The Riemann Hypothesis is probably the hardest unsolved problem in all of mathematics, and one of the most important. It has to do with prime numbers - the building blocks of arithmetic. Nick Mee, together with Sir Arthur C. Clarke, tells us about the patterns hiding inside numbers.

To study a system, mathematicians begin by identifying its most crucial elements, and try to describe them in simple mathematical terms. As Phil Wilson tells us, this simplification is the essence of mathematical modelling.

The work of Donald Coxeter, who died on 31 March 2003, will continue to inspire both mathematicians and artists.

Winning the first Abel Prize just might elevate mathematician Jean-Pierre Serre to celebrity status!

As the largest experiment ever conducted on GM crops ends, environmentalists are concerned that the maths might not add up.

Mathematicians are testing a silicon chip that mimics the function of a part of the human brain concerned with memory. Is this some maths you'd rather not forget?

Scientists have for the first time measured the speed of gravity and tested Einstein's assumption - or have they?

One million dollars is waiting to be won by anyone who can solve one of the grand mathematical challenges of the 21st century. But be warned...these problems are hard. In the first of two articles, Chris Budd explains how to hit the bigtime.

Numbers are bandied around all the time in sports coverage - and cricket is particularly rich in statistics and rankings. It has probably not escaped your attention that the World Cup of cricket has just finished in South Africa (Australia won - again) and so to mark the occasion, Rob Eastaway tells Plus what it takes to be the best.

Some molecules - thalidomide, for example - come in both left and right handed versions, while others are indistinguishable from their reflections. Plus finds out about the role of mathematical symmetry in chemistry.