Alle afleveringen
100 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Chris Budd: Did AI prove the Navier-Stokes Millennium Problem?
3 november 2026 · 31 min
Recently, Open AI announced that one of their systems had proved one of the hardest maths problems in the world – the Navier-Stokes Millennium Problem, which comes with a million dollar reward. Naturally it has shaken the maths world, but there’s still a lot of confusion about what has actually been proved and how. To get to the bottom of it, we knew exactly who to ask: Chris Budd OBE, a Professor at the University of Bath and long-time Plus collaborator. Chris has worked on the Navier-Stokes equations and currently co-leads the Maths for Deep Learning research project and he tells us what it has been like on the mathematical/AI frontline. Lees meer
This is a rapidly developing area – since recording this podcast it has been established that the Open AI result does not apply to the Navier-Stokes equations in full generality (i.e. without forcing). We are continuing to follow developments and will be sharing updates as more information is released. In fact, we will have a number of other episodes in this podcast series about AI and maths, so make sure you are following for more!
You might also like:
An article on Navier-Stokes and AI
A quick overview of the Navier-Stokes equations
A collection of articles and podcasts on AI and mathematical proof
All of our work with Chris on maths and deep learning
Maths on the Move, is the podcast from plus.maths.org. We speak to researchers from the frontiers of mathematical science so you can connect with the maths that shapes and explains our world. Hosted by Plus editors Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger.
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Joe Hilton: Striking the balance with health economics
1 september 2026 · 27 min
Should a life-saving, but expensive, cancer drug be made available on the NHS even though it only benefits very few people? Or should the money be allocated to drugs that lower blood pressure, which help vast swathes of the population? For the final episode of this season, we spoke to Joe Hilton, a health economist, to understand more about how difficult decisions like this one are made. Lees meer
Joe is a research fellow in mathematical modelling at the Manchester Centre for Health Economics and a 2025 JUNIPER Fellow. JUNIPER is a network of researchers across the UK working to prepare the country for the public health challenges of the future. We spoke to Joe at JUNIPER’s annual meeting to understand more about the role of maths and economics in healthcare. He also talked us through his path into this job and what it was like going into research into health policy in 2020 at the very start of the pandemic!
To find out more about the mathematics of health, you might enjoy:
This article about about how mathematical models are used in epidemiology
An exploration of how you can use maths to understand disease spread in a hospital
Another podcast on how modellers work between maths and medicine
Maths on the Move, is the podcast from plus.maths.org. We speak to researchers from the frontiers of mathematical science so you can connect with the maths that shapes and explains our world. Hosted by Plus editors Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger.
This podcast is part of our collaboration with JUNIPER, the Joint UNIversities Pandemic and Epidemiological Research network. JUNIPER is a collaborative network of researchers from across the UK who work at the interface between mathematical modelling, infectious disease control and public health policy. You can see more content produced with JUNIPER here.
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Meet a Mathematical Family
25 augustus 2026 · 27 min
“He asked me this question because I'm his sister and he loves me.” Lees meer
Mathematics can often be seen as a solitary endeavour, but as this quote from one of our latest podcast guests show, that is far from the truth. In this episode, we learn how a new proof has developed from one young mathematician talking to his sister – and then collaborating with their father and close family friend. We spoke to Roman Sauer and Uri Bader – and Uri’s two children Saar and Shaked – after they had attended a residential research programme at the Isaac Newton Institute where they had worked together and proved a rigidity result around symmetries and group theory. We spoke to all four of them to understand the result, what it was like working together, and how they each got into maths.
Please note, this episode includes more technical mathematical descriptions than is standard for our podcasts so you may want a strong cup of coffee before you dive in!
To find out more about the maths discussed in this episode, you might like:
An introduction to group theory
A very short overview of symmetry and groups
A podcast on group theory
Maths on the Move, is the podcast from plus.maths.org. We speak to researchers from the frontiers of mathematical science so you can connect with the maths that shapes and explains our world. Hosted by Plus editors Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger.
This podcast forms part of our collaboration with the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) – you can find all the content from the collaboration here.
The INI is an international research centre and our neighbour here on the University of Cambridge's maths campus. It attracts leading mathematical scientists from all over the world, and is open to all. Visit www.newton.ac.uk to find out more.
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Ramin Zabih: Welcome to the ArXiv
18 augustus 2026 · 22 min
In this episode, we meet the CEO of one of the most important institutions in mathematics - arXiV. Around since 1991, the website is a publicly accessible home for mathematical research before it is officially published in journals. Around 1,000 articles are published on arXiv every day — it has hosted everything from the proof of the Poincaré Conjecture to some of the newest research from AI companies like DeepSeek and Gemini. Lees meer
We spoke to Ramin Zabih, a Professor at Cornell Tech and Interim Chief Executive Officer at ArXiv, about the organisation and how it supports the very best of mathematical research. Ramin explains why early access is so important, the site’s role in making maths more robust, and why arXiv can publish things that journals can’t. Particularly importantly, he talks about the impact of AI on arXiv’s work.
To learn more:
Watch a recording of Ramin speaking at the INI
What is the Poincaré conjecture?
Another approach to the current state of artificial intelligence in mathematics
All of our content on artificial intelligence
Maths on the Move, is the podcast from plus.maths.org. We speak to researchers from the frontiers of mathematical science so you can connect with the maths that shapes and explains our world. Hosted by Plus editors Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger.
