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Subhash Khot, Playing Unique Games in Washington Square Park

July 10, 2017

The theoretical computer scientist behind the influential Unique Games Conjecture delights in the wonders of New York’s Washington Square Park, where he ponders the impossible.

Juan Maldacena, Pondering Quantum Gravity by the Pond

June 23, 2017

One of the world’s preeminent theoretical physicists seeks a quiet place to think.

Roberto Peccei and Helen Quinn, Driving Around Stanford in a Clunky Jeep

June 15, 2017

The two physicists who introduced Peccei-Quinn symmetry came up with their idea on and around Stanford University’s campus 40 years ago.

Rainer Weiss, Remembering the Little Room in the Plywood Palace

June 15, 2017

The physicist who designed the LIGO experiment that detected gravitational waves still holes up in a small basement lab surrounded by electronics and optical instruments.

Yitang Zhang’s Santa Barbara Beach Walk

June 15, 2017

An obscure number theorist who became an overnight sensation with a major proof about the gaps between prime numbers now finds quiet inspiration walking along the Pacific Coast.

Do You Love or Hate Math and Science?

October 20, 2016

Quanta Magazine invites readers to share about their early math and science learning experiences and to explore the interactive survey results.

Nature’s Critical Warning System

November 18, 2015

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?

How Humans Evolved Supersize Brains

November 10, 2015

Scientists have begun to identify the symphony of biological triggers that powered the extraordinary expansion of the human brain.

The Woman Who Stared at Wasps

November 5, 2015

The biologist Joan Strassmann discusses cooperation in social insects, how amoebas can teach us about competition, and why the definition of “organism” needs an overhaul.

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