Transcription factors that act throughout the genome can arise from mashups of transposable elements inserted into established genes. The post Scientists Catch Jumping Genes Rewiring Genomes first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Originally devised as a rigorous means of counting holes, homology provides a scaffolding for mathematical ideas, allowing for a new way to analyze the shapes within data. The post How Mathematicians Use Homology to Make Sense of Topology

A new proposal would use quantum hard drives to combine the light of multiple telescopes, letting astronomers create incredibly high-resolution optical images. The post Quantum Double-Slit Experiment Offers Hope for Earth-Size Telescope fi

An enigmatic connection between the forces of nature is allowing physicists to explore gravity’s quantum side. The post How Gravity Is a Double Copy of Other Forces first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A newfound hub of immune system activity at the back of the brain solves a century-old puzzle. The post A Backdoor Lets the Immune System Monitor the Brain first appeared on Quanta Magazine

The thorny thought experiment has been turned into a real experiment — one that physicists use to probe the physics of information. The post How Maxwell’s Demon Continues to Startle Scientists first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Some populations of neurons simultaneously process sensations and memories. New work shows how the brain rotates those representations to prevent interference. The post The Brain ‘Rotates’ Memories to Save Them From New Sensations first appeared on Q

A patchwork of genomic differences in the placenta may explain the organ’s “live fast, die young” strategy and its connections to cancer. The post New Genomic Study of Placenta Finds Deep Links to Cancer first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

The new volcanic fissures are more otherworldly than they first appear. The post Iceland’s Eruptions Reveal the Hot History of Mars first appeared on Quanta Magazine. The post Iceland’s Eruptions Reveal the Hot History of Mars first appear

Despite finding no specific examples, researchers have proved the existence of a pervasive kind of prime number so delicate that changing any of its infinite digits renders it composite. The post Mathematicians Find a New Class of Digitally Delicate

Black holes seemed to come only in sizes small and XXL. A new search strategy has uncovered a black hole of “intermediate” mass, raising hopes of more to come. The post Long-Missing Midsize Black Hole Flashes Into View first appeared on Quanta Magazi

The zoo of spontaneously emerging particlelike entities known as quasiparticles has grown quickly and become more and more exotic. Here are a few of the most curious and potentially useful examples. The post The Near-Magical Mystery of Quasiparticles

A recent paper set the fastest record for multiplying two matrices. But it also marks the end of the line for a method researchers have relied on for decades to make improvements. The post Matrix Multiplication Inches Closer to Mythic Goal first appe

A supernova-like explosion dubbed the Camel appears to be the result of a newborn black hole eating a star from the inside out. The post New Kind of Space Explosion Reveals the Birth of a Black Hole first appeared on Quanta Magazine. The p

A new thought experiment indicates that quantum mechanics doesn’t work without strange numbers that turn negative when squared. The post Imaginary Numbers May Be Essential for Describing Reality first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

An overlooked but powerful driver of cloud formation could accelerate the loss of polar sea ice. The post Cloud-Making Aerosol Could Devastate Polar Sea Ice first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

One black hole is nice, but astrophysicists can do a lot more science with 50 of them. The post Growing Inventory of Black Holes Offers a Radical Probe of the Cosmos first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

A new study shows that extreme black holes could break the famous “no-hair” theorem, and in a way that we could detect. The post In Violation of Einstein, Black Holes Might Have ‘Hair’ first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

A group of MIT undergraduates is searching for tetrahedra that tile space, the latest effort in a millennia-long inquiry. They’ve already made a new discovery. The post Undergraduates Hunt for Special Tetrahedra That Fit Together first appeared on Qu

Unusual proteins that can quickly fold into different shapes provide cells with a novel regulatory mechanism. The post Some Proteins Change Their Folds to Perform Different Jobs first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

Small black holes were nowhere to be found, leading astronomers to wonder if they didn’t exist at all. Now a series of findings, including a “unicorn” black hole, has raised hopes of solving the decade-long mystery. The post ‘Unicorn’ Discovery Point

Since they can’t prod actual universes as they inflate and bump into each other in the hypothetical multiverse, physicists are studying digital and physical analogs of the process. The post Physicists Study How Universes Might Bubble Up and Collide f

Three-dimensional supernova simulations have solved the mystery of why they explode at all. The post Secret Ingredient Found to Power Supernovas first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

In grafted plants, shrunken chloroplasts can jump between species by slipping through unexpected gateways in cell walls. The post Plant Cells of Different Species Can Swap Organelles first appeared on Quanta Magazine.

Frank Wilczek has been at the forefront of theoretical physics for the past 50 years. He talks about winning the Nobel Prize for work he did as a student, his solution to the dark matter problem, and the God of a scientist.

A glass sponge found deep in the Pacific shows a remarkable ability to withstand compression and bending, on top of the sponge’s other unusual properties. The post The Curious Strength of a Sea Sponge’s Glass Skeleton first appeared on Quanta Magazin

For decades, astronomers debated whether a particular smudge was close-by and small, or distant and huge. A new X-ray map supports the massive option. The post Galaxy-Size Bubbles Discovered Towering Over the Milky Way first appeared on Quanta Magazi

Two teams found different ways for quantum computers to process nonlinear systems by first disguising them as linear ones.

Mistletoes have all but shut down the powerhouses of their cells. Scientists are still trying to understand the plants’ unorthodox survival strategy.

We don’t know why the universe appears to be expanding faster than it should. New ultra-precise distance measurements have only intensified the problem.