Listen to Quanta Magazine's in-depth news stories about developments in mathematics, theoretical physics, theoretical computer science and the basic life sciences. Quanta, an editorially independent magazine published by the Simons Foundation, seeks to enhance public understanding of basic research. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. You've learned from Quanta. Now we want to learn from you! Quanta is conducting a series of surveys to better serve our audience. Take our podcast listener survey and you will be entered to win a free Quanta book, t-shirt or tote bag: quantamag.typeform.com/podcast
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Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 3 days 8 hours 5 minutes
Landmark Algorithm Breaks 30-Year Impasse
Computer scientists are abuzz over a fast new algorithm for solving one of the central problems in the field. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org.
Math Quartet Joins Forces on Unified Theory
A new breakthrough that bridges number theory and geometry is just the latest triumph for a close-knit group of mathematicians. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org.
The Incredible Shrinking Sex Chromosome
Nature offers species a panoply of ways to determine an organism's sex. That flexibility suggests we need not be concerned about losing sex chromosomes, but it raises the question of why such a fundamental property is so variable. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org.
Nature’s Critical Warning System
Scientists are homing in on a warning signal that arises in complex systems like ecological food webs, the brain and the Earth's climate. Could it help prevent future catastrophes? Read more at QuantaMagazine.org.
How Humans Evolved Supersize Brains
Scientists have begun to identify the symphony of biological triggers that powered the extraordinary expansion of the human brain. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org.
Mongrel Microbe Tests Story of Complex Life
A newly discovered class of microbe could help to resolve one of the biggest and most controversial mysteries in evolution - how simple microbes transformed into the complex cells that produced animals, plants and fungi. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org.
Theorists Draw Closer to Perfect Coloring
A theorem for coloring a large class of "perfect" mathematical networks could ease the way for a long-sought general coloring proof. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org.
A Twisted Path to Equation-Free Prediction
Complex natural systems defy standard mathematical analysis, so one ecologist is throwing out the equations. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org.
The Mutant Genes Behind the Black Death
Only a few genetic changes were enough to turn an ordinary stomach bug into the bacteria responsible for the plague. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org.
A New Map Traces the Limits of Computation
A major advance in computational complexity reveals deep connections between the classes of problems that computers can - and can't - possibly do. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org.