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Exoplanet Puzzle Cracked by Jazz Musicians
A system of seven Earth-like exoplanets appeared to be unstable. Now their orbits have been rewritten in the music of the spheres.
A Simple Visual Proof of a Powerful Idea
Ramsey’s theorem predicts a surprising (and useful) consistency in the organization of graphs. Here’s a simple visual proof of how it works.
How to Use a Sphere to Talk to Mars
To avoid garbled messages, mathematicians might translate them into geometric form.
Physicists Attack Math’s $1,000,000 Question
Physicists are attempting to map the distribution of the prime numbers to the energy levels of a particular quantum system.
Yves Meyer, Wavelet Expert, Wins Abel Prize
The French mathematician was cited “for his pivotal role in the development of the mathematical theory of wavelets.”
19 Women Leading Math and Physics
Top women in mathematics and physics discuss how they got to where they are — and why there aren’t more of them.
The Almost-Proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem
19th-century mathematicians thought the “roots of unity” were the key to solving Fermat’s Last Theorem. Then they discovered a fatal flaw.
How Circadian Clocks Differ From Sleep
The circadian clock is in nearly every cell, and researchers have untangled many of its secrets. But sleep has been harder to pin down.
The Hidden Twist to Making a Möbius Strip
The simple Möbius strip illustrates a deep mathematical challenge that has long tormented the field of symplectic geometry.