For many young Chinese, the two-dimensional world — or erciyuan — can feel more real than our own, three-dimensional one. An umbrella term for a wide range of Japanese-influenced media, from manga and ...

Twisting atomically thin magnetic layers does more than reshape their electronics—it can create giant, topological magnetic textures. In chromium triiodide, researchers observed skyrmion-like patterns ...

Slate’s archives are full of fascinating stories. We’re republishing this article because it remains a reader favorite. It was originally published April 12, 2017. In 2022, the author of this piece, ...