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James Fergusson: AI and data intensive science
11 augustus 2026 · 22 min
What is the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in scientific research? In this episode, Cambridge Professor James Fergusson talks about some cutting-edge research which addresses this question. James is Director of the Infosys-Cambridge AI Centre, an innovative partnership between traditional academia and industry. James showed us how AI is quickly becoming the most effective tool for some kinds of data analysis, and even highlighted successful experiments he ran using AI to write research papers. Lees meer
James is also Executive Director of the University of Cambridge's new Master's programme in Data Intensive Science, which is training up the next leaders in the field. He talked us through the programme’s benefits, the institutional approach to AI and the best ways to advance the field.
If you'd like to find out more, you might be interested in:
An introduction to artificial intelligence
Are we entering the 'centaur-stage' of maths and AI?
All of our content on AI
Maths on the Move, is the podcast from plus.maths.org. We speak to researchers from the frontiers of mathematical science so you can connect with the maths that shapes and explains our world. Hosted by Plus editors Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger.
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Ulrich Sperhake and Seppe Staelens: Boson stars
4 augustus 2026 · 42 min
Welcome to the latest episode of Maths on the Move! In this episode we spoke to Cambridge Professor of Theoretical Physics Ulrich Sperhake and his graduate student, Seppe Staelens, about boson stars: hypothetical objects that might be masquerading as black holes. Lees meer
Our conversation with Ulrich and Seppe marked the tenth anniversary of the first detection of gravitational waves. As Ulrich explained back then, gravitational waves "opened our ears to the Universe in a waveband in which we have been 100% deaf up to now" and they also help us understand black holes and boson stars. In this podcast Seppe and Uli explain more, taking us to the frontiers of current research..
To find out more about the topics discussed in this podcast, you might like:
A short explainer of gravitational waves
Gravitational waves reveal cosmic hum: another podcast with Ulrich
Dark stars: an article on gravitational waves and boson stars
Maths on the Move, is the podcast from plus.maths.org. We speak to researchers from the frontiers of mathematical science so you can connect with the maths that shapes and explains our world. Hosted by Plus editors Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger.
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Holly Krieger: The dynamics of numbers
28 juli 2026 · 28 min
Plus is based at the Maths Faculty at the University of Cambridge so we have lots of opportunities to talk to interesting mathematicians about their work and their working lives. This week we speak to Holly Krieger, who is a professor here in a podcast that we originally produced for the Maths Faculty. Lees meer
Holly works in the overlap of two areas of mathematics: number theory – which is famous for problems such as Fermat's Last Theorem – and complex dynamics, which gives rise to beautiful fractals. This intersection is known as arithmetic dynamics and it's an exciting, relatively young area of research. Holly's work has been very successful, being awarded several prestigious prizes. And she is also known for her appearances on the Numberphile channel where she has shared the beauty of maths in a range of areas, from centrifuge to the Mandelbrot set.
Holly told us about how she came to her current research, the benefits of a career in maths, advice for younger mathematicians, and her appearances on Numberphile.
Find out more about:
Holly's work
Number theory
Fermat's Last Theorem
Mandelbrot set
Holly's appearances on Numberphile
Maths on the Move, is the podcast from plus.maths.org. We speak to researchers from the frontiers of mathematical science so you can connect with the maths that shapes and explains our world. Hosted by Plus editors Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger.
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Hannah Fry wins Leelavati Prize!
23 juli 2026 · 27 min
Hannah Fry, Cambridge's first Professor of the Public Understanding of Mathematics, has been awarded the Leelavati Prize at this year's International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM). The Leelavati Prize is awarded every four years by the International Mathematical Union and Infosys for outstanding contributions for increasing public awareness of mathematics. Lees meer
We talked to Hannah in the run-up to the ICM about how she feels about being awarded the prize, the role of mathematics in culture, and her favourite experience as a maths communicator.
As Hannah puts it, "I feel as though there are these wonderful secrets that are completely invisible to almost everybody in the world who are mathematicians and it doesn’t make sense to me we would keep them to ourselves — I feel as though I have this really good bit of gossip that I just want to share."
To hear Hannah talk about her favourite mathematical moment, which is mentioned in this episode, see this podcast recorded when she became Professor of the Public Understanding of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge.
You can see the part of Hannah Fry's RI Christmas lecture mentioned in this podcast on YouTube.
The photo of Hannah is courtesy of the Simons Foundation.
Maths on the Move, is the podcast from plus.maths.org. We speak to researchers from the frontiers of mathematical science so you can connect with the maths that shapes and explains our world. Hosted by Plus editors Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger.
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Julian Sahasrabudhe: The ICM 2026
14 juli 2026 · 25 min
We are continuing our conversations with mathematician colleagues at the University of Cambridge, part of the podcast we produce for the Maths Faculty here. Today we meet Julian Sahasrabudhe, Professor of Mathematics, and one of the invited speakers at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in July this year. Lees meer
The ICM is one of the biggest events in the mathematics world and is the host of several prizes, including the prestigious Fields Medal. Only mathematicians at the very forefront of research are invited to speak, so we were very excited to learn more about Julian's work.
We spoke to him about his path into mathematics, from his childhood dreams to his early career as a drummer, before he finally settled on maths. Julian also gave us a brief introduction to his work in the field of combinatorics and how it offers partnerships with other areas of maths.
The podcast mentions Maryna Viazovska, who won a Fields Medal in 2022. Julian discusses the link between Ramsey theory and her work on sphere packing, as in the image below (courtesy Greg A L, CC BY-SA 3.0).
Find out more about:
Julian's work and its connections to sphere packings
Combinatorics
Other Cambridge mathematicians invited to speak at the 2026 ICM
The 2022 ICM
Maths on the Move, is the podcast from plus.maths.org. We speak to researchers from the frontiers of mathematical science so you can connect with the maths that shapes and explains our world. Hosted by Plus editors Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger.
