Years ago, no math education was complete without understanding how to compute a square root. Today, you are probably just reaching for a calculator, or if you are writing a program, you’ll probably ...

Researchers have rediscovered a long-lost Babylonian hymn from 1000 BCE, using artificial intelligence to piece together fragments scattered across the world. The hymn glorifies ancient Babylon’s ...

Understanding plant root systems is vital to improving crop productivity and climate adaptation, yet their complex underground structures remain difficult to characterize. Conventional imaging methods ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. If you want to solve a tricky problem, it often helps to get organized. You might, for example, break the problem into pieces and tackle ...

The sun hangs heavy over central Iraq in late afternoon, painting the ruins of Babylon in heat and light. Dust rises from the ground in soft clouds, carrying a faint scent that seems older than time ...

Once a century, a very special day comes along. That day is today — 9/16/25. Pi Day (3/14) often comes with sweet treats; Square Root Day (4/4/16 or 5/5/25, for example) has a certain numerical rhyme.

You’re at the checkout screen after an online shopping spree, ready to enter your credit card number. You type it in and instantly see a red error message ...

Ever wondered how social media platforms decide how to fill our feeds? They use algorithms, of course, but how do these algorithms work? A series of corporate leaks over the past few years provides a ...

If you want to solve a tricky problem, it often helps to get organized. You might, for example, break the problem into pieces and tackle the easiest pieces first. But this kind of sorting has a cost.

At its peak, the Old Babylonian Empire rose to be one of the biggest civilizations the world had seen–but what was daily life like? Along with the pioneering legal code of Hammurabi, a wealth of ...

For at least 500 years, Babylonian children were tasked with memorizing a hymn that celebrated the city of Babylon, its citizenry, and chief deity Marduk. There was much to praise: the city was ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. A team of ancient literature experts have deciphered a Mesopotamain ...