History: Otto Schmidt, Russian hero
He was a man of many talents, and many awards.
Otto Schmidt on a Russian stamp released in 1966. Credit: Post of the Soviet Union / Public domain If Otto Yulyevi...
Mathematics
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Amazing gravito-electromagnetism!
Exploring where maths analogies shed light on reality.
In some ways, mathematics is like literature. It has its own definitions and grammatical rules – although unfortunate...
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A formula for simulating softness
Perception is influenced by geometric properties.
US researchers say they have developed a formula for accurately simulating softness, opening the way to create more r...
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The brilliance of Venn diagrams
British mathematician also had a love for cricket.
In late July 2019, Britain’s Evening Standard newspaper reported on how soon-to-be prime minister Boris Johnson had p...
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Volume and decision-making linked by maths
Psychophysics receives much-needed experimental validation.
Time holds the key to the explanation of Weber's law. Credit: Diogo Matias, Champalimaud Foundation The time it ta...
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Solving crime with blood and maths
Pattern analysis technique will help crime scene investigators.
US researchers have developed a new way to interpret spattered bloodstains, potentially enabling police to reconstruc...
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What will it take for us to trust algorithms?
A part of life, but that sometimes makes us uncomfortable.
An algorithm is just following rules designed either directly or indirectly by a human. Credit: Shutterstock/Billion ...
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Monte Carlo may save Naples
Researchers combine stress and statistics to refine eruption risk.
Contrary to cartoon depictions, volcanoes rarely erupt more than once from the same hole. In some cases, explosive ej...
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What are the odds of beating cancer?
Trying to better predict outcomes using ‘in-game probability’.
Medical researchers in the US are developing an algorithm they hope can generate more accurate prognoses for cancer p...
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History
Huygens, the horological hero
In a period of scientific greats, a Dutchman was second to none.
In Quicksilver, the first volume of his immense three-part “Baroque Cycle” work of historical fiction, author Neal St...
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Digitally deconstructing Beethoven
Statistics & musicology combine to illuminate composer’s work.
Beethoven's music was dominated by just a few major chords, researchers suggest. That’s not a criticism; it’s their ...
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Acting success is a function of maths
Machine analysis fails to give hope to struggling performers.
Success in showbusiness, at least according to cynics and more than a few out-of-work actors, does not depend on tale...