Stories by Joseph Howlett

Discovered by an amateur mathematician in 2022, this strange construct can tile an infinite surface without repeating. But can it be useful in the real world?

The 2026 Fields Medals recognize breakthroughs in the math of messy fluids, tangled knots, spinning pencils, and more

What’s the secret to prompting an AI to solve math problems that have left humans stumped? Tell it to believe in itself

The signature of Sak Tahn Waax, or “White-Chested Fox,” was found inscribed in a 1,000-year-old chamber beneath present-day Guatemala

A recent study in the journal Nature carries cosmos-quaking implications for our understanding of the universe—except a new preprint says that it’s wrong

A new study claims that the universe isn’t entirely the same no matter where you look—a radical proposal

The company has been touting its quantum technology for years, but some experts say these claims just don’t pass muster

The evidence is mounting: this interstellar visitor is even older and weirder than anyone thought

Construction of the Deep Synoptic Array is about to start in rural Nevada. It will reveal untold galaxies in stunning detail and help explain how they form and grow

The M.I.T. cosmologist shares his thoughts on physics, the federal funding of science and the resilience of the scientific community

The renowned physicist on the lack of public support for political interference in science

The prolific mathematician discusses the role culture plays in understanding and appreciating science

Mikhail Verbitsky was detained at an Armenian airport last Thursday on charges of inciting terrorism

New results challenge AI’s promise for solving how fluids swirl—and suggest a more human path forward

The second batch of “First Proof” problems is meant to evaluate AI’s usefulness for research-level math. The best model got six or seven of the 10 questions basically right

Microsoft’s announcement of a new quantum computing breakthrough with its Majorana 2 chip continues a trend of bold claims followed by scant evidence

How animals use Earth’s magnetic field to navigate is one of biology’s biggest unsolved mysteries. This study proposes a totally new source for the sixth sense

Debate still swirls around the nature of “little red dots,” black holes glimpsed in the early universe by the James Webb Space Telescope. A controversial new weigh-in may settle the matter

Gold doesn’t tarnish like similar metals do. A new paper says that the key is the intricate “herringbone” pattern of its atoms.

A chatbot’s result for the 80-year-old “unit distance” conjecture is the first AI proof that would likely be published in math’s top journal if humans had done it alone

The sudden resolution of a well-known conjecture highlights the growing adoption of AI as an assistant in high-level mathematics

The intimidating legacy of the scariest problem in mathematics

Archaeologists analyzed a Neanderthal molar that seems like it was intentionally drilled, but some experts are skeptical

Several teams appeared to spend the second half of the U.S. professional basketball season losing games on purpose for a better chance at a high draft pick. New ideas propose to fix this incentive problem