The three door problem has become a staple mathematical mindbender, but even if you know the answer, do you really understand it? Phil Wilson lets his imagination run riot in this intergalactic application of Bayes' Theorem.

Can maths help save lives by making more accurate predictions of future volcanic eruptions?

Crack codes, solve a mystery and even win prizes in the University of Southampton's National Cipher Challenge.

Has the precious cargo of the crashed Genesis mission survived to tell us about the origins of our solar system?

Visit the front-line of science at the BA Festival of Science and hear about the million dollar world of mathematical proof

Why do so many people say they hate mathematics, asks David Acheson? The truth, he says, is that most of them have never been anywhere near it, and that mathematicians could do more to change this perception - perhaps by emphasising the element of surprise that so often accompanies mathematics at its best.

Two people who get on well together can often find their relationship destabilised by the arrival of a third into their orbit.

Memory is fundamental to the way we think, and we use it in almost every activity. But most of us cannot imagine approaching the level of world record holder Hiroyuki Goto, who memorised and recited 42,195 digits of pi! Rob Eastaway asks if mere mortals can learn anything useful from such incredible feats of memory, and gives some hints on how to remember numbers.

How much evidence would you need before buying into a get rich quick scheme? Do high ice cream sales cause shark attacks? And just how likely was it that you were ever born? Andrew Stickland finds out that, when it comes to probability, our instincts can lead us seriously astray.