Chaos theory

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.

By investigating the central role played by knots in fluids and fields, physicists hope to unravel long-standing mysteries of turbulence.

All complex correlated systems, from Arctic melt ponds to the Internet, appear to be governed by the same math as a random matrix.