Inside the Proton, the ‘Most Complicated Thing’ Imaginable

Plus: A quantum collapse; Fibonacci surprises; Entropy-secured internet

Math and Science News from Quanta Magazine View this email in your browser MULTIMEDIA | ALL TOPICS   Inside the Proton, the 'Most Complicated Thing You Could Possibly Imagine' Story by CHARLIE WOOD; Graphics by MERRILL SHERMAN The positively charged particle at the heart of the atom is an object of unspeakable complexity, one that changes its appearance depending on how it is probed. We've attempted to connect the proton's many faces to form the most complete picture yet. Explore the visual explainer QUANTUM PHYSICS   Experiments Spell Doom for Explanation of Quantum Weirdness By PHILIP BALL If the universe is fundamentally quantum, where does our classical reality come from? One popular explanation looks to be collapsing. Read the article Related:  Physicists Rewrite a Quantum Rule That Clashes With Our Universe by Charlie Wood GEOMETRY   Mathematicians Discover the Fibonacci Numbers Hiding in Strange Spaces By LEILA SLOMAN Recent explorations of unique geometric worlds reveal perplexing patterns, including the Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio. Read the blog Related:  Mathematicians Explore Mirror Link Between Two Geometric Worlds by Kevin Hartnett (2018) Q&A   The Computer Scientist Who's Boosting Privacy on the Internet By STEVE NADIS Harry Halpin wants our internet conversations to be more private. He's helped create a new kind of network that might make it possible. Read the interview IN CASE YOU MISSED IT   The High Schooler Who Solved a Prime Number Theorem Video by EMILY BUDER, NOAH HUTTON, TAYLOR HESS & RUI BRAZ In his senior year of high school, Daniel Larsen proved a key theorem about primes, impressing prominent mathematicians. Watch the video Around the Web Bees Have a Number Line In a new study, honeybees continue to display their mathematical aptitude: They order numbers from left to right, suggesting that they have a "mental number line," Darren Incorvaia reports for Science News. In past studies, honeybees have demonstrated that they understand the concept of zero and basic arithmetic. In 2020 Susan D'Agostino interviewed biologist Scarlett Howard for Quanta about how she teaches math to bees. Do Zelda Next! Scientists taught mouse and human brain cells in a dish to play the classic video game, Pong, reports Jon Hamilton for NPR. Studying the similarities between brains and computers has inspired new, efficient computing hardware. In February Allison Whitten wrote for Quanta about an AI that runs on a brain-inspired neuromorphic chip. 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