Quanta Magazine
@quantamagazine.bsky.social
Illuminating math and science. Supported by the Simons Foundation. 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting. www.quantamagazine.org
Pinned
Particle Physicists Detect ‘Magic’ at the Large Hadron Collider | Quanta Magazine
The supercollider is now being used to explore quantum phenomena, including a “magic” form of quantum entanglement.
www.quantamagazine.org
The Large Hadron Collider has a new job. It’s being used to study how information flows through quantum systems — ideas that lie at the core of quantum computing. @shalmawegs.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/particle-phy...
A newly discovered archaeal cell has a tiny genome and can’t metabolize biomolecules. It’s upending biologists’ definition of a living thing. “These types of organisms have been found before, but not as extreme as this,” said microbiologist Thijs Ettema.
A Cell So Minimal That It Challenges Definitions of Life | Quanta Magazine
The newly described microbe represents a world of parasitic, intercellular biodiversity only beginning to be revealed by genome sequencing.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 30, 2025 at 9:04 PM
A newly discovered archaeal cell has a tiny genome and can’t metabolize biomolecules. It’s upending biologists’ definition of a living thing. “These types of organisms have been found before, but not as extreme as this,” said microbiologist Thijs Ettema.
“Intuition would make you think, the more entanglement we have, the better our quantum computer is,” said particle physicist Chris White. “That actually turns out to be completely false.”
Particle Physicists Detect ‘Magic’ at the Large Hadron Collider | Quanta Magazine
The supercollider is now being used to explore quantum phenomena, including a “magic” form of quantum entanglement.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 30, 2025 at 7:06 PM
“Intuition would make you think, the more entanglement we have, the better our quantum computer is,” said particle physicist Chris White. “That actually turns out to be completely false.”
Mathematicians are studying elliptic curve patterns that resemble murmurations of starlings. Nina Zubrilina, a doctoral student at Princeton, was the first to prove a formula that explains reasons for the patterns. www.quantamagazine.org/elliptic-cur...
November 30, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Mathematicians are studying elliptic curve patterns that resemble murmurations of starlings. Nina Zubrilina, a doctoral student at Princeton, was the first to prove a formula that explains reasons for the patterns. www.quantamagazine.org/elliptic-cur...
The newly discovered archaean 𝘚𝘶𝘬𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘶𝘮 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘦 has a genome with 238,000 base pairs, far fewer than humans (billions) or 𝘌. 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘪 (millions). The species was named after Sukuna-biko-na, a Shinto deity known for being tiny.
A Cell So Minimal That It Challenges Definitions of Life | Quanta Magazine
The newly described microbe represents a world of parasitic, intercellular biodiversity only beginning to be revealed by genome sequencing.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 29, 2025 at 9:04 PM
The newly discovered archaean 𝘚𝘶𝘬𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘶𝘮 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘦 has a genome with 238,000 base pairs, far fewer than humans (billions) or 𝘌. 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘪 (millions). The species was named after Sukuna-biko-na, a Shinto deity known for being tiny.
What gives “magic” quantum states their power?
Particle Physicists Detect ‘Magic’ at the Large Hadron Collider | Quanta Magazine
The supercollider is now being used to explore quantum phenomena, including a “magic” form of quantum entanglement.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 29, 2025 at 7:05 PM
What gives “magic” quantum states their power?
Price-fixing — collusion between businesses to raise prices — is banned in the U.S. These days, many sellers rely on learning algorithms, but it’s tough to know if they keep things fair.
Tune in to the Quanta Podcast:
Tune in to the Quanta Podcast:
Game Theory, Algorithms and High Prices
Podcast Episode · The Quanta Podcast · 11/25/2025 · 30m
podcasts.apple.com
November 29, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Price-fixing — collusion between businesses to raise prices — is banned in the U.S. These days, many sellers rely on learning algorithms, but it’s tough to know if they keep things fair.
Tune in to the Quanta Podcast:
Tune in to the Quanta Podcast:
Anticipating seasons may have emerged early in life’s evolution. It may have even predated the internal clocks that give an organism a sense of day and night.
Even a Single Bacterial Cell Can Sense the Seasons Changing | Quanta Magazine
Though they live only a few hours before dividing, bacteria can anticipate the approach of cold weather and prepare for it. The discovery suggests that seasonal tracking is fundamental to life.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 28, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Anticipating seasons may have emerged early in life’s evolution. It may have even predated the internal clocks that give an organism a sense of day and night.
If a universe exists with no one to observe it, does it even exist at all?