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Richard Samworth: The ICM 2026
7 juli 2026 · 23 min
We are very lucky to be based at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge. To start our latest podcast season we bring you a series of conversations with our mathematician colleagues, part of the podcast we produce for the Maths Faculty here. Lees meer
In our first podcast we meet Richard Samworth, Professor of Statistical Science and Director of the Statistical Laboratory. We spoke to him in the run up to the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), one of the biggest dates in the mathematical calendar, where the most prestigious prizes in maths, including the Fields Medals, are awarded. Held every four years, the ICM features the world's leaders in the field and celebrates the diversity of today’s mathematics. Only mathematicians whose work is of the highest international standard are invited to speak at the week-long event, and Richard is one of the invited speakers at the ICM this July!
Richard's contributions to statistics have been recognised with numerous honours and awards. In 2025, he won two prestigious prizes in the space of 24 hours – the David Cox Medal for Statistics and the Guy Medal in Silver.
We talked to Richard to find out more about the work he will be speaking about at the ICM, how his field of statistics is simultaneously very theoretical and very applied, and what he most values about being part of the mathematical community here in Cambridge.
Find out more about:
Richard's work
Other Cambridge mathematicians invited to speak at the 2026 ICM
The 2022 ICM
The history of the ICM
Maths on the Move, is the podcast from plus.maths.org. We speak to researchers from the frontiers of mathematical science so you can connect with the maths that shapes and explains our world. Hosted by Plus editors Rachel Thomas and Marianne Freiberger.
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Living Proof: Building digital hearts
20 november 2025 · 29 min
Imagine if your doctor had a digital model of your heart, personalised to you and updated with your latest medical information. This isn't science fiction – this revolutionary healthcare is being tested now. In this podcast we speak to Steven Niederer, who leads the CVDNet project developing and testing these ideas, and his colleague Richard Wilkinson, from the University of Nottingham. Lees meer
Richard is one of the organisers of the long research programme, Representing, calibrating & leveraging prediction uncertainty from statistics to machine learning (RCL), held earlier this year at the Isaac Newton Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (INI).
We first spoke to Steven back in 2019 when he helped organise the Fickle Heart programme at the INI. In this podcast, Richard and Steven tell us about digital twins, digital hearts, and how the RCL programme and CVDNet build on the work started back in 2019 with the Fickle Heart programme.
You can find out more about some of the ideas discussed in this podcast in these short introductions:
Maths in a Minute: Mathematical models
Maths in a Minute: Differential equations
Maths in Minute: Machine learning
This content was produced as part of our collaborations with the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) and the Newton Gateway to Mathematics.
The INI is an international research centre and our neighbour here on the University of Cambridge's maths campus. The Newton Gateway is the impact initiative of the INI, which engages with users of mathematics. You can find all the content from the collaboration here.
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Living Proof: Céline Broeckaert and Frank Verstraete
12 november 2025 · 27 min
"I have learnt that even if you are not a master in mathematics and science you are still able to grasp the essence." Lees meer
This is Céline Broeckaert talking, believe it or not, about the famously difficult theory of quantum mechanics. Céline knows what she's talking about. She's not a physicist, in fact she's a Romance languages scholar, author and playwright. Yet she's written a book about quantum mechanics together with her physicist husband Frank Verstraete, Leigh Trapnell Professor of Quantum Physics at the University of Cambridge. The book is called Why Nobody Understands Quantum Physics - and everyone needs to know something about it. And it's good timing: quantum mechanics celebrates its 100th birthday this year.
In this episode of Living Proof we talk to Céline and Frank about the book, what it was like writing it, and what their different backgrounds brought to the project.
We met Céline and Frank at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Cambridge, where Frank is co-organising the research programme Quantum field theory with boundaries, impurities, and defects.
For a brief introduction to quantum mechanics see A ridiculously short introduction to some very basic quantum mechanics. To find out more about the overlap of maths and art, see here.
This content forms part of our collaboration with the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) – you can find all the content from the collaboration here.
The INI is an international research centre and our neighbour here on the University of Cambridge's maths campus. It attracts leading mathematical scientists from all over the world, and is open to all. Visit www.newton.ac.uk to find out more.
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Adventures in Model Land
5 november 2025 · 29 min
You are blue, and are surrounded by other blue people: swirling together in a dot, identical and indistinguishable. From somewhere above you hear the ticking of a clock, and suddenly find yourself and some of your fellows pulled upwards, sucked through a tube arcing high above... Lees meer
Intrigued? That is a description of one of Jess Enright's adventures in her mathematical models. This is an exciting new approach that researchers are using to invite people into the worlds of their models, both to communicate their research to the people outside of academia, but also for the researchers themselves to reflect on what aspects of reality these models actually do, and don't, describe.
These adventures in model land build on the work of Erica Thompson in her book, Escape from Model Land: how mathematical models can lead us astray and what we can do about it. Any mathematical description of a process in the world around us is a mathematical model: whether it's describing the processes in our climate, the spread of a disease through a population or the movement of water across a landscape. They are incredibly useful and key to research in modern mathematics and science. But these mathematical models are, by necessity, simplifications of the real world.
Erica's book inspired geoscientist Chris Skinner to use principles of role-playing games to explore and communicate mathematical models. And this approach was a perfect fit with Jess' experience building board games to communicate her research - we event get to play some in this podcast at the huge UK Games Expo in Birmingham earlier this year!
