The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. David Bessis was drawn to mathematics for the same reason that many people are driven away: He didn’t understand how it worked. Unlike ...

All equals are not created equal—mathematicians sometimes play fast and loose. In programming, equal signs mean different things, and variables have different types. Turning intuitive math expertise ...

Artificial intelligence has formally verified the prizewinning proof that solved the sphere packing problem in eight dimensions, a result closely tied to Maryna Viazovska’s Fields Medal. The ...