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Why Math’s Final Axiom Proved So Controversial

Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory is so widely accepted that modern mathematicians hardly think about it. But believing in its core principles didn’t come easily. The post Why Math’s Final Axiom Proved So Controversial first appeared on Quanta Magazine

What Can We Gain by Losing Infinity?

Ultrafinitism, a philosophy that rejects the infinite, has long been dismissed as mathematical heresy. But it is also producing new insights in math and beyond. The post What Can We Gain by Losing Infinity? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Scientists just found a chilling way life may have begun

New experiments suggest that freezing and thawing on early Earth may have helped primitive cell-like structures grow and evolve. Tiny lipid bubbles behaved very differently depending on their membrane makeup—some fused into larger compartments and captured DNA more efficiently.

AI can simulate the dead—but should it?

Artificial intelligence is moving into one of the most intimate areas of human life: grief. Tools that can simulate a deceased person's voice, writing style, or conversational patterns are no longer science fiction. They are emerging products and technologies that promise

Europe climate report signals rising extremes

Europe endured a historic heatwave across Nordic countries, shrinking glaciers and record sea temperatures in 2025 as the fast-warming continent faces more frequent climate extremes, a new report showed Wednesday.

Radioactive imaging reveals ants' secret food networks

Researchers at the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) and the University of the Ryukyus have developed a new imaging method that makes it possible to see, in real time, how food is distributed and exchanged inside groups of ants. The work sheds light

Decades-long study finds 'stable' soil carbon degrades

After nearly four decades, the world's longest-running soil warming experiment is revealing a surprising result: even "stable" carbon in forest soils can break down as temperatures rise, releasing more CO₂ into the atmosphere. The findings are published in the journal Science

How a free flow of information can amplify incorrect ideas

The idea that information should flow freely is deeply embedded in the design of social media. The assumption is that the more information is produced and shared, the better. However, simulations by a team of scientists including University of Groningen Professor of Artificial