String Theory Inspires a Brilliant, Baffling New Math Proof

Plus: Why Is ice slippery?; AI protections will always have holes; Unknotting numbers on The Quanta Podcast

Math and Science News from Quanta Magazine View this email in your browser ALGEBRAIC GEOMETRY | ALL TOPICS   String Theory Inspires a Brilliant, Baffling New Math Proof By JOSEPH HOWLETT Years ago, an audacious Fields medalist outlined a sweeping program that, he claimed, could be used to resolve a major problem in algebraic geometry. Other mathematicians had their doubts. Now he says he has a proof. Read the article MATERIALS SCIENCE   Why Is Ice Slippery? A New Hypothesis Slides Into the Chat. By PAULINA ROWIŃSKA A newly proposed explanation for the slipperiness of ice has revived a centuries-long debate. Read the article ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE   Cryptographers Show That AI Protections Will Always Have Holes By PETER HALL Large language models such as ChatGPT come with filters to keep certain info from getting out. A new mathematical argument shows that systems like this can never be completely safe. Read the article THE QUANTA PODCAST   How Hard Is It to Untie a Knot? Podcast hosted by SAMIR PATEL with LEILA SLOMAN Earlier this year, two mathematicians found that a theory for how to differentiate between knots is false. In this episode, contributing writer Leila Sloman joins editor in chief Samir Patel to tell the story of how the unknotting number came unraveled. Listen (Apple) | Listen (Spotify) Read the article Follow Quanta Unsubscribe | About Quanta | My Bookmarks Privacy Policy | Terms | Contact Us   Copyright © 2025 Quanta Magazine, an editorially independent division of the Simons Foundation Simons Foundation 160 5th Avenue, 7th Floor New York, NY 10010