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Using mathematics to better understand cause and effect

Cause and effect. We understand this concept from an early age. Tug on a pull toy's string, and the toy follows. Naturally, things get much more complicated as a system grows, as the number of variables increases, and as ...

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Mathematics
Are ideas contagious? How the structure of human-interaction networks affects spread of both illness and information
Mathematics
Team presents new theoretical strategy for generating asymmetric distributions in probability and statistics
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How higher-order interactions can remodel the landscape of complex systems
Mathematics
Want to solve a complex problem? Applied math can help
Mathematics
A method of 'look twice, forgive once' can sustain social cooperation
Mathematics
Why do large electorates tend towards evenly split results?
Mathematics
Researchers develop precise pricing formula for perpetual American strangle options
Mathematics
Two-way mathematical 'dictionary' could connect quantum physics with number theory
Mathematics
Soft cells: Rounded tile shapes echo those found in nature
Mathematics
Mathematical modeling explores the statistical mysteries of successfully scheduling a meeting
Mathematics
Mathematicians model a puzzling breakdown in cooperative behavior
Mathematics
Different mathematical solving methods can affect how information is memorized
Mathematics
Mathematicians debunk GPS assumptions to offer improvements
Mathematics
Framework for solving parabolic partial differential equations could guide computer graphics and geometry processing
Mathematics
Generalized splitting-ring number theoretic transform
Mathematics
Cold math, hot topic: Applied theory offers new insights into sea ice thermal conductivity
Mathematics
Mathematicians unlock the secrets of ouzo's cloudy transformation
Mathematics
New research analyzes 'Finnegans Wake' for novel spacing between punctuation marks
Mathematics
Those with the biggest biases choose first, according to new math study
Mathematics
Study uses topological data analysis to identify voting deserts

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Earliest fish-trapping facility in Central America discovered in Maya lowlands
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'e-Drive': New gene drive reverses insecticide resistance in pests... then disappears
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Ryugu asteroid sample rapidly colonized by terrestrial life despite strict contamination control
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Natural substance from edible cyanobacterium could combat skin aging by enhancing collagen
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Peaches spread across North America through Indigenous networks, radiocarbon dating and document analysis show
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Oldest direct evidence of hot water activity on Mars found
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2 million mph galaxy smash-up seen in unprecedented detail
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Accessing the lesser known nucleon: New neutron measurement can help physicists learn about nucleon structure and spin
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Exploring new liquid organic hydrogen carrier materials for a safer, more transportable energy source
Evolution
Gene regulation study reports surprising results: Extensive regions of DNA belong to multiple gene switches
Earth Sciences
In Patagonia, more snow could protect glaciers from melt—but only if greenhouse gas are curbed emissions soon
Plants & Animals
Caste differentiation in ants: How a specific hormone regulates the process
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Prototype lenses can block epileptic-seizure causing wavelengths
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Improved ultrasound technique produces previously unattainable images inside live cells
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Niagara fireball event leads to discovery of tiniest known asteroid
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Next-generation, nature-inspired sunscreens have a new molecular scaffold
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Nano-patterned copper oxide sensor provides rapid ultra-low hydrogen detection
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Fossil discovery reveals giant worm lizard with snail-cracking jaws

'I had such fun!', says winner of top math prize

For Michel Talagrand, who won the Abel mathematics prize on Wednesday, math provided a fun life free from all constraints—and an escape from the eye problems he suffered as a child.

What's Pi Day all about? Math, science, pies and more

Math enthusiasts around the world, from college kids to rocket scientists, celebrate Pi Day on Thursday, which is March 14 or 3/14—the first three digits of an infinite number with many practical uses.