Langlands program
‘Amazing’ Math Bridge Extended Beyond Fermat’s Last Theorem
Mathematicians have figured out how to expand the reach of a mysterious bridge connecting two distant continents in the mathematical world.
Multimedia
What Is the Geometry of the Universe?
In our mind’s eye, the universe seems to go on forever. But using geometry we can explore a variety of three-dimensional shapes that offer alternatives to “ordinary” infinite space.
combinatorics
Decades-Old Computer Science Conjecture Solved in Two Pages
The “sensitivity” conjecture stumped many top computer scientists, yet the new proof is so simple that one researcher summed it up in a single tweet.
graph theory
A 53-Year-Old Network Coloring Conjecture Is Disproved
In just three pages, a Russian mathematician has presented a better way to color certain types of networks than many experts thought possible.
sphere packing
Out of a Magic Math Function, One Solution to Rule Them All
Mathematicians used “magic functions” to prove that two highly symmetric lattices solve a myriad of problems in eight- and 24-dimensional space.
Abel Prize
Karen Uhlenbeck, Uniter of Geometry and Analysis, Wins Abel Prize
A founder of modern geometric analysis who produced “some of the most dramatic advances in mathematics in the last 40 years,” Uhlenbeck is the first woman to be awarded this top honor.
geometry
Math Duo Maps the Infinite Terrain of Minimal Surfaces
A pair of mathematicians has built on an obscure, 30-year-old mathematical theory to show that soap-filmlike minimal surfaces appear abundantly in a wide range of shapes.
Q&A
A Collector of Math and Physics Surprises
Tadashi Tokieda discovers new physical phenomena by looking at the everyday world with the eyes of a child.
combinatorics
Mystery Math Whiz and Novelist Advance Permutation Problem
A new proof from the Australian science fiction writer Greg Egan and a 2011 proof anonymously posted online are now being hailed as significant advances on a puzzle mathematicians have been studying for at least 25 years.