6174
6174 is a very mysterious number. Yutaka Nishiyama explains why, and how beautiful mathematical oddities can inspire us to discover new mathematics.
In this issue we venture to the very extremes of human experience. We explore the life and work of Kurt Gödel, who would have turned a hundred this year, and who stunned the maths world by pinning down the limits of logic. We tremble with NASA astronaut Michael Foale, as he tells us of a space odyssey that depended on three little equations. We map out the future of life after Armageddon. And we find out what on Earth to do with a group.




