Math and Science News from Quanta Magazine View this email in your browser EVOLUTION   Why Sex? Biologists Find New Explanations By CHRISTIE WILCOX Why did sex evolve? Theories usually focus on the diversity of future generations, but some researchers find compelling explanations in the immediate benefits to individuals. Read the article Share Tweet Forward MOLECULAR BIOLOGY(2017)   Missing Mutations Suggest a Reason for Sex By  VERONIQUE GREENWOOD Statistics hint that severely damaging mutations should be more common in the population. Sex might help natural selection purge excessive mistakes from our genes. Read the article ABSTRACTIONS BLOG(2019)   Why Evolution Reversed These Insects' Sex Organs By JORDANA CEPELEWICZ These female insects evolved to have penises — twice. The reasons challenge common assumptions about sex. Read the blog ABSTRACTIONS BLOG   Why Are Black Holes So Bright? By  LIZ KRUESI And why is the black hole at the center of our own galaxy so dim? Read the blog Share Tweet Forward (2019)ASTROPHYSICS   Astronomers Find Black Holes Stirring Up the Biggest Galaxies By  CHARLIE WOOD Read the article ABSTRACTIONS BLOG   New Earthquake Math Predicts How Destructive They'll Be By  ROBIN GEORGE ANDREWS The "pinball" model of a slipping fault line borrows from the mathematics of avalanches. Read the blog Share Tweet Forward GEOPHYSICS(2019)   Artificial Intelligence Takes On Earthquake Prediction By ASHLEY SMART Read the article ABSTRACTIONS BLOG   John Conway Solved Mathematical Problems With His Bare Hands By  KEVIN HARTNETT The legendary mathematician, who died on April 11, was curious, colorful and one of the greatest problem-solvers of his generation. Read the blog Share Tweet Forward NUMBER THEORY(2015)   Mathematicians Chase Moonshine's Shadow By ERICA KLARREICH Read the article QUANTA SCIENCE PODCAST   Ancient DNA Yields Snapshots of Vanished Ecosystems Podcast produced by SUSAN VALOT; story by MONIQUE BROUILLETTE Surviving fragments of genetic material preserved in sediments allow metagenomics researchers to see the full diversity of past life — even microbes. Listen to the podcast Follow Quanta Simons Foundation 160 5th Avenue, 7th Floor New York, NY 10010 Unsubscribe | About Quanta Privacy Policy | Terms | Contact Us   Copyright © 2020 Quanta Magazine, an editorially independent division of Simons Foundation