A new suggestion that complexity increases over time, not just in living organisms but in the nonliving world, promises to rewrite notions of time and evolution. In 1950 the Italian physicist Enrico ...

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 ...

As humans, we naturally seek simplicity, routine and predictability. When we see a problem, we want to be able to enact a straight-forward solution. Often, however, our problems aren’t simple, but ...

Florian Neukart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond ...