Mathematics

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

The solution to this month’s puzzle explains how to find a rule behind a given sequence of numbers and challenges readers to take on a ‘lovely’ unsolved problem.

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

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?

Can you infer the simple rule behind a number sequence that spikes up and down like the beating of a heart?

The solution to this month’s puzzle explains the artful mathematics behind symmetrical patterns.

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

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

Complex natural systems defy analysis using a standard mathematical toolkit, so one ecologist is throwing out the equations.