Jeff Cassman

In June 1978, the organizers of a large mathematics conference in Marseille, France, announced a last-minute addition to the program. During the lunch hour, the mathematician Roger Apéry would present a proof that one of the most famous numbers in mathematics — “zeta of 3,” or ζ(3), as mathematicians write it — could not be… Continue reading Rational or Not? This Basic Math Question Took Decades to Answer.

Former President Donald Trump’s election victory and looming return to the White House will likely bring changes that scale back the nation’s public health insurance programs — increasing the uninsured rate, while imposing new barriers to abortion and other reproductive care. The reverberations will be felt far beyond Washington, D.C., and could include an erosion… Continue reading Trump’s Administration Will Attack Health Care from Multiple Angles

The pair had initially accepted each other, but that was only the first step. Giger patiently waited, and then saw what he was looking for under the microscope: The bacteria had wiggled their way into the fungal spores to hitchhike to the next generation. “I had to make sure the signal was the real deal,… Continue reading Scientists Re-Create the Microbial Dance That Sparked Complex Life

The neuron, the specialized cell type that makes up much of our brains, is at the center of today’s neuroscience. Neuroscientists explain perception, memory, cognition and even consciousness itself as products of billions of these tiny neurons busily firing their tiny “spikes” of voltage inside our brain. These energetic spikes not only convey things like… Continue reading Consciousness Might Hide in Our Brain’s Electric Fields

This episode is part of “Health Equity Heroes,” an editorially independent special project that was produced with financial support from Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Rachel Feltman: According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least one in five U.S. adults in each state are categorized as, quote, unquote, “living with obesity.” But for… Continue reading The Weight Debate in Health Care

Pose a question to a Magic 8 Ball, and it’ll answer yes, no or something annoyingly indecisive. We think of it as a kid’s toy, but theoretical computer scientists employ a similar tool. They often imagine they can consult hypothetical devices called oracles that can instantly, and correctly, answer specific questions. These fanciful thought experiments… Continue reading Why Computer Scientists Consult Oracles