If we want to understand complex constructions, such as ourselves, assembly theory says we must account for the entire history of how such entities came to be.

A new genetics study of ant “social parasites” shows how complex sets of features can emerge rapidly and potentially split species.

In two landmark experiments, researchers used quantum processors to engineer exotic particles that have captivated physicists for decades. The work is a step toward crash-proof quantum computers.

Minhyong Kim is leading a new initiative called Mathematics for Humanity that encourages mathematicians to apply their skills to solving social problems.

Today’s language models are more sophisticated than ever, but they still struggle with the concept of negation. That’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

A new theory describes how particle interactions fuel fast magnetic reconnection, the process behind solar flares and other astrophysical jets.

For the first time, mathematicians have proved that planetary orbits in a solar system will always be unstable.

Memories may affect how well the brain will learn about future events by shifting our perceptions of the world.

Several areas of physics suggest reasons to think that unobservable universes with different natural laws could lie beyond ours. The theoretical physicist David Kaplan talks with Steven Strogatz about the mysteries that a multiverse would solve.

In steganography, an ordinary message masks the presence of a secret communication. Humans can never do it perfectly, but a new study shows it’s possible for machines.

Researchers uncover striking parallels in the ways that humans and machine learning models acquire language skills.

Simple math can help explain the complexities of the newly discovered aperiodic monotile.

New experiments show that the brain distinguishes between perceived and imagined mental images by checking whether they cross a “reality threshold.”

Renate Loll has helped pioneer a radically new approach to quantum gravity. She assumes that the fabric of space-time is a blend of all possible fabrics, and she has developed the computational tools needed to calculate the far-reaching implications of that…

Changes in the 3D structure of their genome gave skates and rays their distinctive winglike fins and pancake flatness.

One student’s desire to get out of a final exam led to the ubiquitous algorithm that shrinks data without sacrificing information.

Consciousness, our experience of being in the world, is one of the mind’s greatest mysteries, but as the neuroscientist Anil Seth explains to Steven Strogatz, research is making progress in understanding this elusive phenomenon.

New tools make it possible to detect hidden manipulation of maps.

No two pairs have the same sum; add three numbers together, and you can get any whole number.

The puzzling behavior of black hole interiors has led researchers to propose a new physical law: the second law of quantum complexity.