Jess Enright, along with Emma Gort Tarrus, in action at the UK Games Expo in Birmingham earlier in 2025. (Photo: Rachel Thomas)
In this podcast we talk to Jess (a reader in the school of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow and member of the JUNIPER partnership of disease modellers from across the UK), Chris (an independent geoscientist and researcher and a visiting fellow at…
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Living Proof: Kevin Buzzard and proof assistants
29 oktober 2025 · 37 min
There's been a lot of talk recently about whether artificial intelligence is becoming just as good as maths as humans are. But quietly in the background there's been another development regarding the use of computers in maths. It involves proof assistants: computer programmes that can check whether a mathematical proof is correct; whether it can be derived from a set of basic axioms of mathematics using only the rules of logic. Lees meer
In this episode of Living proof we meet Kevin Buzzard, an expert on proof assistants at University College London. Kevin explains what proof assistants are, how using them is like playing a computer game, and why they turn maths into a highly collaborative pursuit. He also tells us about his effort to get a proof assistant to check one of the most famous results in all of mathematics — Fermat's Last Theorem — and how proof assistants and AI may team up to provide a powerful tool.
We met Kevin in the summer when he was taking part in a research programme called Big Proof at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) in Cambridge. This programme, which attracted some of the best minds in modern mathematics, followed on from a pioneering workshop on the same topic which took place at the INI in 2017.
To find out more about the topics mentioned in this podcast, see the following articles:
Proof assistants — This two part article, written by our brilliant summer intern Ben Watkins, is based on the interview with Kevin Buzzard and explores what proof assistants are.
Maths in a Minute: Coding with Lean — Here's a simple walk-through of how to use a proof assitant called Lean.
Pure maths in crisis? — In this article from 2019 Kevin Buzzard explains why he thinks that the standard of proof in research maths might not be as high as mathematicians would like to believe.
How to (im)prove mathematics — This article explores how the simple notion of counting ends in a revolutionary new way of doing maths using proof assistants. This…
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Living Proof: Moustapha Fall
22 oktober 2025 · 25 min
In this episode of the Living Proof podcast we're delighted to meet Moustapha Fall. Moustapha is the Center President of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Senegal and winner of a prestigious Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians from Developing Countries. He also plays an important role on the international stage as Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee of the International Mathematical Union. Lees meer
Moustapha talks to us about about the amazing institution that is AIMS, about his outreach activities and advice for budding mathematicians, and about the challenges that face mathematicians in sub-Saharan Africa.
You can find the IMU-ICIAM report on fraudulent publishing, which Moustapha mentions in the podcast, here. The same team of authors has also drawn up recommendations on how to fight fraudulent publishing.
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Living proof: Codina Cotar and some amazing mathematical art
15 oktober 2025 · 23 min
Earlier this year the the anomalous mathematical patterns sci-art competition attracted some jaw-dropping entries. The competition was held in connection to the Stochastic systems for anomalous diffusion research programme which took place at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) in Cambridge last year. Lees meer
In this episode of Maths on the Move we talk to Codina Cotar, who co-organised the INI programme and helped put on the competition. Codina explains the maths which served as inspiration and discusses some of the winning entries. From coffee to quantum mechanics and from dance to diffusion, find out how mathematics, nature and art are inextricably linked.
Note that the in-person exhibition at the INI is now scheduled for March 2026.
The entries discusses in this podcast are shown below. To find out more about some of the mathematical topics mentioned in this podcast see:
The Sci-art competition - This article explores some of the mathematics behind the competition, including randomness, diffusion, and many particle systems.
The Fields Medals 2022: Maryna Viazovska - This article looks at the mathematics of sphere packings, which won a Fields Medal for the mathematician Maryna Viazovska.
Maths in a Minute: Fluid dynamics - A very bried introduction to the mathematics of liquids and gases.
A ridiculously short introduction to some very basic quantum mechanics - This article does what the title suggests.
A brief history of quantum field theory - A deeper look at the theory that arose from quantum mechanics.
Dye Diffusion in Water by Henrique Biasi. Find out more here.
A microcosm of milk by Christian Casaljay. Find out more here.
Work by Lilia Bakanova, which which won the category for textile, sculpture and other medium. Find out more here.
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Topological data analysis with Michael Hill
8 oktober 2025 · 23 min
The mathematical area of topology is all about figuring out what truly defines a shape. Famously, topologists consider a coffee cup to be the same as a doughnut because one can be turned into the other without cutting or gluing — what defines and relates these two shapes for a topologist is that they have a single hole. Lees meer
As you might imagine, if you have ever tried to drink coffee out of a doughnut, topology has traditionally been part of pure mathematics. Topological data analysis (TDA), however, opens up a world of applications by applying ideas from topology to vast data sets, helping us to understand their "shape" and draw out important features.
In this episode of Maths on the Move we talk to algebraic topologist Michael Hill about some of the fascinating uses of topological data analysis — from understanding breast cancer to making sure that voting is fair.
We talked to Michael after he gave a brilliant Rothschild lecture at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) in Cambridge. He was at the INI to attend the research programme Equivariant homotopy theory in context.
To find out more about the topics mentioned in this podcast see:
Maths in a minute: Topology — a quick introduction to topology.
Understanding life with topology — a quick introduction to TDA and some of its uses.
Euromaths: Heather Harrington — An episode of our Maths on the move podcast giving and introduction to topological data analysis.
Watch Mike Hill's Rothschild lecture at the INI.
Topology based data analysis identifies a subgroup of breast cancers with a unique mutational profile and excellent survival - The paper by Nicolau, Levine and Carlesson, mentioned by Michael in the podcast, which uses TDA to identify a novel type of breast cancer.
The Data and Democracy Lab — mentioned by Mike in the podcast.
