Quanta Magazine
@quantamagazine.bsky.social
Illuminating math and science. Supported by the Simons Foundation. 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting. www.quantamagazine.org
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Are the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics Beginning To Dissolve? | Quanta Magazine
Columnist Philip Ball thinks the phenomenon of decoherence might finally bridge the quantum-classical divide.
www.quantamagazine.org
Qualia essays go where curiosity leads. This week, follow @philipcball.bsky.social down the rabbit hole into the subatomic realm, where he examines entanglement's role as the bridge between the quantum and classical worlds. www.quantamagazine.org/are-the-myst...
Much like city blocks in New York City, each cellular neighborhood in the brain is unique. Recently, Reza Abbasi-Asl (left) and Alex Lee programmed a machine learning algorithm to learn how and where different types of brain cells group together.
Fed on Reams of Cell Data, AI Maps New Neighborhoods in the Brain | Quanta Magazine
Machine learning is helping neuroscientists organize vast quantities of cells’ genetic data in the latest neurobiological cartography effort.
quantamagazine.org
February 15, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Much like city blocks in New York City, each cellular neighborhood in the brain is unique. Recently, Reza Abbasi-Asl (left) and Alex Lee programmed a machine learning algorithm to learn how and where different types of brain cells group together.
Physicists sent a stream of electrons down a “de Laval” nozzle — a sleek shape that rocket engines use to accelerate their exhaust. A shock wave appeared — a surefire sign that electrons were flowing like a fluid. www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-m...
February 15, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Physicists sent a stream of electrons down a “de Laval” nozzle — a sleek shape that rocket engines use to accelerate their exhaust. A shock wave appeared — a surefire sign that electrons were flowing like a fluid. www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-m...
The heartbeat and other bodily processes play a surprising role in shaping perception and cognition. (From the archive) www.quantamagazine.org/how-your-hea...
February 14, 2026 at 11:32 PM
The heartbeat and other bodily processes play a surprising role in shaping perception and cognition. (From the archive) www.quantamagazine.org/how-your-hea...
“The theoretical idea of the loner as something that stabilizes the existence of the group is a very powerful one.” — self-organization researcher Fernando Rossine (From the archive)
Out-of-Sync ‘Loners’ May Secretly Protect Orderly Swarms
Studies of collective behavior usually focus on how crowds of organisms coordinate their actions. But what if the individuals that don’t participate have just as much to tell us?
www.quantamagazine.org
February 14, 2026 at 9:04 PM
“The theoretical idea of the loner as something that stabilizes the existence of the group is a very powerful one.” — self-organization researcher Fernando Rossine (From the archive)
Much like the underlying structure within a Shakespearean sonnet, DNA sequences possess hidden patterns that are not initially apparent to the human eye.
The Poetry Fan Who Taught an LLM to Read and Write DNA | Quanta Magazine
By treating DNA as a language, Brian Hie’s “ChatGPT for genomes” could pick up patterns that humans can’t see, accelerating biological design.
www.quantamagazine.org
February 14, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Much like the underlying structure within a Shakespearean sonnet, DNA sequences possess hidden patterns that are not initially apparent to the human eye.
In Cory Dean’s lab at Columbia University, electrons are coaxed into fluid-like states. His research may spawn a new way of thinking about quantum materials. www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-m...
February 13, 2026 at 9:04 PM
In Cory Dean’s lab at Columbia University, electrons are coaxed into fluid-like states. His research may spawn a new way of thinking about quantum materials. www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-m...
Some scientists used to think that birds are just kind of stupid. In the 1960s, the neuroanatomist Harvey Karten’s research into avian neural circuits changed how the field viewed bird intelligence. www.quantamagazine.org/intelligence...
February 13, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Some scientists used to think that birds are just kind of stupid. In the 1960s, the neuroanatomist Harvey Karten’s research into avian neural circuits changed how the field viewed bird intelligence. www.quantamagazine.org/intelligence...
Qualia essays go where curiosity leads. This week, follow @philipcball.bsky.social down the rabbit hole into the subatomic realm, where he examines entanglement's role as the bridge between the quantum and classical worlds. www.quantamagazine.org/are-the-myst...
Are the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics Beginning To Dissolve? | Quanta Magazine
Columnist Philip Ball thinks the phenomenon of decoherence might finally bridge the quantum-classical divide.
www.quantamagazine.org
February 13, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Qualia essays go where curiosity leads. This week, follow @philipcball.bsky.social down the rabbit hole into the subatomic realm, where he examines entanglement's role as the bridge between the quantum and classical worlds. www.quantamagazine.org/are-the-myst...
AI-generated high-definition neural maps are offering new inroads to our understanding of brain health and disease.
quantamagazine.org/fed-on-reams...
quantamagazine.org/fed-on-reams...
