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New Number Systems Seek Their Lost Primes

March 2, 2017

For centuries, mathematicians tried to solve problems by adding new values to the usual numbers. Now they’re investigating the unintended consequences of that tinkering.

Inside the Knotty World of ‘Anyon’ Particles

February 28, 2017

A new class of quantum particle is about to emerge from the tangled considerations of quantum statistics.

Physicists Uncover Geometric ‘Theory Space’

February 23, 2017

A decades-old method called the “bootstrap” is enabling new discoveries about the geometry underlying all quantum theories.

Q&A

In Mathematics, ‘You Cannot Be Lied To’

February 21, 2017

For Sylvia Serfaty, mathematics is all about truth and beauty and building scientific and human connections.

How Circadian Clocks Differ From Sleep

February 17, 2017

The circadian clock is in nearly every cell, and researchers have untangled many of its secrets. But sleep has been harder to pin down.

How to Tame Quantum Weirdness

February 16, 2017

Can balloon animals help blunt uneasy feelings about “spooky action at a distance”?

Researchers Tap a Sleep Switch in the Brain

February 14, 2017

Powerful new experiments have uncovered some of the molecular underpinnings of sleep.

The Hidden Twist to Making a Möbius Strip

February 9, 2017

The simple Möbius strip illustrates a deep mathematical challenge that has long tormented the field of symplectic geometry.

A Fight to Fix Geometry’s Foundations

February 9, 2017

When two mathematicians raised pointed questions about a classic proof that no one really understood, they ignited a years-long debate about how much could be trusted in a new kind of geometry.

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