MathematicsAugust 15, 2023
Mathematicians Discover Long-Sought ‘Dedekind Number’
Researchers have found the ninth “Dedekind number” after a 32-year-long search
Stories by Leila Sloman
Leila Sloman is a math writer based in Princeton, N.J. She is a contributor to Quanta Magazine, and she creates and edits outreach content for the American Mathematical Society. She holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from Stanford University.
MathematicsApril 10, 2023
2 High School Students Have Proved the Pythagorean Theorem. Here’s What That Means
At an American Mathematical Society meeting, high school students presented a proof of the Pythagorean theorem that used trigonometry—an approach that some once considered impossible
BiologyNovember 1, 2019
Baby Jumping Spiders See Surprisingly Well
Young arachnids may see the world in as much detail as adults
The SciencesSeptember 16, 2019
New Proof Solves 80-Year-Old Irrational Number Problem
Mathematicians have finally proved a conjecture on approximating numbers with fractions
BiologySeptember 1, 2019
Birds of a Feather Flap Faster to Stay Together
Pigeons fly in groups, even though it costs them more energy
The SciencesAugust 30, 2019
Trapping the Tiniest Sound
Controlling the smallest unit of sound could have applications in quantum information
Space & PhysicsAugust 14, 2019
Earth Could Be a Lens for a Revolutionary Space Telescope
Stationed beyond the moon, the proposed “terrascope” would use our planet’s atmosphere to magnify light from distant objects
Public HealthAugust 5, 2019
Fans May Be Okay for Muggy Days—but Avoid Them in Extreme Dry Heat
New research contradicts conventional wisdom on fan use during heat waves
Space & PhysicsJuly 29, 2019
Hubble Tension Headache: Clashing Measurements Make the Universe’s Expansion a Lingering Mystery
Researchers hoped new data would resolve the most contentious question in cosmology. They were wrong
EnvironmentJuly 24, 2019
Magnet and Neuron Model Also Predicts Arctic Sea Ice Melt
The Ising model, now almost a century old, shows how natural systems can behave in related ways