Mathematicians Chase Moonshine’s Shadow
Researchers are on the trail of a mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory
Stories by Erica Klarreich
A Fluid New Path in Grand Math Challenge
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
How to Make Impossible Wallpaper
A new collection of arresting wallpaper designs seems to defy the crystallographic restriction
Privacy by the Numbers: A New Approach to Safeguarding Data
A mathematical technique called “differential privacy” gives researchers access to vast repositories of personal data while meeting a high standard for privacy protection
Getting into Shapes: From Hyperbolic Geometry to Cube Complexes
A proof announced in March resolved the last of 23 questions about 3-D shapes posed in 1982 by mathematician William Thurston, marking the end of an era in the study of "three-manifolds"