Also, here is an image illustrating the intuition behind topological data analysis. As discs drawn around a bunch of points arranged in a circle increase in r…
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David Tong and 100 years of quantum mechanics
1 oktober 2025 · 32 min
Welcome to the new season of the Maths on the Move podcast! Lees meer
We start the season with theoretical physicist David Tong of the University of Cambridge looking at an important milestone in the history of physics: the 100th birthday of quantum mechanics which we celebrate this year. David tells us why a new theory was needed, which of the many strange aspects of quantum mechanics is, in his opinion, the most significant, and that Erwin Schrödinger had a tendency to be grumpy.
David also tells us how quantum mechanics links to quantum field theory, the language in which all of modern physics is formulated, and reveals some mysterious connections between very different areas of physics — such as the theory of black holes and fluid mechanics. Join us in a wavy dance from the very small to the very large!
For some background and further reading and viewing see:
David Tong's series of text books
A ridiculously short introduction to some very basic quantum mechanics
A brief history of quantum field theory
Heisenberg's uncertainty principle
Maths in a Minute: Black holes
What is general relativity? Plus asks David Tong
Sean Carroll's Mindscape podcast featuring David Tong
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Liz Fearon: Co-producing mathematics with the public
9 juli 2025 · 28 min
We may not notice it, but mathematics impacts our lives on a daily basis. Mathematical models inform policy decisions around the economy and public health. They are used to understand climate change and how to respond to it. They are vital in the design of public buildings and spaces. They are even used to try and prevent crime. Lees meer
It seems reasonable, then, that the mathematical models should reflect people's interaction with each other and their environment, and that they should take account of people's perspectives and priorities. In this episode of Maths on the Move we talk to Liz Fearon, an epidemiologist at University College London, about a pioneering new project which aims to involve people in the production of mathematical models from the start, treating them as valued and equal members of the research team. Liz tells out about the motivation behind the project, how it works, and what she hopes to achieve.
To find out more about topics mentioned in this podcast see:
Co-production of mathematical models — the article accompanying this podcast
The website of the COMMET project
Disease modelling for beginners — our introduction to some basic concepts in infectious disease modelling
The inequalities of COVID-19 — our article exploring the role of the pandemic in amplifying social inequalities
Tracing mpox — our article about modelling the spread of mpox.
This podcast is part of our collaboration with JUNIPER, the Joint UNIversity Pandemic and Epidemic Response modelling consortium. JUNIPER comprises academics from the universities of Cambridge, Warwick, Bristol, Exeter, Oxford, Manchester, and Lancaster, who are using a range of mathematical and statistical techniques to address pressing questions about the control of COVID-19. You can see more content produced with JUNIPER here.
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Living proof: Hunting through higher dimensions with Zhouli Xu
1 juli 2025 · 34 min
On May 30th 2024 seminar goers at Princeton University witnessed a thrilling moment. The mathematician Zhouli Xu of the University of California, LA, announced that, together with colleagues he had sorted out the 126th dimension. Not in general, but in regards to a problem that has taunted mathematicians since the 1960s. The problem involves strange shapes and is called the Kervaire invariant problem, after the mathematician Michel Kervaire. Lees meer
In this episode of Maths on the Move Zhouli takes us on a trip into higher dimensions, giving us a gist of what this long-standing problem is all about and retracing some of the long, and sometimes arduous, journey towards a proof. We met Zhouli when he visited our neighbours at the Isaac Newton institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) in Cambridge to take part in a research programme called Equivariant homotopy theory in Context.
To find out more abut the topics discussed in this podcast see:
Maths in a minute: Topology
The hypersphere in four dimensions
Telescope topology
This content forms part of our collaboration with the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) – you can find all the content from the collaboration here.
The INI is an international research centre and our neighbour here on the University of Cambridge's maths campus. It attracts leading mathematical scientists from all over the world, and is open to all. Visit www.newton.ac.uk to find out more.
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Brainstorming AI with Maths4DL
25 juni 2025 · 24 min
The capabilities of artificial intelligence may appear to be galloping ahead, but there are still many challenges that need to be solved. Last month we joined members of the Maths4DL research project for a hackathon — an intensive two-day brainstorming session designed to figure out how one might teach machine learning techniques for solving differential equations and how best to test those techniques. Lees meer
In this episode of Maths on the Move, Maths4DL members Yolanne Lee from University College London, Georg Maierhofer from the University of Cambridge, and Chris Budd OBE from the University of Bath tell us all about the hackathon, the science behind it, and what it was like to participate in those ambitious but exciting 48 hours.
For a brief introduction to machine learning see Maths in a minute: Machine learning and neural networks and for a brief introduction to differential equations see Maths in a minute: Differential equations. You might also like:
Our podcast featuring Yolanne Lee talking about her work as a Maths4DL researcher,
Our podcast featuring Georg Maierhofer talking about physics informed neural networks, as well as the accompanying article,
Our article AI and GoPro physics featuring the work of Nathan Kutz who is mentioned in this podcast.
This content is part of our collaboration with the Mathematics for Deep Learning (Maths4DL) research programme, which brings together researchers from the universities of Bath and Cambridge, and University College London. Maths4DL aims to combine theory, modelling, data and computation to unlock the next generation of deep learning. You can see more content produced with Maths4DL here.
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Meet your digital twin
18 juni 2025 · 22 min
Imagine we could have a digital version of our entire body which could help us, and our doctors, decide what life style is good for us, predict which diseases we might get, and how to best treat them? In short, what if we could all have our very own digital twin? Lees meer
The idea isn't quite as sci-fi as it sounds. A gigantic scientific effort called the Physiome Project is about piecing together a mathematical description of the entire physiology of the human body. Once this has been achieved to a sufficient level digital twins will be a spin-off.
