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.”
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.”
A new proof significantly strengthens a decades-old result about the ubiquity of ways to represent whole numbers as sums of fractions.
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.
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.
Crows recently demonstrated an understanding of the concept of zero. It’s only the latest evidence of animals’ talents for numerical abstraction.
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.
Researchers have finally seen how some of them bind to odor molecules—yielding new insights into one of the most mysterious and versatile senses.
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.