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The Math of Catastrophe

September 15, 2025

Tipping points in our climate predictions are both wildly dramatic and wildly uncertain. Can mathematicians make them useful?

‘Ten Martini’ Proof Uses Number Theory to Explain Quantum Fractals

August 25, 2025

The proof, known to be so hard that a mathematician once offered 10 martinis to whoever could figure it out, connects quantum mechanics to infinitely intricate mathematical structures.

A New Geometry for Einstein’s Theory of Relativity

July 16, 2025

A team of mathematicians based in Vienna is developing tools to extend the scope of general relativity.

Epic Effort to Ground Physics in Math Opens Up the Secrets of Time

June 11, 2025

By mathematically proving how individual molecules create the complex motion of fluids, three mathematicians have illuminated why time can’t flow in reverse.

New ‘Superdiffusion’ Proof Probes the Mysterious Math of Turbulence

May 16, 2025

Turbulence is a notoriously difficult phenomenon to study. Mathematicians are now starting to untangle it at its smallest scales.

A New Proof Smooths Out the Math of Melting

March 31, 2025

A powerful mathematical technique is used to model melting ice and other phenomena. But it has long been imperiled by certain “nightmare scenarios.” A new proof has removed that obstacle.

A Tower of Conjectures That Rests Upon a Needle

September 12, 2023

On its surface, the Kakeya conjecture is a simple statement about rotating needles. But it underlies a wealth of mathematics.

New Proof Threads the Needle on a Sticky Geometry Problem

July 11, 2023

A new proof marks major progress toward solving the Kakeya conjecture, a deceptively simple question that underpins a tower of conjectures.

Computer Proof ‘Blows Up’ Centuries-Old Fluid Equations

November 16, 2022

For more than 250 years, mathematicians have wondered if the Euler equations might sometimes fail to describe a fluid’s flow. A new computer-assisted proof marks a major breakthrough in that quest.

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