In this podcast we revisit an interview we did back in 2019 with Steven Niederer, who was then Professor of Biomedical Engineering at King's College London but has since moved to a new position at Imperial College London as Chair of Biomedical Engineering. Niederer told us about the physiome project, about how the fitbits many of us own are a very first step towards a digital twin, and about how you can model individual human organs such as the heart. We also challenge ourselves to explain differential equations in one minute.
You can find out more about maths and medicine, differential equations and mathematical modelling on Plus.
We met Niederer in 2019 when he helped to organise a research programme at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Cambridge.
The music in this podcast comes from the artist Oli Freke. The track is called Space Power Facility.
This podcast forms part of our collaboration with the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) – you can find all the content from the collaboration here.
The INI is an international research centre and our neighbour here on the University of Cambridge's maths campus. It attracts leading mathematical scientists from all over the world, and is open to all. Visit www.newton.ac.uk to find out more.
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Living proof: The meaning is in the arrows with Adina Goldberg
11 juni 2025 · 22 min
In this podcast we hope to give you some interesting information. This information is encoded in terms of 0s and 1s – the classical bits in your computer or phone. But what if instead we were using a quantum computer? Then we'd be dealing with quantum bits, or qubits, opening up exciting new possibilities. And quantum information theory is the area of mathematics that explores how we can do that. Lees meer
Adina Goldberg was one of the participants at a recent research programme in this area at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI). In this episode of Living proof, our podcast produced in collaboration with the INI, we speak to Adina about her work and how her intriguing motto – "the meaning is in the arrows" – applies to her research, her career path, and the way she looks at life.
You can find out more about quantum information in this short introduction and delve into the details of information theory in this collection of content.
Make sure you visit Adina's website to find out more about her work and her fascinating career. Since we recorded this podcast Adina has finished her PhD – congratulations Dr Goldberg!
This podcast forms part of our collaboration with the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) – you can find all the content from the collaboration here.
The INI is an international research centre and our neighbour here on the University of Cambridge's maths campus. It attracts leading mathematical scientists from all over the world, and is open to all. Visit www.newton.ac.uk to find out more.
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Postcard from Oslo: Masaki Kashiwara and the 2025 Abel Prize
4 juni 2025 · 22 min
From sunny parks to banquets in castles – come with us on an exciting adventure in Oslo as we join the celebrations for the 2025 Abel Prize! We meet Masaki Kashiwara, winner of this year's prize, who tells us about the importance of collaborations and creating new things. Ragni Piene, previous chair of the Abel Prize Committee, gives us a look behind the scenes. And Andrea D'Agnolo, one of Masaki Kashiwara's most recent collaborators, celebrates his friend and fellow bridge-builder between mathematical worlds. Lees meer
You can read more about Masaki Kashiwara's work in our article, and you can listen to a recent podcast where we spoke to Helge Holden, Chair of the Abel Prize committee, about the Abel Prize and about Masaki Kashiwara's work. And can you see all our reporting on every Abel Prize since it was first awarded in 2003 here.
Thanks to the musicians Peter Baden, Astrid Garmo and Liv Lande for playing such wonderful music in the Abel Prize ceremony which you'll hear a little taste of in this podcast. And thank you to all the Abel Prize team, including Unni Irmelin Kvam, Pål Petterson, Marina Tofting and Anne Lise Stranden for inviting us to Abel Week and for such a fantastic celebration!
Photo of Masaki Kashiwara is copyright Thomas B. Eckhoff/DNVA and used with permission
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Living proof: A conversation with Sarah Hart
22 april 2025 · 25 min
Sarah Hart is a mathematician who is interested, not just in the maths itself, but also its connections to other areas of culture and art. She's done an amazing number of things throughout her career — from research in pure mathematics and heading up a maths department, to being the first woman Gresham Professor of Geometry and President of the British Society for the History of Mathematics. Lees meer
Sarah has also written a fascinating book, called Once upon a time: The wondrous connections between mathematics and literature, and she gave a talk at this year's Cambridge Festival, with the intriguing title Life in Lilliput – The Mathematics of Fictional Realms. The talk was the contribution to the Festival of the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI). Sarah also participates in the Modern History of Mathematics research programme that is currently taking place at the INI.
In this episode of Living proof, produced in collaboration with the INI, Sarah tells us about the many things she has done and how they all fit together, and gives some advice for budding mathematicians of all ages: keep pursuing all the things you love doing, and one day it may turn out that they all fit together.
To find out more about some of the things mentioned in this podcast see the fllowing links:
Sarah Hart: Once upon a prime — In this episode of our Maths on the Move podcast Sarah talks about her book and the connections between maths and literature.
Maths in three minutes: Groups — This article gives a brief introduction to Sarah's research area.
Life in Lilliput – The Mathematics of Fictional Realms — Click this link to watch a recording of Sarah's Cambridge Festival talk at the INI.
Sarah Hart at Gresham College — Click this link to watch Sarah's Gresham College public lectures.
This podcast forms part of our collaboration with the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) – you can find all the content from the collaboration here.
The INI is an internati…
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Rob Eastaway: Shakespeare's mathematical life and times
15 april 2025 · 24 min
One thing we all have in common is that we did maths at school. Those of us from the English speaking world most likely also did Shakespeare at school. Do these two things have anything in common? Lees meer
It turns out that they do! Our friend Rob Eastaway, author and Director of the amazing Maths Inspiration project, has written a book called Much Ado About Numbers: Shakespeare's mathematical life and times. In this episode of Maths on the Move, Rob tells us about some of the many instances of maths appearing in Shakespeare's work. He also tells us about the mathematical climate that Shakespeare lived in. Among other things, it included a mathematical revolution, saw music as a subfield of maths, and gave rise to the word "trivial" so much beloved by mathematicians. The book is out in paperback now.