February 12, 2026 at 9:04 PM
AI-generated high-definition neural maps are offering new inroads to our understanding of brain health and disease.
quantamagazine.org/fed-on-reams...
quantamagazine.org/fed-on-reams...
Inside the Ross Sea dinoflagellate, native to Antarctic waters, expansion microscopy revealed protein complexes crucial for photosynthesis. These interactions offer insight into early evolutionary steps of eukaryotes but are still not fully understood.
www.quantamagazine.org/expansion-mi...
www.quantamagazine.org/expansion-mi...
February 12, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Inside the Ross Sea dinoflagellate, native to Antarctic waters, expansion microscopy revealed protein complexes crucial for photosynthesis. These interactions offer insight into early evolutionary steps of eukaryotes but are still not fully understood.
www.quantamagazine.org/expansion-mi...
www.quantamagazine.org/expansion-mi...
You’ve heard the old real estate adage: Location, location, location! Bosilikja Tasic, a “biological cartographer,” says this is true for the brain too. Tasic used AI to build amazingly detailed maps of the mouse brain. “Location is everything,” she said.
Fed on Reams of Cell Data, AI Maps New Neighborhoods in the Brain | Quanta Magazine
Machine learning is helping neuroscientists organize vast quantities of cells’ genetic data in the latest neurobiological cartography effort.
quantamagazine.org
February 11, 2026 at 9:04 PM
You’ve heard the old real estate adage: Location, location, location! Bosilikja Tasic, a “biological cartographer,” says this is true for the brain too. Tasic used AI to build amazingly detailed maps of the mouse brain. “Location is everything,” she said.
Our understanding of the night skies is built on a century of analog astrophotography.
How Modern and Antique Technologies Reveal a Dynamic Cosmos | Quanta Magazine
Today’s observatories document every pulse and flash in the sky each night. To understand how the cosmos has changed over longer periods, scientists rely on a more tactile technology.
www.quantamagazine.org
February 11, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Our understanding of the night skies is built on a century of analog astrophotography.
Physicists have induced electrons to act as fluids, an effort that may lead to new electronics and new ways of thinking about quantum systems. @walkingthedot.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-m...
Physicists Make Electrons Flow Like Water | Quanta Magazine
We describe electricity as a flow, but that’s not what happens in a typical wire. Physicists have begun to induce electrons to act like fluids, an effort that could illuminate new ways of thinking abo...
www.quantamagazine.org
February 11, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Physicists have induced electrons to act as fluids, an effort that may lead to new electronics and new ways of thinking about quantum systems. @walkingthedot.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-m...
During a volcanic eruption, lava forms a scorching, chaotic river. But once it cools enough to enter a state of equilibrium, mathematicians can describe it using a class of equations called elliptic PDEs, which a recent proof has finally illuminated.
www.quantamagazine.org/long-sought-...
www.quantamagazine.org/long-sought-...
February 10, 2026 at 9:04 PM
During a volcanic eruption, lava forms a scorching, chaotic river. But once it cools enough to enter a state of equilibrium, mathematicians can describe it using a class of equations called elliptic PDEs, which a recent proof has finally illuminated.
www.quantamagazine.org/long-sought-...
www.quantamagazine.org/long-sought-...
Expansion microscopy is possible for any lab with a basic microscope. It’s allowing biologists to observe cellular processes like never before. www.quantamagazine.org/expansion-mi...
February 10, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Expansion microscopy is possible for any lab with a basic microscope. It’s allowing biologists to observe cellular processes like never before. www.quantamagazine.org/expansion-mi...
Reposted by Quanta Magazine
We’re thrilled to announce that Terence Tao (@teorth.bsky.social)’s SIX MATH ESSENTIALS is available for preorder: us.macmillan.com/books/978037.... A whirlwind tour through six core ideas that have guided mathematicians from antiquity to the frontiers of what we know today. Pubs October 27, 2026.
Six Math Essentials
The “Mozart of mathematics” invites readers on a brief tour of six core ideas—numbers, algebra, geometry, probability, analysis, and dynamics—that ca...
us.macmillan.com
February 10, 2026 at 3:09 PM
We’re thrilled to announce that Terence Tao (@teorth.bsky.social)’s SIX MATH ESSENTIALS is available for preorder: us.macmillan.com/books/978037.... A whirlwind tour through six core ideas that have guided mathematicians from antiquity to the frontiers of what we know today. Pubs October 27, 2026.
Mathematicians study fluids, such as water coming out of a hose, using equations that they suspect harbor hidden glitches. Last year, researchers trained AI models to find scenarios where various kinds of equations might “blow up.”
