Latest Articles
A Brazilian Wunderkind Who Calms Chaos
Artur Avila’s solutions to ubiquitous problems in chaos theory have “changed the face of the field,” earning him Brazil’s first Fields Medal.
The Musical, Magical Number Theorist
The search for artistic truth and beauty has led Manjul Bhargava to some of the most profound recent discoveries in number theory, which have helped earn him the Fields Medal.
A Fluid New Path in Grand Math Challenge
A daring speculation offers a potential way forward in one of the great unsolved problems of mathematics: the behavior of the Navier-Stokes equations for fluid flow.
Perfecting the Art of Sensible Nonsense
In a watershed moment for cryptography, computer scientists have proposed a solution to a fundamental problem called “program obfuscation.”
Together and Alone, Closing the Prime Gap
Working on the centuries-old twin primes conjecture, two solitary researchers and a massive collaboration have made enormous advances over the last six months.
The Proof in the Quantum Pudding
How do you know if a quantum computer is doing what it claims? A new protocol offers a possible solution and a boost to quantum cryptography.
Mathematicians Shed Light on Elliptic Curves
Two young mathematicians are illuminating a frontier in the study of rational solutions to polynomial equations: the cubics.
Unheralded Mathematician Bridges the Prime Gap
A virtually unknown researcher has made a great advance in one of mathematics’ oldest problems, the twin primes conjecture.
How to Make Impossible Wallpaper
A new collection of arresting wallpaper designs seems to defy the crystallographic restriction.