Philip Ball

Why the kinship between artificial intelligence and the human mind is terrifying.

100 years ago, a circle of physicists shook the foundation of science. It’s still trembling.

Just as I uncovered a new way to understand life, I got news about my own.

This biochemist is determined to create a new life form by reversing the shape of molecules.

Finding beauty in science is timeless. But we shouldn’t let it blind us.

The story behind the scare that an atomic bomb would ignite the atmosphere into a fireball.

What language AIs make up for in efficiency they lack in humanity.

Nick Lane is asking—and answering—the vital questions about life.

Reprinted with permission from Quanta Magazine’s Abstractions blog. Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Imagine if all our scientific theories and models told us only about averages: if the best weather forecasts could only give you the average daily amount of rain expected over the next month, or if astronomers could only predict […]

As scientists chase tantalizing hints of a new force, modern physics hangs in the balance.