A Grad Student’s Side Project Proves a Prime Number Conjecture
Jared Duker Lichtman proved a long-standing conjecture relating prime numbers to a broad class of “primitive” sets. To his adviser, it was a “complete shock.”
Math’s ‘Oldest Problem Ever’ Gets a New Answer
A new proof significantly strengthens a decades-old result about the ubiquity of ways to represent whole numbers as sums of fractions.
Mathematicians Outwit a Hidden Number ‘Conspiracy’
Decades ago, a mathematician posed a warmup problem for difficult questions about prime numbers. It turned out to be just as difficult to solve—until now.
To Learn More Quickly, Brain Cells Break Their DNA
DNA double-strand breaks are associated with cancer and aging. A new study shows neurons can use them to quickly express genes related to learning and memory.
Animals Can Count. How Far Does Their Number Sense Go?
Crows recently demonstrated an understanding of the concept of zero. It’s only the latest evidence of animals’ talents for numerical abstraction.
DNA Has Four Bases. Some Viruses Swap in a Fifth
Dozens of viruses don’t use the same four nucleotide bases found in all other life. New work shows how this is possible—and perhaps more common than we think.
The Secret Workings of Smell Receptors, Revealed At Last
Researchers have finally seen how some of them bind to odor molecules—yielding new insights into one of the most mysterious and versatile senses.
The Brain ‘Rotates’ Memories to Save Them From New Sensations
Some groups of neurons process sensory data and memories at the same time. New work shows how the brain pivots those representations to prevent interference.