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The New Math Bridge Beyond Fermats Last Theorem

April 13, 2020April 13, 2020 NewsEditor_syndication_noshow, math, Paywall Exclude, physics, quanta magazine

When Andrew Wiles proved Fermat’s Last Theorem in the early 1990s, his proof was hailed as a monumental step forward not just for mathematicians but for all of humanity. The theorem is simplicity itself—it posits that x n + yn = zn has no positive whole-number solutions when n is greater than 2. Yet this simple claim tantalized legions of would-be provers for more than 350 years, ever since the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat jotted it down in 1637 in the margin of a copy of Diophantus’ Arithmetica. Fermat,…

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Where Did Plants Come From? This Ancient Algae Offers Clues

March 30, 2020March 30, 2020 NewsEditorBiology, Earth Science, Evolution, Nature, Paywall Exclude, quanta magazine

Around 500 million years ago—when the Earth was already a ripe 4 billion years old—the first green plants appeared on dry land. Precisely how this occurred is still one of the big mysteries of evolution. Before then, terrestrial land was home only to microbial life. The first green plants to find their way out of the water were not the soaring trees or even the little shrubs of our present world. They were most likely soft and mossy, with shallow roots and few of the adaptations they would later evolve…

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A Star’s Auroras Light the Way to a New Exoplanet

February 24, 2020February 24, 2020 NewsEditorPaywall Exclude, quanta magazine

Jupiter’s moon Io—the solar system’s most volcanic world—has inspired a new way to find distant exoplanets. As the moon orbits Jupiter, it tugs on the planet’s magnetic field, generating bright auroras in Jupiter’s atmosphere. Even if we couldn’t see Io itself, the enormous auroras, pulsing to the beat of a hidden orbiting body, would tell us that something was out there. Original story reprinted with permission from Simons Foundation whose mission is to enhance public understanding of science by covering research developments and trends in mathematics and the physical and…