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Michael Atiyah’s Imaginative State of Mind

March 3, 2016

At 86, Britain’s preeminent mathematical matchmaker is still tackling the big questions and dreaming of a union between the quantum and the gravitational forces.

Hope Rekindled for Perplexing Proof

December 21, 2015

Three years ago, a solitary mathematician released an impenetrable proof of the famous abc conjecture. At a recent conference dedicated to the work, optimism mixed with bafflement.

Landmark Algorithm Breaks 30-Year Impasse

December 14, 2015

Computer scientists are abuzz over a fast new algorithm for solving one of the central problems in the field.

Math Quartet Joins Forces on Unified Theory

December 8, 2015

A new breakthrough that bridges number theory and geometry is just the latest triumph for a close-knit group of mathematicians.

Big Data’s Mathematical Mysteries

December 3, 2015

Machine learning works spectacularly well, but mathematicians aren’t quite sure why.

‘Outsiders’ Crack 50-Year-Old Math Problem

November 24, 2015

Three computer scientists have solved a problem central to a dozen far-flung mathematical fields.

Nature’s Critical Warning System

November 18, 2015

Scientists are homing in on a warning signal that arises in complex systems like ecological food webs, the brain and the Earth’s climate. Could it help prevent future catastrophes?

Theorists Draw Closer to Perfect Coloring

October 20, 2015

A theorem for coloring a large class of “perfect” mathematical networks could ease the way for a long-sought general coloring proof.

Networks Untangle Malaria’s Deadly Shuffle

October 15, 2015

By examining regions shared between some of nature's most variable genes, malaria researchers are piecing together an understanding of a deadly parasite.

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