For decades, astronomers treated the interstellar medium as a static backdrop to the goings-on of the universe. Now, a wave ...

A new topological model connects a centuries-old voting paradox to a surface with no distinct inside or outside.

To invade red blood cells, the deadly protists create temporary molecular portals that disappear behind them — doors we can now see in fine detail. Click to tell Google to prioritize Quanta and see ...

Winning entries in the 2026 Nikon Small World competitions reveal the hidden interactions that govern everyday life.

Unlike other recent AI proofs, this one has been unpacked by human experts. The implications, one mathematician said, are ...

Steven Strogatz is a professor of mathematics at Cornell University, where he is the inaugural Susan and Barton Winokur Distinguished Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Mathematics.

Moritz Hardt, author of a new book on benchmarks, believes these “standardized tests” for artificial intelligence are fundamentally broken — but not unfixable. Click to tell Google to prioritize ...

Max G. Levy is a science journalist based in Los Angeles. He has written for WIRED, TED-Ed, Smithsonian and elsewhere. Max is a cofounding writer of Sequencer, an independent magazine and newsletter.

A straightforward conjecture about runners moving around a track turns out to be equivalent to many complex mathematical questions. Three new proofs mark the first significant progress on the problem ...