Fields and Abacus Medals 2026

Every four years, the math world’s preeminent awards are given to the finest minds of a generation. The young winners — all under 40 on the first day of the year — have reshaped mathematics and theoretical computer science. Here are their stories. The post Fields and Abacus Medals 2026 first appeared on Quanta Magazine

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Corals Spin Tiny Vortices to Get Oxygen, but Not if It’s Too Hot

New research is helping biologists understand how an overlooked aspect of coral physiology may affect their fate under climate change. The post Corals Spin Tiny Vortices to Get Oxygen, but Not if It’s Too Hot first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Marlowe Starling·Aug 5, 2026

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Why the Legendary Erdős Problems Are Falling to AI

AI’s greatest mathematical successes have come from answers to problems posed by a mid-20th century iconoclast. By examining what makes the Erdős problems unique, mathematicians are trying to understand how AI might change the rest of math. The post Why the Legendary Erdős Problems Are Falling to AI first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Konstantin Kakaes·Aug 3, 2026

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Is AI Reasoning Right for the Wrong Reasons?

The idea that artificial intelligence can “reason” is more intuitive than ever. But intuitions can be wrong, and the science is far from settled. The post Is AI Reasoning Right for the Wrong Reasons? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

John Pavlus·Jul 31, 2026

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Physicists Solve a Big Quantum Mystery. Now, Old Results Don’t Add Up.

New calculations seem to have put a 25-year-old particle physics puzzle to rest. But they’ve also created a clash with other experimental results. The post Physicists Solve a Big Quantum Mystery. Now, Old Results Don’t Add Up. first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Matt von Hippel·Jul 29, 2026

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A New Way That a Cow’s Inner World Shapes Earth’s Atmosphere

An organelle discovered inside a microbe inside a cow’s gut helps explain how livestock burps contribute to warming our planet. The post A New Way That a Cow’s Inner World Shapes Earth’s Atmosphere first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Marlowe Starling·Jul 27, 2026

Quanta Magazine

A Master of the Traveling Salesperson Problem Finds His Own Path

Shayan Oveis Gharan has won the Abacus Medal for using tools from across mathematics to boost the power of algorithms. The post A Master of the Traveling Salesperson Problem Finds His Own Path first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Ben Brubaker·Jul 23, 2026