Steven Strogatz explores the mysteries of knots with the mathematicians Colin Adams and Lisa Piccirillo.
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geometry
‘Monumental’ Math Proof Solves Triple Bubble Problem and More
The decades-old Sullivan’s conjecture, about the best way to minimize the surface area of a bubble cluster, was thought to be out of reach for three bubbles and up — until a new breakthrough result.
Nobel Prize
Molecule-Building Innovators Win Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The chemists Carolyn Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless were recognized for their development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.
Nobel Prize
Pioneering Quantum Physicists Win Nobel Prize in Physics
Alain Aspect, John Clauser and Anton Zeilinger have won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for groundbreaking experiments with entangled particles.
Nobel Prize
Geneticist Awarded Nobel Prize for Studies of Extinct Human Ancestors
Svante Pääbo has been awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for studying our extinct ancestors’ DNA.
synthetic biology
Biologists Use Genetic Circuits to Program Plant Roots
Using inserted genetic circuitry, synthetic biologists controlled the growth of plant roots for the first time.
Quantized Academy
How Big Is Infinity?
Of all the endless questions children and mathematicians have asked about infinity, one of the biggest has to do with its size.
quantum gravity
Physicists Rewrite a Quantum Rule That Clashes With Our Universe
The past and the future are tightly linked in conventional quantum mechanics. Perhaps too tightly. A tweak to the theory could let quantum possibilities increase as space expands.
geometry
The New Math of Wrinkling
A comprehensive mathematical framework treats wrinkling patterns as elegant solutions to geometric problems.
Puzzle
More puzzles
Insights puzzle
How Star Trek’s Lieutenant Uhura Overcame Astronomical Odds
Readers rescued a Star Trek crew from a probabilistic predicament armed only with the power of mathematical reasoning.
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Illuminating basic science and math research through public service journalism.
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