To find out more about some of the topics mentioned in this episode, see the following links:
The fabulous positional system is an article exploring the nature of our number system.
Rob's Gresham College lecture explores some of the topics mentioned in this podcast and in his book.
Maths Inspiration runs inspiring and interactive maths shows for teenagers.
Finally, here are reviews of some of Rob's books:
The hidden mathematics of sport (with John Haigh)
Maths for mums and dads (with Mike Askew)
More maths for mums and dads (with Mike Askew)
How long is a piece of string? (with Jeremy Wyndham)
Mindbenders and brain teasers (with David Wells)
How to take a penalty (with John Haigh)
How many socks make a pair?
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Living proof: Diving into maths with Emmy Noether
7 april 2025 · 29 min
Every now and again, and more often than you'd think, the work of mathematics overlaps with the world of theatre and film. Lees meer
This happened again recently when the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) organised a staging of the play Diving into math with Emmy Noether. Noether was a pure mathematician whose results made waves far beyond her field. Albert Einstein called her a "creative mathematical genius".
The play is produced by Portrait Theater Vienna in co-operation with Freie Universität Berlin, directed by Sandra Schueddekopf, and features Anita Zieher as Emmy Noether. It was put on as part of the Modern History of Mathematics research programme that is currently taking place at the INI and the Inclusivity in the Mathematical Sciences workshop that was organised by the Newton Gateway to Mathematics in March 2025.
In this episode of Maths on the move we talk to historian of mathematics David E. Rowe, who provided scientific advice for the play, about the life and work of Emmy Noether, and about what it's like putting mathematics on stage.
You might also want to read our article Emmy Noether: A creative mathematical genius.
This content was produced as part of our collaborations with the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) and the Newton Gateway to Mathematics.
The INI is an international research centre and our neighbour here on the University of Cambridge's maths campus. The Newton Gateway is the impact initiative of the INI, which engages with users of mathematics. You can find all the content from the collaboration here.
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The Abel Prize 2025
1 april 2025 · 30 min
Last Wednesday, March 26, 2025, this year's Abel Prize was awarded to the Japanese mathematician Masaki Kashiwara. The Abel Prize is one of the most prestigious honours in mathematics. It is awarded every year by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and comes with a prize money of over £550,000. Lees meer
In this episode of Maths on the Move we talk to Helge Holden, Chair of the Abel Prize Committee. Helge tells us about this year's winner, the history and purpose of the Prize, and how the winners are chosen. He also tells us why good mathematicians are needed in all sectors of science and beyond, and talks about the tragic story of the mathematician Niels Henrik Abel, after whom the Prize is named.
To find out more about some of the topics mentioned in this episode, see:
The Abel Prize 2025: Masaki Kashiwara - An accessible look at some of Kashiwara's mathematics.
The Chern Medal 2018: Masaki Kashiwara - Another look at Kashiwara's work written on the occasion of his winning the Chern Medal in 2018.
What are groups and what are they good for? - An episode of the Maths on the Move podcast which explores group theory.
Stubborn equations and the study of symmetry - An article which touches one of Niels Henrik Abel's most famous results.
Journal für die reine und angewandte Mathematik - Also known as Crelle's journal, this publication is mentioned in the podcast.
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Evidence week: Shaping the future of AI
25 maart 2025 · 25 min
The UK government has recently pledged to put around £14 billion into supporting the development of artificial intelligence over the next few years. But because AI comes with perils as well as promises, careful policy decision are going to be crucial. In order to make such decision in an informed way, politicians need to interact with the mathematicians and scientist who develop AI. Lees meer
In this episode of Maths on the Move we talk to mathematician Chris Budd who recently went to Parliament for something called Evidence Week, where he and other AI researchers talked with MPs and Peers from the House of Lords. Chris tells us about the discussions he had with politicians — about the worrying issue of bias in AI, its promising applications, for example in the medical arena, and also about the fact that AI is built on mathematics. A strong maths education, starting at primary school, is therefore essential if we're going to make the best of AI in the future.
Chris is Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Bath, co-lead of the research project Maths4DL, and Director of Knowledge Exchange for the Bath Institute for Mathematical Innovation. He attended Evidence week with a team of researchers which included Yolanne Lee, a Maths4DL PhD student who recently featured in another Maths on the Move episode. The image above shows, from left to right, Dáire O’Kane (Maths4DL), Jenny Power (IMI), Yolanne Lee (Maths4DL), and Alexandra Freeman, Baroness Freeman of Steventon.
To find out more about some of the topics discussed in this episode see
AI be the judge: The use of algorithms in the criminal justice system
Can AI help with breast cancer screening?
Maths4DL AI policy brief: Black boxes of AI - watch maths open them
This podcast was produced as part of our collaboration with the Mathematics for Deep Learning (Maths4DL) research programme. Maths4DL brings together researchers from the universities of Bath and Cambridge, and University College London and aims to …
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Living proof: Communicating mathematics with the INI and Hannah Fry
18 maart 2025 · 29 min
We kick off our latest series of podcasts with an episode of Living proof, produced jointly with the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI). Lees meer
This episode is all about the communication of mathematics to the wider world, which is becoming ever more recognised as a priority within the maths community. We talk to Sara Khan, Communications Manager at the INI, about how this renowned research institute supports mathematics communication. And we revisit our interview with Hannah Fry who has just taken up her new role as Professor of the Public Understanding of Mathematics here at the University of Cambridge
As Hannah puts it,
"It's really important that people feel that [mathematics] is being done with them, not to them."
