Ants Live Longer by Altering Their Insulin Responses

Plus: Quantum supremacy's hampering; Math's magic moment; Starfish biophysics

Math and Science News from Quanta Magazine View this email in your browser AGING | ALL TOPICS   Ants Live 10 Times Longer by Altering Their Insulin Responses By VIVIANE CALLIER Queen ants live far longer than genetically identical workers. Researchers are learning what their longevity secrets could mean for aging in other species. Read the article QUANTUM COMPUTING   New Algorithm Closes Quantum Supremacy Window By BEN BRUBAKER Random circuit sampling, a technique for showing the power of quantum computers, doesn't scale up if errors go unchecked. Read the blog Related:  Quantum Algorithms Struggle Against Old Foe: Clever Computers By Ariel Bleicher (2018) NUMBER THEORY   Probability and Number Theory Collide — in a Moment By LEILA SLOMAN Mathematicians are taking ideas developed to study random numbers and applying them to a broad range of categories. Read the article Related:  Mathematicians Crack a Simple but Stubborn Class of Equations By Jordana Cepelewicz (2022) Q&A   Starfish Whisperer Develops a Physical Language of Life By CHARLIE WOOD Nikta Fakhri is adapting and extending concepts from physics to describe how tiny biological components give rise to living organisms. Read the interview Around the Web Star Material By observing the oscillations of neutron stars that have merged, astronomers could determine whether their interior is squishy or solid, writes Paul Lasky for Nature. One mystery is whether neutron stars contain quark matter — a squishy goo that compresses under gravity. In 2021, Jonathan O'Callaghan reported for Quanta that neutron stars of different masses were the same size, which implies that they do not contain quark matter. Young on the Inside  Scientists are working on drugs that fight aging by killing decrepit cells that sabotage tissues, writes Amber Dance for Knowable Magazine. When old cells become "senescent," they stop dividing and secrete molecules that cause inflammation. Steven Strogatz spoke with researcher Judith Campisi about senescence and aging for Quanta's podcast "The Joy of Why" in July. Follow Quanta Simons Foundation 160 5th Avenue, 7th Floor New York, NY 10010 Unsubscribe | About Quanta Privacy Policy | Terms | Contact Us   Copyright © 2023 Quanta Magazine, an editorially independent division of the Simons Foundation