Latest Articles

Particle Physicists Puzzle Over a New Duality

August 1, 2022

A hidden link has been found between two seemingly unrelated particle collision outcomes. It’s the latest example of a mysterious web of mathematical connections between disparate theories of physics.

Seeking Mathematical Truth in Counterfeit Coin Puzzles

July 29, 2022

Readers balanced logical reasoning and mathematical insights to find phony coins with a double-pan balance scale.

Neuronal Scaffolding Plays Unexpected Role in Pain

July 28, 2022

Perineuronal nets, rigid structures that hold certain neurons in place, affect a surprising amount of brain activity, including some associated with chronic pain.

Why Do We Get Old, and Can Aging Be Reversed?

July 27, 2022

Everybody gets older, but not everyone ages in the same way. In this episode, Steven Strogatz speaks with Judith Campisi and Dena Dubal, two biomedical researchers who study the aging process.

Hidden Chaos Found to Lurk in Ecosystems

July 27, 2022

New research finds that chaos plays a bigger role in population dynamics than decades of ecological data seemed to suggest.

A Question About a Rotating Line Helps Reveal What Makes Real Numbers Special

July 26, 2022

The Kakeya conjecture predicts how much room you need to point a line in every direction. In one number system after another — with one important exception — mathematicians have been proving it true.

Two Weeks In, the Webb Space Telescope Is Reshaping Astronomy

July 25, 2022

In the days after the mega-telescope started delivering data, astronomers reported new discoveries about galaxies, stars, exoplanets and even Jupiter.

How Can Infinitely Many Primes Be Infinitely Far Apart?

July 21, 2022

Mathematicians have been studying the distribution of prime numbers for thousands of years. Recent results about a curious kind of prime offer a new take on how spread out they can be.

Q&A

The Astrophysicist Who Sculpts Stars Before They Are Born

July 20, 2022

Nia Imara is working to understand the mysterious clouds of gas and dust that collapse into stars.

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