COSMOLOGY | ALL TOPICS

In a 'Dark Dimension,' Physicists Search for the Universe's Missing Matter

By STEVE NADIS

An idea derived from string theory suggests that dark matter is hiding in a (relatively) large extra dimension. The theory makes testable predictions that physicists are investigating now.

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THE JOY OF WHY

What Makes for 'Good' Mathematics?

Podcast hosted by STEVEN STROGATZ

Terence Tao, who has been called the "Mozart of Mathematics," wrote an essay in 2007 about the common ingredients in "good" mathematical research. In this episode, the Fields Medalist joins Steven Strogatz to revisit the topic.

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PERCEPTION

Plants Find Light Using Gaps Between Their Cells

By ASHER ELBEIN

Light changes direction when it moves through different materials. A recent study found that seedlings possess cellular mechanisms that help measure refraction, imbuing them with a sense of where light is.

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Related:
Plant Cells of Different
Species Can Swap Organelles
By Viviane Callier (2021)

ALGORITHMS

A New Limit for Some Optimization Problems

By LAKSHMI CHANDRASEKARAN

Integer linear programming can help find the answer to a variety of real-world problems. Now researchers have found a much faster way to do it.

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Related:
Computer Scientists Break Traveling Salesperson Record
By Erica Klarreich (2020)

COMPUTABILITY

How to Build an Origami Computer

By JORDANA CEPELEWICZ

What's a computer? Technically speaking, it's any machine that can perform computations. A recent proof shows that origami can serve as one such machine.

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