Your Guide Through the Quantum World

Q uantum science is a hard nut to crack-even for the brightest physicists.But 2025 might offer a pivotal moment for raising public awareness of the field and its technological implications.The United Nations' declaration of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ) is sparking a burst of outreach activities, with 100 events (and counting) planned globally.The year was officially kicked off on February 4-5 at an inauguration ceremony held at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris (see Research News: Curtain Rises on the Year of Quantum).At the ceremony, UNESCO unveiled its IYQ mascot, Quinnie, created by Jorge Cham, aka, PHD Comics, in collaboration with us at Physics Magazine.The mascot was developed during brainstorming sessions for a series of animated cartoons, which we will release throughout the year [1].Harnessing Cham's Quinnie and her dual sister.Credit: J. Cham Quinnie surfing on a quantum wave function.Credit: J. Cham ability to explain the most complex scientific concepts through cartoons, we hope to communicate to the broadest possible audience what we know and, perhaps more importantly, what we don't know about quantum science.To us, Quinnie represents a young generation approaching quantum science with passion, ingenuity, and energy.We imagine her effortlessly surfing on quantum-mechanical wave functions and playfully engaging with the knottiest quantum ideas, from entanglement to duality.According to a worn-out quote by Richard Feynman: "If you think you understand