Tune in to The Quanta Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
Tune in to The Quanta Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
Mathematicians Want To Make Fluid Equations Glitch Out
Podcast Episode · The Quanta Podcast · 02/10/2026 · 24m
podcasts.apple.com
February 10, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Mathematicians study fluids, such as water coming out of a hose, using equations that they suspect harbor hidden glitches. Last year, researchers trained AI models to find scenarios where various kinds of equations might “blow up.”
Tune in to The Quanta Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
Tune in to The Quanta Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
“A bird with a 10-gram brain is doing pretty much the same as a chimp with a 400-gram brain,” said Onur Güntürkün, who studies brain structures at Ruhr University Bochum in Germany. “How is it possible?”
Intelligence Evolved at Least Twice in Vertebrate Animals | Quanta Magazine
Complex neural circuits likely arose independently in birds and mammals, suggesting that vertebrates evolved intelligence multiple times.
www.quantamagazine.org
February 9, 2026 at 9:04 PM
“A bird with a 10-gram brain is doing pretty much the same as a chimp with a 400-gram brain,” said Onur Güntürkün, who studies brain structures at Ruhr University Bochum in Germany. “How is it possible?”
Cristiana De Filippis has been developing a broad theory to better understand the solutions to partial differential equations — a class of equations that describe all sorts of phenomena in nature. She recently proved a major conjecture about them. www.quantamagazine.org/long-sought-...
February 9, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Cristiana De Filippis has been developing a broad theory to better understand the solutions to partial differential equations — a class of equations that describe all sorts of phenomena in nature. She recently proved a major conjecture about them. www.quantamagazine.org/long-sought-...
Biologists have fed genetic data from millions of mouse brain cells into a custom machine learning algorithm. The program delivered maps of the brain with unprecedented detail, revealing a thousand-plus novel regions.
www.quantamagazine.org/fed-on-reams...
www.quantamagazine.org/fed-on-reams...
Fed on Reams of Cell Data, AI Maps New Neighborhoods in the Brain | Quanta Magazine
Machine learning is helping neuroscientists organize vast quantities of cells’ genetic data in the latest neurobiological cartography effort.
www.quantamagazine.org
February 9, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Biologists have fed genetic data from millions of mouse brain cells into a custom machine learning algorithm. The program delivered maps of the brain with unprecedented detail, revealing a thousand-plus novel regions.
www.quantamagazine.org/fed-on-reams...
www.quantamagazine.org/fed-on-reams...
Every telescope during the century before 1980 used glass plate photography. Stored in stable conditions and not piled up with weight on top, they can endure for centuries. www.quantamagazine.org/how-modern-a...
February 8, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Every telescope during the century before 1980 used glass plate photography. Stored in stable conditions and not piled up with weight on top, they can endure for centuries. www.quantamagazine.org/how-modern-a...
Is life itself, and perhaps consciousness and higher intelligence, inevitable in the universe? That depends on how complexity evolves.
Why Everything in the Universe Turns More Complex | Quanta Magazine
A new suggestion that complexity increases over time, not just in living organisms but in the nonliving world, promises to rewrite notions of time and evolution.
www.quantamagazine.org
February 8, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Is life itself, and perhaps consciousness and higher intelligence, inevitable in the universe? That depends on how complexity evolves.
A recent breakthrough a century in the making is helping mathematicians model systems that change in space but not in time — like the temperature of a lava flow at equilibrium, the distribution of nutrients in tissues, or the shape of a soap film. www.quantamagazine.org/long-sought-...
February 7, 2026 at 9:04 PM
A recent breakthrough a century in the making is helping mathematicians model systems that change in space but not in time — like the temperature of a lava flow at equilibrium, the distribution of nutrients in tissues, or the shape of a soap film. www.quantamagazine.org/long-sought-...
The night sky simmers and sparks. Any attempt to understand what we see in the cosmos relies on knowing how it changes, night after night. These variations are preserved beautifully on a hundred years of glass plate photographs.
How Modern and Antique Technologies Reveal a Dynamic Cosmos | Quanta Magazine
Today’s observatories document every pulse and flash in the sky each night. To understand how the cosmos has changed over longer periods, scientists rely on a more tactile technology.
www.quantamagazine.org
February 7, 2026 at 4:46 PM
The night sky simmers and sparks. Any attempt to understand what we see in the cosmos relies on knowing how it changes, night after night. These variations are preserved beautifully on a hundred years of glass plate photographs.
Astoundingly vivid images are coming to light in Omaya Dudin’s lab, where he is experimenting with expansion biology. www.quantamagazine.org/expansion-mi...
February 6, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Astoundingly vivid images are coming to light in Omaya Dudin’s lab, where he is experimenting with expansion biology. www.quantamagazine.org/expansion-mi...