Dijkstra’s algorithm was long thought to be the most efficient way to find a graph’s best routes. Researchers have now proved ...

Born poor in colonial India and dead at 32, Ramanujan had fantastical, out-of-nowhere visions that continue to shape the ...

The giant holes in galaxies’ centers shouldn’t be able to merge, yet merge they do. Scientists suggest that an unusual form ...

The idea of a species is fundamental to the way that many people understand the structure of life on Earth. But ask 10 ...

Zero, which was invented late in history, is special among numbers. New studies are uncovering how the brain creates ...

A new proof about prime numbers illuminates the subtle relationship between addition and multiplication — and raises hopes ...

Terence Tao, who has been called the “Mozart of Mathematics,” wrote an essay in 2007 about the common ingredients in “good” mathematical research. In this episode, the Fields Medalist joins Steven ...

Cancer treatment has come a long way in recent decades. But finding the best course of treatment for each case of this diverse, dynamic disease remains a challenge. In this episode, co-host Steven ...

The work — the first-ever limit on how many whole numbers can be written as the sum of two cubed fractions — makes significant headway on “a recurring embarrassment for number theorists.” Erica ...