Quanta Science Podcast

Scientists have begun to identify the symphony of biological triggers that powered the extraordinary expansion of the human brain. The post How Humans Evolved Supersize Brains first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A newly discovered class of microbe could help to resolve one of the biggest and most controversial mysteries in evolution — how simple microbes transformed into the complex cells that produced animals, plants and fungi. The post Mongrel Microbe Tests Story of Complex Life first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A theorem for coloring a large class of “perfect” mathematical networks could ease the way for a long-sought general coloring proof. The post Theorists Draw Closer to Perfect Coloring first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Complex natural systems defy analysis using a standard mathematical toolkit, so one ecologist is throwing out the equations. The post A Twisted Path to Equation-Free Prediction first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Only a few genetic changes were enough to change an ordinary stomach bug into the bacteria responsible for the plague. The post The Mutant Genes Behind the Black Death first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A major advance in computational complexity reveals deep connections between the classes of problems that computers can — and can’t — possibly do. The post A New Map Traces the Limits of Computation first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Nima Arkani-Hamed is championing a campaign to build the world’s largest particle collider, even as he pursues a new vision of the laws of nature. The post Visions of Future Physics first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Cellular clocks are almost everywhere. Clues to how they work are coming from the places they’re not. The post How the Body’s Trillions of Clocks Keep Time first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Einstein refused to believe in the inherent unpredictability of the world. Is the subatomic world insane, or just subtle? The post Einstein’s Parable of Quantum Insanity first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A recent cryptographic breakthrough has proven difficult to put into practice. But new advances show how near-perfect computer security might be surprisingly close at hand. The post A New Design for Cryptography’s Black Box first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A new understanding of viral swarms is helping researchers predict how viruses will evolve and where disease is likely to spread. The post How Mutant Viral Swarms Spread Disease first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Did the minerals on our planet arise in a predictable fashion, or did they result from chance events? The answers could eventually help scientists identify planets likely to harbor life. The post How Life and Luck Changed Earth’s Minerals first appeared on Quanta Magazine

A new technique for finding and characterizing microbes has boosted the number of known bacteria by almost 50 percent, revealing a hidden world all around us. The post At Tiny Scales, a Giant Burst on Tree of Life first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Scientists hope that new genetic letters, created in the lab, will endow DNA with new powers. The post New Letters Added to the Genetic Alphabet first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Researchers are uncovering the hidden laws that reveal how the Internet grows, how viruses spread, and how financial bubbles burst. The post The New Laws of Explosive Networks first appeared on Quanta Magazine