FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS | ALL TOPICS

AI Starts to Sift Through String Theory's Near-Endless Possibilities

By CHARLIE WOOD

Using machine learning, string theorists are finally showing how microscopic configurations of extra dimensions translate into sets of elementary particles — though not yet those of our universe.

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ECOLOGY

Ecologists Struggle to Get a Grip on 'Keystone Species'

By LESLEY EVANS OGDEN

More than 50 years after Bob Paine's experiment with starfish, hundreds of species have been pronounced "keystones" in their ecosystems. Has the powerful metaphor lost its mathematical meaning?

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Related:
The Quest for Simple Rules to Build a Microbial Community
By Dan Samorodnitsky

Q&A

Does AI Know What an Apple Is? She Aims to Find Out.

By JOHN PAVLUS

Are large language models intelligent? This question requires a messy blend of philosophy and semantics. Ellie Pavlick, a computer scientist at Brown University and Google Deepmind, savors the task.

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Related:
New Theory Suggests Chatbots Can Understand Text
By Anil Ananthaswamy

THE JOY OF WHY

What Does Milk Do For Babies?

Podcast hosted by STEVEN STROGATZ

Human nutrition begins with milk, but the wondrous biofluid does much more than feed babies. In this episode, co-host Steven Strogatz speaks with molecular nutritionist Elizabeth Johnson about her research into the impact of human milk on a healthy microbiome.

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TOPOLOGY

Mathematicians Marvel at 'Crazy' Cuts Through Four Dimensions

By JORDANA CEPELEWICZ

To make sense of four-dimensional spaces, mathematicians study surfaces embedded within them. A recent paper shows that these surfaces can be a lot more complicated than they seem.

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Related:
A New Agenda for Low-Dimensional Topology
By Kevin Hartnett