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Editorial
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A risky business: how to price derivativesIn the light of recent events, it may appear that attempting to model the behaviour of financial markets is an impossible task. However, there are mathematical models of financial processes that, when applied correctly, have proved remarkably effective. Angus Brown looks at one of these, a simple model for option pricing, and explains how it takes us on the road to the famous Black-Scholes equation of financial mathematics, which won its discoverers the 1997 Nobel Prize in Economics.
Sun
A new kind of singing starThe Sun is no longer singing solo and is now part of a stellar choir
butterfly
Born from broken symmetryThe 2008 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded.
foam
Swimming in mathematicsThe mathematics of foam coats Olympic swimming venue
Outer space: Pretty mean pricesHow to keep inflation down
Understanding uncertainty: How long will you live?

Well, no-one knows exactly, but using stats you can make a good guess. This article tells you how and has an interactive life expectancy calculator. Do you dare to find out?
Editorial

Election issues
Kissing the frog: A mathematician's guide to matingWhat's your strategy for love? Hold out for The One, or try and avoid the bad ones? How long should you wait before cutting your losses and settling down with whoever comes along next? John Billingham investigates and saves the national grid in the process.
Mathematics and democracy: Approving a presidentMuch criticism has been levelled at the US voting system, and with this being election year, we're bound to hear more of it. In this article Steven J. Brams proposes an alternative voting system that could help make things more democratic.
Digital artComputer-generated art is on the rise, and with it comes a further blurring of the boundaries between maths and art. Lewis Dartnell looks at some stunning examples.
The fabulous positional systemAccording to one mathematician, god created the whole numbers, with everything else being the work of humanity. Why, then did god not equip us with a good way of writing them down? Chris Hollings reveals that our number system, much used but rarely praised, is in fact a work of genius and took millennia to evolve.