All Stories by Elizabeth Quill
- Cosmology
How we might finally find black holes from the cosmic dawn
After decades of study, scientists sound genuinely optimistic about the possibility of detecting primordial black holes, which might explain dark matter.
- Humans
How child soldiers heal after the trauma of war
For more than two decades, Theresa Betancourt has studied Sierra Leone’s former child soldiers. Her new book Shadows into Light tells their stories.
- Artificial Intelligence
A new book tackles AI hype – and how to spot it
In AI Snake Oil, two computer scientists set us straight on the power and limits of AI and offer advice for moving forward.
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Scientific meetings — it’s nice to see you again
Executive editor Elizabeth Quill discusses the importance of covering scientific meetings.
- Life
These science discoveries from 2022 could be game changers
Gophers that farm, the earliest known hominid, a strange hybrid monkey and the W boson's mass are among the findings awaiting more evidence.
- Computing
Huijia Lin proved that a master tool of cryptography is possible
Cryptographer Huijia Lin showed that the long-sought “indistinguishability obfuscation” is secure from data attacks.
- Science & Society
How we got from Gregor Mendel’s pea plants to modern genetics
Philosopher Yafeng Shan explains how today's understanding of inheritance emerged from a muddle of ideas at the turn of the 20th century.
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Looking back on science can refocus our attention
Special projects editor Elizabeth Quill shares her thoughts on how the history of science can help us sharpen our focus on its future.
- Cosmology
Einstein’s theory of general relativity unveiled a dynamic and bizarre cosmos
Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity foretold space-bending beasts, cosmic shock waves and mysterious forces.
- Physics
Monika Schleier-Smith leads elaborate quantum conversations
Monika Schleier-Smith forces atoms to interact in ways that could offer insights into quantum computing, precision timekeeping and perhaps black holes.
- Chemistry
150 years on, the periodic table has more stories than it has elements
The organized rows and columns of the Periodic Table hide a rich and twisting history.
- Health & Medicine
Though often forgotten, the placenta has a huge role in baby’s health
Recent research in mice suggests that a lot of early problems in the embryo may actually have roots in the placenta.
Scientists are on the hunt for black holes that could have formed before the first stars and galaxies.
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Researchers are studying how to help children and their families recover from the trauma of war.
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The authors of AI Snake Oil suggest proceeding with caution when using or implementing AI.
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This juvenile monkey being groomed by an adult female silvered leaf monkey may be a rare hybrid.
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Huijia Lin says she is drawn to “magical concepts” – seeming paradoxes that turn out to be possible.
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In 1900, Gregor Mendel’s experiments on pea plants were introduced into the study of heredity.
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Neutron stars (one illustrated) squash the mass equivalent of the sun into the size of a city.
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Monika Schleier-Smith combines persistence and clarity of vision to do impressive experimental work.
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INTRINSIC ORDER Every element on this venerated table has its own story. All together, they capture the entire repertoire of known chemistry.
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TREE OF LIFE The placenta is a fetus’s lifeline throughout pregnancy. Some problems with embryo development may actually have roots in the placenta, recent research in mice suggests.
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