A Wild Claim about the Powers of Pi Creates a Transcendental Mystery

Pi (π) is probably the most famous number in mathematics. Not only have experts studied it extensively, but it also fascinates amateurs: books, films and songs have been dedicated to the number. Part of its appeal may be that even though it describes the circle, one of the simplest and most symmetrical geometric objects, it… Continue reading A Wild Claim about the Powers of Pi Creates a Transcendental Mystery

Groundwater Is Declining Globally, but There Are Hopeful Exceptions

January 24, 2024 3 min read Groundwater Is Declining Globally, but There Are Hopeful Exceptions The most detailed global look at groundwater yet shows a lot of loss but also stories of success in restoring some aquifers By Stephanie Pappas Groundwater-fed irrigation of maize in Kabwe, Zambia. In 1997 Union County in southern Arkansas faced… Continue reading Groundwater Is Declining Globally, but There Are Hopeful Exceptions

TikTok Paranoia, Brought To You By the Architects of the Corona-Lockdowns

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” – Ben Franklin As of May of 2020, more than 40 million Americans had filed for unemployment. The 40 million represented one quarter of the U.S. workforce. There’s a tendency even now for people to say that… Continue reading TikTok Paranoia, Brought To You By the Architects of the Corona-Lockdowns

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New Breakthrough Brings Matrix Multiplication Closer to Ideal

That’s where Strassen’s laser method finally comes into play. “The laser method typically works very well and generally finds a good way to kill a subset of blocks to remove the overlap,” Le Gall said. After the laser has eliminated, or “burned away,” all the overlaps, you can construct the final product matrix, C. Putting… Continue reading New Breakthrough Brings Matrix Multiplication Closer to Ideal

Tiny Tweaks to Neurons Can Rewire Animal Motion

It was as if this ion channel were a dial that could twist one neuron type into the other. But what was actually different about this protein in the snake’s body and rattle? At first, the researchers thought that rattle motor neurons must have extra KV72/3 potassium channels. If the rattle neurons had more channels,… Continue reading Tiny Tweaks to Neurons Can Rewire Animal Motion

A Multitalented Scientist Seeks the Origins of Multicellularity

You did your postdoc with the zoologist Michael Akam at Cambridge. In an era when biochemistry predominates, the study of whole animals can sometimes seem like a throwback to another century. Why did you choose it? Because I wanted to take the findings in my dissertation to the next step. The dissertation examined how germ… Continue reading A Multitalented Scientist Seeks the Origins of Multicellularity

A New Agenda for Low-Dimensional Topology

Kirby has historically been a skeptic of the existence of structural biases in mathematics, including regarding the field’s gender imbalance. In the 1970s, about 10% of mathematicians were women; today almost 30% are, according to a 2020 report by the International Science Council. In an article that he wrote in the 1990s, and which was… Continue reading A New Agenda for Low-Dimensional Topology

When Classical Learning Meets Public Education, the Dialogue Isn’t Always Socratic

The future of the controversial classical education movement will be showcased later this month when Columbia University senior lecturer Roosevelt Montás is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at a national symposium hosted by Great Hearts, the biggest classical charter network. Roosevelt Montás: Signaling classical education’s effort to diversify.  Columbia U. Princeton University Press The… Continue reading When Classical Learning Meets Public Education, the Dialogue Isn’t Always Socratic

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