Quanta Magazine – Page 4

September 10, 2016

Colliding Black Holes Tell the New Story of Stars

Just months after their discovery, gravitational waves coming from the mergers of black holes are shaking up astrophysics. The post Colliding Black Holes Tell the New Story of Stars appeared first on WIRED.

September 3, 2016

Meet the Physicist Searching for Dark Matter’s Hidden Light

The physicist Tracy Slatyer is searching for faint wisps of dark matter annihilating in the early universe—and perhaps in hiding places closer to home. The post Meet the Physicist Searching for Dark Matter’s Hidden Light appeared first on WIRED.

August 27, 2016

The Mystery of How Cancer Cells Barrel Through Your Body

The subtle mechanics of densely packed cells may help explain why some cancerous tumors stay put while others break off and spread through the body. The post The Mystery of How Cancer Cells Barrel Through Your Body appeared first on WIRED.

August 20, 2016

A Master of Umbral Moonshine Toys With String Theory

The physicist-mathematician Miranda Cheng is working to harness a mysterious connection between string theory, algebra, and number theory. The post A Master of Umbral Moonshine Toys With String Theory appeared first on WIRED.

August 12, 2016

A New Measurement Deepens the Puzzle of the Proton’s Size

A discrepancy in the measured size of the “deuteron” increases the chance that something is amiss in our understanding of atoms. The post A New Measurement Deepens the Puzzle of the Proton's Size appeared first on WIRED.

August 6, 2016

Mathematicians Are Building a Unified Theory of Geometric Randomness

Researchers have uncovered deep connections among different types of random objects, illuminating hidden geometric structures. The post Mathematicians Are Building a Unified Theory of Geometric Randomness appeared first on WIRED.

July 31, 2016

New Neutrino Anomaly Hints at a Matter-Antimatter Rift

An early sign that neutrinos behave differently than antineutrinos suggests an answer to one of the biggest questions in physics. The post New Neutrino Anomaly Hints at a Matter-Antimatter Rift appeared first on WIRED.

July 23, 2016

Mining Black Hole Collisions for Hints of the Elusive Axion

The physicist Asimina Arvanitaki is thinking up ways to search gravitational wave data for evidence of dark matter particles orbiting black holes. The post Mining Black Hole Collisions for Hints of the Elusive Axion appeared first on WIRED.

July 15, 2016

Nature’s Hidden Order Reveals Itself in a Bird’s Eye

Scientists are exploring a mysterious pattern, found in birds’ eyes, boxes of marbles and other surprising places, that is neither regular nor random. The post Nature’s Hidden Order Reveals Itself in a Bird's Eye appeared first on WIRED.

July 8, 2016

How Richard Feynman’s Famous Diagrams Almost Saved Space

Richard Feynman's famous diagrams embody a deep shift in thinking about how the universe is put together. The post How Richard Feynman’s Famous Diagrams Almost Saved Space appeared first on WIRED.