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Neutrinos Lead to Unexpected Discovery in Basic Math
Three physicists stumbled across an unexpected relationship between some of the most ubiquitous objects in math.
The post Neutrinos Lead to Unexpecte…
5 years, 3 months ago
Machines Beat Humans on a Reading Test. But Do They Understand?
A tool known as BERT can now beat humans on advanced reading-comprehension tests. But it's also revealed how far AI has to go.
The post Machines Beat…
5 years, 3 months ago
How Jurassic Plankton Stole Control of the Ocean’s Chemistry
Only 170 million years ago, new plankton evolved. Their demand for carbon and calcium permanently transformed the seas as homes for life.
The post Ho…
5 years, 4 months ago
To Pay Attention, the Brain Uses Filters, Not a Spotlight
A brain circuit that suppresses distracting sensory information holds important clues about attention and other cognitive processes.
The post To Pay …
5 years, 4 months ago
Fossil DNA Reveals New Twists in Modern Human Origins
Modern humans and more ancient hominins interbred many times throughout Eurasia and Africa, and the genetic flow went both ways.
The post Fossil DNA …
5 years, 5 months ago
For Embryo's Cells, Size Can Determine Fate
Modeling suggests that many embryonic cells commit to a developmental fate when they become too small to divide unevenly anymore.
The post For Embryo…
5 years, 5 months ago
Scientists Debate the Origin of Cell Types in the First Animals
Theories about how animals became multicellular are shifting as researchers find greater complexity in our single-celled ancestors.
The post Scientis…
5 years, 5 months ago
Wandering Space Rocks Help Solve Mysteries of Planet Formation
After an interstellar asteroid shot past the sun, scientists realized that there’s probably a lot of itinerant rocks out there.
The post Wandering Sp…
5 years, 6 months ago
Random Surfaces Hide an Intricate Order
Mathematicians have proved that a random process applied to a random surface will yield consistent patterns.
The post Random Surfaces Hide an Intrica…
5 years, 6 months ago
Where We See Shapes, AI Sees Textures
To researchers’ surprise, deep learning vision algorithms often fail at classifying images because they mostly take cues from textures, not shapes.
T…
5 years, 7 months ago