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OK computer

There's a romantic vision of mathematicians only needing pen and paper for their work. Here's why this is far from the truth when it comes to mathematical modelling, used to solve problems in the real world.

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AI goes to physics class

Combining AI with human knowledge of physics may lead to powerful applications in a range of areas — from weather forecasting to engineering.

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Six degrees of separation

We explore the maths that helps explain this well-known phenomenon, which says that any two people around the world are likely to be connected through a surprisingly short chain of acquaintance links.

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Stochastic spread

When a new infectious disease enters a population everything depends on who catches it — superspreaders or people with few contacts who don't pass it on.  We investigate the stochastic nature of the early stages of an outbreak.

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Boson stars: Beyond vanilla

Physicists have figured out how we might detect hypothetical boson stars. If we do, then this would count as a major step towards solving the riddle of dark matter,

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The EMS Prizes 2024: Tom Hutchcroft

Tom Hutchcroft has won a prestigious EMS Prize at the European Congress of Mathematics 2024, for work on mathematical models that can help us figure out phase transitions.

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The EMS Prizes 2024: Richard Montgomery

Richard Montgomery has won a prestigious EMS Prize at the European Congress of Mathematics 2024 for work on objects so ubiquitous in everyday life it's easy to forget they're mathematical: networks.