Time’s passage is non-negotiable. Its flow marks the progress of our lives, moving clearly in one direction. It is, by nature, asymmetrical. In this way, we perceive it to move like an arrow, ...

The most widely used technique for finding the largest or smallest values of a math function turns out to be a fundamentally difficult computational problem. Many aspects of modern applied research ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. In 1950 the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi was discussing the possibility of intelligent alien life with his colleagues. If alien ...

Studies of the simplest possible clocks have revealed their fundamental limitations — as well as insights into the nature of time itself. In 2013, a masters student in physics named Paul Erker went ...

The historical pursuit of creating intelligent machines has culminated in the modern era of artificial intelligence. However, the efficacy of AI applications is contingent upon a nuanced understanding ...