Cosmic Paradox Reveals the Awful Consequence of an Observer-Free Universe | Quanta Magazine
Encouraged by successes in understanding black holes, theoretical physicists are applying what they’ve learned to whole universes. What they’re finding has them questioning fundamental assumptions…
www.quantamagazine.org
November 28, 2025 at 7:57 PM
If a universe exists with no one to observe it, does it even exist at all?
In quantum information theory, “magic” is a property of entangled qubits that makes their state difficult to simulate on a classical computer. “It’s an appalling word,” said the physicist Martin White. But after 20 years, there’s probably no changing it now.
Particle Physicists Detect ‘Magic’ at the Large Hadron Collider | Quanta Magazine
The supercollider is now being used to explore quantum phenomena, including a “magic” form of quantum entanglement.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 28, 2025 at 7:05 PM
In quantum information theory, “magic” is a property of entangled qubits that makes their state difficult to simulate on a classical computer. “It’s an appalling word,” said the physicist Martin White. But after 20 years, there’s probably no changing it now.
Your mind’s eye exists somewhere on a sprawling continuum. Some people have visions so vivid that they are indiscernible from reality — and others cannot form mental images at all.
What Happens in a Mind That Can’t ‘See’ Mental Images | Quanta Magazine
Neuroscience research into people with aphantasia, who don’t experience mental imagery, is revealing how imagination works and demonstrating the sweeping variety in our subjective experiences.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 28, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Your mind’s eye exists somewhere on a sprawling continuum. Some people have visions so vivid that they are indiscernible from reality — and others cannot form mental images at all.
The math of infinity is now plugged into the math of computer networks
www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-bridge...
.
www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-bridge...
.
A New Bridge Links the Strange Math of Infinity to Computer Science | Quanta Magazine
Descriptive set theorists study the niche mathematics of infinity. Now, they’ve shown that their problems can be rewritten in the concrete language of algorithms.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 27, 2025 at 11:09 PM
The math of infinity is now plugged into the math of computer networks
www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-bridge...
.
www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-bridge...
.
Being hungry literally makes you see the world differently. “The photons hitting your retinas are the same, but the representation in your brain is very different.” — Christian Burgess, neuroscientist
The Brain Has a ‘Low-Power Mode’ That Blunts Our Senses | Quanta Magazine
Neuroscientists uncovered an energy-saving mode in vision-system neurons that works at the cost of being able to see fine-grained details.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 27, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Being hungry literally makes you see the world differently. “The photons hitting your retinas are the same, but the representation in your brain is very different.” — Christian Burgess, neuroscientist
In their first-ever collaboration, physicists Martin and Chris White proposed a way to detect a “magic” form of quantum entanglement. “They are identical twins [who] were moved very far apart, but are still in an entangled state,” mused a colleague. www.quantamagazine.org/particle-phy...
November 27, 2025 at 7:08 PM
In their first-ever collaboration, physicists Martin and Chris White proposed a way to detect a “magic” form of quantum entanglement. “They are identical twins [who] were moved very far apart, but are still in an entangled state,” mused a colleague. www.quantamagazine.org/particle-phy...
Thanksgiving is a day of physiological extremes. 🦃
🧵
🧵
November 27, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Thanksgiving is a day of physiological extremes. 🦃
🧵
🧵
The mathematician David Bessis believes that mathematical skill is not innate, but learned. “Genius is not an essence. It’s a state. It’s a state that you build by doing a certain job.”
Mathematical Thinking Isn’t What You Think It Is | Quanta Magazine
The mathematician David Bessis claims that everyone is capable of, and can benefit greatly from, mathematical thinking.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 27, 2025 at 4:46 PM
The mathematician David Bessis believes that mathematical skill is not innate, but learned. “Genius is not an essence. It’s a state. It’s a state that you build by doing a certain job.”
Like a kangaroo, the dinoflagellate 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘶𝘴 has a pouch. The pouch is called a phaeosome chamber, which houses symbiotic cyanobacteria (the orange cells). These cells have a free-loading roommate: an archaeal parasite.
A Cell So Minimal That It Challenges Definitions of Life | Quanta Magazine
The newly described microbe represents a world of parasitic, intercellular biodiversity only beginning to be revealed by genome sequencing.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 27, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Like a kangaroo, the dinoflagellate 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘶𝘴 has a pouch. The pouch is called a phaeosome chamber, which houses symbiotic cyanobacteria (the orange cells). These cells have a free-loading roommate: an archaeal parasite.
