only with 200 times the mass and a fleeting lifetime of just 2.2 microseconds. Unlike electrons, however, muons are at the center of a tangled inquiry into the prevailing theory of particle physics. For decades, physicists have puzzled over tantalizing hints… Continue reading Muon Mystery Deepens with Latest Measurements
Maui’s Deadly Wildfires Are a Reminder of Growing Risks
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. Wildfires, pushed by powerful winds, raced through Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 8 and 9, 2023, leaving a charred and smoldering landscape across the tourist town of about 13,000 residents that was once the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. At least 36… Continue reading Maui’s Deadly Wildfires Are a Reminder of Growing Risks
Risky Giant Steps Can Solve Optimization Problems Faster
“It turns out that we did not have full understanding” of the theory behind gradient descent, said Shuvomoy Das Gupta, an optimization researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Now, he said, we’re “closer to understanding what gradient descent is doing.” The technique itself is deceptively simple. It uses something called a cost function, which… Continue reading Risky Giant Steps Can Solve Optimization Problems Faster
The Cryptographer Who Ensures We Can Trust Our Computers
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 Cryptographer Who Ensures We Can Trust Our Computers
How Genetic Surprises Complicate the Old Doctrine of DNA
Does an unseen force lurk within genetics? Biologists have made enormous strides over the past 100 years in understanding the role of the millions of parcels that convey our genetic information — DNA, RNA and proteins. But they have also learned about undetectable interactions between these biochemical agents, hiding in their midst like ghosts in… Continue reading How Genetic Surprises Complicate the Old Doctrine of DNA