Stories by Rachel Crowell

Mathematicians picked the most dazzling, thought-provoking and compelling equations they know

Mathematicians are working on ways to use their field to tackle major social issues, such as social inequality and the need for gender equity

A mathematician and a musician collaborated to turn a quantum research paper into a jazz performance

A battery-free GPS may change the game for tracking elusive animals

A Q&A with Hannah Larson, a recipient of the 2024 Maryam Mirzakhani New Frontiers Prize

A trapezoid was key to discovering the elusive answer to a riddle about Möbius strips

A new study reveals why handmade fermentation vessels called onggi stand the test of time

Mathematician Abba Gumel uses calculations and models to prepare for future disease outbreaks

Mathematician Melanie Matchett Wood seeks creative ways of solving open math problems

An intriguing question about drums kicked off decades of inquiry

More than 50 years after the seeds of a vast collection of mathematical ideas called the Langlands program began to sprout, surprising new findings are emerging

For years, concerned researchers have been calling for a boycott of the 2022 International Congress of Mathematicians

The formulas describe the complex behavior of a liquid when it meets a boundary

Critics accuse the organization of opposing efforts to stamp out inequity

Efforts are underway to make space missions more accessible

A set of puzzles called Diophantine problems are often simple to state but hard to solve—though progress could have big implications for the future of mathematics

Mathematicians want to think their field is a meritocracy, but bias, harassment and exclusion persist

Just one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems named 21 years ago has been solved

A new process could help conservationists save imperiled species

New materials and coatings could make fabric inactivate or repel viral particles

A cheap, simple device that detects heavy metals could streamline testing

Scientists isolate and synthesize two compounds that can fight common, and even drug-resistant, infections 

A machine that can pump manual bag valve masks without human help could be a stopgap measure or replacement for mechanical ventilators

A new study finds observational evidence of Klein tunneling, a strange phenomenon that enables particles to pass through even the toughest barriers