But using Mirzakhani’s limited formula, Monk and Anantharaman saw a way to prove a relatively large spectral gap. “It looked almost like a miracle,” Anantharaman said. “It’s still quite mysterious to me that it works so well.” What if she and Monk could sharpen Mirzakhani’s formula to count the more complicated geodesics, too? Perhaps they… Continue reading Years After the Early Death of a Math Genius, Her Ideas Gain New Life
Why Can’t the Pentagon’s Army of Budget Bean Counters Shoot Straight?
Above, the “Non-Violence” knotted gun on display at the U.N. and elsewhere. It could also serve as an apt symbol of the Pentagon’s impenetrably twisted bookkeeping. By Bob Ivry and Jeremy Portnoy, RealClearInvestigationsMarch 3, 2025 To crack down on Pentagon spending, the Defense Department adopted a program in 2015 to track spending on lodging and… Continue reading Why Can’t the Pentagon’s Army of Budget Bean Counters Shoot Straight?
Why Aren’t We Losing Our Minds Over the Plastic in Our Brains?
Our brains are full of plastic. This was the fun news I read earlier this week while picking up dinner take-out, packed in plastic containers, crammed in a plastic bag and accompanied by Styrofoam cups. Great, I thought, convenience culture is killing us. But is it? This is the problem with the slew of research… Continue reading Why Aren’t We Losing Our Minds Over the Plastic in Our Brains?
This Method of Cooking a Perfect Egg Sounds Absurd, But Scientists Swear Its Worth It
February 14, 2025 3 min read How Do You Cook a Perfect Egg? Scientists Have Figured It Out Materials scientists have found a way to perfectly cook an egg white and egg yolk simultaneously By Arminda Downey-Mavromatis edited by Andrea Thompson Hard-boiling, soft-boiling or using a trendy sous vide—no matter the approach, cooking a whole… Continue reading This Method of Cooking a Perfect Egg Sounds Absurd, But Scientists Swear Its Worth It
The ‘Elegant’ Math Model That Could Help Rescue Coral Reefs
Plasticity differs from evolution because it happens within an individual’s lifetime. Understanding a polyp’s adjustments can therefore help biologists grasp the limits of adaptation in an era of unprecedented change. How quickly does coral grow? How densely can polyps pack together? What shapes do colonies assume to adapt to different environments? What’s the minimum number… Continue reading The ‘Elegant’ Math Model That Could Help Rescue Coral Reefs
The Ghost of the USS Hornet (Museum, Investigation, Paranormal, Haunting, Ghosts)
The Ghost of the USS Hornet (Museum, Investigation, Paranormal, Haunting, Ghosts) < !- end of Google Analytics Code Snippet by GA4WP–> // tabnab protection window.addEventListener(‘load’, function () { // make all links have rel=”noopener noreferrer” document.querySelectorAll(‘a[target=”_blank”]’).forEach(link => { link.setAttribute(‘rel’, ‘noopener noreferrer’); }); }); ]]> Podcast: Download MYS353: In this second part of our look at… Continue reading The Ghost of the USS Hornet (Museum, Investigation, Paranormal, Haunting, Ghosts)
The Power of American Originals
“In the US, voters just loosed a genuine bull into the china shop of the ruling class.” BACKBONE: Maverick Essays in Middle America: Why American Populism Should be Welcomed, Not Feared is a collection of short essays about America’s spine, and everything that entails. Like a backbone, this collection of short essays runs through our… Continue reading The Power of American Originals
The Hidden Costs of Men’s Social Isolation
Men are struggling—at least, that’s what many headlines suggest. Compared with women, they report having fewer and less supportive friendships. Men lag behind dramatically in achievements such as higher education attainment. Suicide rates, too, reveal a grim gender disparity: women attempt suicide more often, but men are far more likely to die by it. Concerns… Continue reading The Hidden Costs of Men’s Social Isolation
California’s Other Dodgers: Pols Exploiting a Golden Gateway to Murky ‘Behested Payments’
The smoke from fire-ravaged Los Angeles has cleared, but a thick pall clouds the funding for fire recovery efforts. While insurance companies, landowners and taxpayers will surely foot most of the bill, it is likely that money solicited by Mayor Karen Bass through a campaign finance loophole will play a role. This wildfire is in… Continue reading California’s Other Dodgers: Pols Exploiting a Golden Gateway to Murky ‘Behested Payments’
Tumors Hijack the Nervous System to Fuel Their Own Growth
Cancer arises as an enemy from within. One of the body’s own cells becomes damaged or corrupted and then multiplies to create copies of its aberrant self. The ballooning army of deviant cells may invade nearby tissues, damaging them and causing symptoms. Deepening the betrayal, the body itself becomes complicit. Blood vessels grow toward the… Continue reading Tumors Hijack the Nervous System to Fuel Their Own Growth