We care about your data, and we'd like to use cookies to give you a smooth browsing experience. Please agree and read more about our privacy policy.
  • Physics

  • Mathematics

  • Biology

  • Computer Science

  • Topics

  • Archive

What's up in

topology

Illustration showing a human figure sitting on a large straw, gazing at different topological figures.
Quantized Columns

Topology 101: The Hole Truth

By David S. Richeson
January 26, 2021
Read Later

The relationships among the properties of flexible shapes have fascinated mathematicians for centuries.

Illustration of mathematicians descending through a cavern whose walls are lined with polynomials.
polynomials

Mathematicians Resurrect Hilbert’s 13th Problem

By Stephen Ornes
January 14, 2021
Read Later

Long considered solved, David Hilbert’s question about seventh-degree polynomials is leading researchers to a new web of mathematical connections.

2020 in Review

The Year in Math and Computer Science

By Bill Andrews
December 23, 2020
Read Later

Even as mathematicians and computer scientists proved big results in computational complexity, number theory and geometry, computers proved themselves increasingly indispensable in mathematics.

Harvard professor L. Mahadevan stands in a slightly cluttered office, holding an apple and a jar containing a miniature brain
Q&A

A Scientist Who Delights in the Mundane

By Steve Nadis
October 26, 2020
Read Later

From crumpled paper to termite mounds to three-sided coins, L. Mahadevan has turned the whole world into his laboratory.

Illustration of researchers building and writing a digital library, which helps a humanoid robot do advanced math
foundations of mathematics

Building the Mathematical Library of the Future

By Kevin Hartnett
October 1, 2020
Read Later

A small community of mathematicians is using a software program called Lean to build a new digital repository. They hope it represents the future of their field.

An abstract illustration showing broken tools, cubes, numbers and other abstract representations of impossible math
Quantized Columns

When Math Gets Impossibly Hard

By David S. Richeson
September 14, 2020
Read Later

Mathematicians have long grappled with the reality that some problems just don’t have solutions.

Q&A

Conducting the Mathematical Orchestra From the Middle

By Rachel Crowell
September 2, 2020
Read Later

Emily Riehl is rewriting the foundations of higher category theory while also working to make mathematics more inclusive.

Abstractions blog

How Physics Found a Geometric Structure for Math to Play With

By Kevin Hartnett
July 29, 2020
Read Later

Symplectic geometry is a relatively new field with implications for much of modern mathematics. Here’s what it’s all about.

Animation of different rectangles made by connecting four points on a colorful loop.
geometry

New Geometric Perspective Cracks Old Problem About Rectangles

By Kevin Hartnett
June 25, 2020
Read Later

While locked down due to COVID-19, Joshua Greene and Andrew Lobb figured out how to prove a version of the “rectangular peg problem.”


Previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • ...
  • 7
Next

The Quanta Newsletter

Get highlights of the most important news delivered to your email inbox

Recent newsletters


  • About Quanta
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Simons Foundation
All Rights Reserved © 2022