Qualia

The theoretical side of the field doesn’t require computing machines. But many questions would never have been posed without them.

A simple scaling law brings order to the chaos of flowing water, rock, and sediment. New findings have extended the law even further.

The idea that artificial intelligence can “reason” is more intuitive than ever. But intuitions can be wrong, and the science is far from settled.

An invisible difference in 10% of humans poses deep mysteries in several fields at once.

The idea of ‘biological agency’ — that life devises its own goals and behaves accordingly — complicates our understanding of what it means to be alive. But does it serve a scientific purpose?

Plausible answers range from 17 to — in all seriousness — 995.5.

In the 1960s, worm-training experiments and their strange implications captivated the nation. Columnist Claire L. Evans follows the neuroscientists who attempted to recapture the magic.

At 25, Kurt Gödel proved there can never be a mathematical “theory of everything.” Columnist Natalie Wolchover explores the implications.

It should be possible, but getting there will require a greater understanding of subsurface physics.