Individual cells in the brain light up for specific ideas. These concept neurons, once known as “Jennifer Aniston cells,” ...

The library sorting problem is used across computer science for organizing far more than just books. A new solution is less ...

In the late 19th century, Karl Weierstrass invented a fractal-like function that was decried as nothing less than a ...

Heat is supposed to ruin anything it touches. But physicists have shown that an idealized form of magnetism is heatproof.

A new proof marks the first progress in decades on important cases of the so-called kissing problem. Getting there meant ...

Solomon Adams is a freelance journalist who covers mathematics, culture and other topics. He graduated from Yale University in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in math and philosophy.

The library sorting problem is used across computer science for organizing far more than just books. A new solution is less than a page-width away from the theoretical ideal. In the late 19th century, ...

In a first, researchers have shown that adding more “qubits” to a quantum computer can make it more resilient. It’s an essential step on the long road to practical applications. While some fret about ...

Heat is supposed to ruin anything it touches. But physicists have shown that an idealized form of magnetism is heatproof. Researchers got a better look at the thoughts of chatbots, amateurs learned ...

Improvements in how densely spheres and other shapes can be packed together could lead to advances in materials science, deep space communication and theoretical physics. The Quanta Newsletter ...