Rewriting a Quantum Rule to Fit an Expanding Universe

A kid's guide to comparing infinities; Biologists program plant roots; Monkeypox questions answered; New Quanta Podcast

Math and Science News from Quanta Magazine View this email in your browser QUANTUM GRAVITY | ALL TOPICS   Physicists Rewrite a Quantum Rule That Clashes With Our Universe By CHARLIE WOOD The past and the future are tightly linked in conventional quantum mechanics. Perhaps too tightly. A tweak to the theory could let quantum possibilities increase as space expands. Read the article QUANTIZED ACADEMY   How Big Is Infinity? By PATRICK HONNER Of all the endless questions children and mathematicians have asked about infinity, one of the most fascinating has to do with its size. Read the column Related:  How Many Numbers Exist? Infinity Proof Moves Math Closer to an Answer. By Natalie Wolchover (2021) SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY   Biologists Use Genetic Circuits to Program Plant Roots By JOANNA THOMPSON Synthetic biologists controlled the growth of plant roots for the first time. Read the blog Related:  Simple Gene Circuits Hint at How Stem Cells Find New Identities By Veronique Greenwood QUANTIZED COLUMNS   What We Know About Monkeypox By TARA C. SMITH Even though we've learned a lot about this relative of smallpox, some mysteries remain due to a lack of political will. Read the column Related:  The Animal Origins of Coronavirus and Flu By Tara C. Smith QUANTA SCIENCE PODCAST   Researchers Achieve 'Absurdly Fast' Algorithm for Network Flow Podcast hosted by SUSAN VALOT; Story by ERICA KLARREICH Computer scientists can now solve a decades-old problem in practically the time it takes to write it down. Listen to the podcast Read the article INSIGHTS PUZZLE   How Star Trek's Lieutenant Uhura Overcame Astronomical Odds By PRADEEP MUTALIK Readers rescued a Star Trek crew from a probabilistic predicament armed only with the power of mathematical reasoning. Read the puzzle solution Around the Web Blob Hunting A hot blob of gas is orbiting our galaxy's central black hole, Sagittarius A*, at nearly one third the speed of light, reports Harry Baker for Live Science. Since the first photo of SagA* was released early this year, the picture has provided new insights into how galaxies form. But it has also unveiled new puzzles. Thomas Lewton wrote about these for Quanta in August. Follow Quanta Simons Foundation 160 5th Avenue, 7th Floor New York, NY 10010 Unsubscribe | About Quanta Privacy Policy | Terms | Contact Us   Copyright © 2022 Quanta Magazine, an editorially independent division of the Simons Foundation