What's up in

Mathematics

Latest Articles

New Proof Settles Decades-Old Bet About Connected Networks

April 18, 2025

According to mathematical legend, Peter Sarnak and Noga Alon made a bet about optimal graphs in the late 1980s. They’ve now both been proved wrong.

Q&A

Where Does Meaning Live in a Sentence? Math Might Tell Us.

April 9, 2025

The mathematician Tai-Danae Bradley is using category theory to try to understand both human and AI-generated language.

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.

Three Hundred Years Later, a Tool from Isaac Newton Gets an Update

March 24, 2025

A simple, widely used mathematical technique can finally be applied to boundlessly complex problems.

‘Once in a Century’ Proof Settles Math’s Kakeya Conjecture

March 14, 2025

The deceptively simple Kakeya conjecture has bedeviled mathematicians for 50 years. A new proof of the conjecture in three dimensions illuminates a whole crop of related problems.

Years After the Early Death of a Math Genius, Her Ideas Gain New Life

March 3, 2025

A new proof extends the work of the late Maryam Mirzakhani, cementing her legacy as a pioneer of alien mathematical realms.

After 20 Years, Math Couple Solves Major Group Theory Problem

February 19, 2025

Britta Späth has dedicated her career to proving a single, central conjecture. She’s finally succeeded, alongside her partner, Marc Cabanes.

The Largest Sofa You Can Move Around a Corner

February 14, 2025

A new proof reveals the answer to the decades-old “moving sofa” problem. It highlights how even the simplest optimization problems can have counterintuitive answers.

How Noether’s Theorem Revolutionized Physics

February 7, 2025

Emmy Noether showed that fundamental physical laws are just a consequence of simple symmetries. A century later, her insights continue to shape physics.

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