Can the most abstract math make the world a better place?

Plus: What crystals older than the sun reveal about the solar system; New strides made on 'lonely runner' problem; New Quanta Podcast

Math and Science News from Quanta Magazine View this email in your browser QUALIA | ALL TOPICS   Can the Most Abstract Math Make the World a Better Place? By NATALIE WOLCHOVER Applied category theorists are hoping that their new mathematics can better capture the workings of Earth's climate. Read the article ASTRONOMY   What Crystals Older Than the Sun Reveal About the Start of the Solar System By JAMES DINNEEN Microscopic crystals extracted from meteorites could help settle a debate about the birth of our patch of the Milky Way. Read the article NUMBER THEORY   New Strides Made on Deceptively Simple 'Lonely Runner' Problem By PAULINA ROWIŃSKA A straightforward conjecture about runners moving around a track turns out to be equivalent to many complex mathematical questions. Read the article THE QUANTA PODCAST   The Infinite Heist - Part 1 Podcast hosted by SAMIR PATEL with JORDANA CEPELEWICZ How did the concept of infinity make the leap from a blasphemous idea to a foundational principle of modern mathematics? In the first part of a two-part episode, we set the scene at the dawn of modern math. 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