The mathematician Anton Bernshteyn studies infinite networks of nodes and edges. Sometimes, he goes to computer science talks, where networks are finite. One of these talks led him to discover a bridge between the two fields, which he proved in 2023.
A New Bridge Links the Strange Math of Infinity to Computer Science | Quanta Magazine
Descriptive set theorists study the niche mathematics of infinity. Now, they’ve shown that their problems can be rewritten in the concrete language of algorithms.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 26, 2025 at 11:08 PM
The mathematician Anton Bernshteyn studies infinite networks of nodes and edges. Sometimes, he goes to computer science talks, where networks are finite. One of these talks led him to discover a bridge between the two fields, which he proved in 2023.
Are you hunkering down in preparation for the cold season? Bacteria are too, as it turns out. Though they live only a few hours before dividing, bacteria can anticipate the approach of cold weather and prepare for it.
Even a Single Bacterial Cell Can Sense the Seasons Changing | Quanta Magazine
Though they live only a few hours before dividing, bacteria can anticipate the approach of cold weather and prepare for it. The discovery suggests that seasonal tracking is fundamental to life.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 26, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Are you hunkering down in preparation for the cold season? Bacteria are too, as it turns out. Though they live only a few hours before dividing, bacteria can anticipate the approach of cold weather and prepare for it.
Quantum information theory and particle physics are colliding at the Large Hadron Collider, and physicists are eager to explore the emergent field. “It’s like a gold rush right now,” said physicist Regina Demina. www.quantamagazine.org/particle-phy...
November 26, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Quantum information theory and particle physics are colliding at the Large Hadron Collider, and physicists are eager to explore the emergent field. “It’s like a gold rush right now,” said physicist Regina Demina. www.quantamagazine.org/particle-phy...
In 1936, Alan Turing conceived of hypothetical machines that could help mathematically model the process of computation. Built from just three parts, Turing machines can in principle compute the answer to any solvable problem. www.quantamagazine.org/amateur-math...
November 26, 2025 at 4:46 PM
In 1936, Alan Turing conceived of hypothetical machines that could help mathematically model the process of computation. Built from just three parts, Turing machines can in principle compute the answer to any solvable problem. www.quantamagazine.org/amateur-math...
In 1874, Georg Cantor proved that there are different sizes of infinity. This unorthodox discovery kicked off descriptive set theory, a field that works to organize and define abstract collections of mathematical objects. www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-bridge...
November 25, 2025 at 11:08 PM
In 1874, Georg Cantor proved that there are different sizes of infinity. This unorthodox discovery kicked off descriptive set theory, a field that works to organize and define abstract collections of mathematical objects. www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-bridge...
According to the microbial ecologist Puri López-García, pictured here at a salt flat in the Chilean Andes, some 25% to 50% of all bacterial cells may be parasites of other cells.
A Cell So Minimal That It Challenges Definitions of Life | Quanta Magazine
The newly described microbe represents a world of parasitic, intercellular biodiversity only beginning to be revealed by genome sequencing.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 25, 2025 at 9:04 PM
According to the microbial ecologist Puri López-García, pictured here at a salt flat in the Chilean Andes, some 25% to 50% of all bacterial cells may be parasites of other cells.
Five years ago, Natalie Wolchover asked four physicists what makes gravity different from the other four forces of nature. She got four different answers.
Why Gravity Is Not Like the Other Forces
We asked four physicists why gravity stands out among the forces of nature. We got four different answers.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Five years ago, Natalie Wolchover asked four physicists what makes gravity different from the other four forces of nature. She got four different answers.
Learning algorithms set prices on everything from Ubers to airline tickets. Recently, computer scientists discovered an unexpected way that these market tools can make things more expensive.
Tune in to the Quanta Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...
Tune in to the Quanta Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...
November 25, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Learning algorithms set prices on everything from Ubers to airline tickets. Recently, computer scientists discovered an unexpected way that these market tools can make things more expensive.
Tune in to the Quanta Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...
Tune in to the Quanta Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...
The Large Hadron Collider has a new job. It’s being used to study how information flows through quantum systems — ideas that lie at the core of quantum computing. @shalmawegs.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/particle-phy...
Particle Physicists Detect ‘Magic’ at the Large Hadron Collider | Quanta Magazine
The supercollider is now being used to explore quantum phenomena, including a “magic” form of quantum entanglement.
www.quantamagazine.org
November 25, 2025 at 3:01 PM
The Large Hadron Collider has a new job. It’s being used to study how information flows through quantum systems — ideas that lie at the core of quantum computing. @shalmawegs.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/particle-phy...