We also find out about Hannah's own research in her previous role as Professor for the Mathematics of Cities at University College London, and hear about her favourite mathematical moment.
To find out more about organisations and events in support of mathematics communication mentioned in this episode, see the following links:
The Mathsci-comm network is funded by an INI Network grant and aims to connect those working in, and with a stake in, communicating complex mathematics and data science to a variety of non-expert audiences. The network is run by the Editors of plus.maths.org, Marianne Freiberger and Rachel Thomas, together with Maha Kaouri from the Newton Gateway to Mathematics
Communicating mathematical and data sciences — what does success look like? was a workshop organised by the Mathsci-comm network, which took place at the INI in November 2024. Hannah Fry announced her move to Cambridge at this event.
The Graduate training workshop for the Mathematical Sciences, organised by the Newton Gateway to Mathematics, took place at the INI in February 2025 and comprised a significant component dedicated to communication, delivered by the Editors of plus.maths.org, Marianne Freiberger and Rachel Thomas, together with Alison Kid…
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Euromaths: Reinhard Siegmund-Schultze
24 december 2024 · 16 min
Last summer we were lucky enough to attend the European Congress of Mathematics (ECM) in Seville, Spain. The Congress sees the award of several prestigious prizes, including the Otto Neugebauer Prize for the History of Mathematics. Lees meer
In this episode of Maths on the Move we talk to this year's winner of the Otto Neugebauer Prize, Reinhard Siegmund-Schultze, who has worked on and written about mathematicians who fled Nazi Germany. Reinhard tells us about the motivation for his work, how the Nazi regime impacted mathematics and mathematicians, and what future historians might say about the mathematics of today.
This content was produced with kind support from the London Mathematical Society.
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Playing with VisualPDE
17 december 2024 · 30 min
What is as hypnotising as a beautiful goldfish circling its bowl, but can help you understand the way a virus can spread? The answer is one of the beautiful interactive simulations produced by VisualPDE ! Lees meer
In this podcast we talk to Benjamin Walker from University College London, and to Adam Townsend and Andrew Krause from Durham University, who together created this online solver of partial differential equations. Such equations describe how quantities change over space and time and therefore used throughout science to describe processes that play out in the real world — from the transmission of airborne viruses to the flow of water during a flood. Ben, Andrew and Adam tell us about their motivation for building VisualPDE and what they can do with it.
We met Ben, Andrew and Adam through the Mathsci-comm network for people who communicate maths and data science to non-expert audiences. As you can see by playing with the simulation below, VisualPDE is a great tool for communicating maths research to non-experts, as well as allowing mathematicians to quickly simulate what their mathematical models can tell them.
Adam is also part of the team behind the brilliant Chalkdust, a magazine for the mathematically curious. Why not order the latest issue for a Christmas gift?
Play with the simulation!
Suppose that lots of people are sitting in a sealed room and one of them is infectious. We'll assume that the infectious person is constantly producing virus-laden particles that spread out around them and lose their potency over time. The simulation below shows what this might look like. The colour corresponds to the concentration or amount of the virus in the air.
With VisualPDE, we're not just limited to watching a simulation: we can interact with it too. Clicking in the room will introduce some viral particles to the air, as if someone with an infection had coughed (coughing is actually a lot more complicated and is the focus of lots of research). Try clicking to see wh…
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Solve for X and the Martingale Foundation
10 december 2024 · 26 min
Are you thinking of doing a Masters or PhD in maths or another STEM subject but are worried about funding? Then the Martingale Foundation might be for you. The Foundation's mission is "to enable and nurture talented individuals from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to thrive within world-leading postgraduate study and become STEM leaders" by providing full scholarships as well as a development programme. Lees meer
In this episode of Maths on the Move we talk to two current Martingale scholars, Alexandra Sorinca and Malachy Reynolds, who have both just started their PhD at King's College London. We met them this summer at Solve for X, a mathematical modelling retreat delivered by the Martingale Foundation in partnership with the Newton Gateway to Mathematics and the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI), which challenged teams of students to solve real-life maths problems posed by industry. Solve for X is one of the activities the Martingale Foundation provides for its scholars. Alexandra and Malachy tell us about their challenges and also about what it's like being a Martingale scholar.
We also talk to Chloe Slevin, the Martingale Foundation's Communications Manager, who explains the Foundation's aims and gives useful advice for new applicants.
Alexandra Sorinca
Malachy Reynolds
Chloe Slevin
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Yolanne Lee: Cats, dogs and AI
3 december 2024 · 24 min
As a PhD student working with the Maths4DL research project, Yolanne Lee works on the mathematics that powers artificial intelligence. In this podcast she tells us about what she thinks AI will be able to do in the near future, what it has to do with cats and dogs, and how music provided her first experience of science. We also get to hear her play the piano! Lees meer
To find out more about the topics discussed in this podcast see Artificial intelligence and deep learning: Your questions answered.
This content is part of our collaboration with the Mathematics for Deep Learning (Maths4DL) research programme, which brings together researchers from the universities of Bath and Cambridge, and University College London. Maths4DL aims to combine theory, modelling, data and computation to unlock the next generation of deep learning. You can see more content produced with Maths4DL here.
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Hannah Fry: Mathematics for the people
26 november 2024 · 26 min
We're very excited that Hannah Fry is coming to join us in Cambridge in January 2025. Fry is a brilliant mathematician, best-selling author, award winning science presenter and host of popular podcasts and television shows. She'll be Cambridge's first Professor for the Public Understanding of Mathematics. Lees meer
In this episode of Maths on the Move Hannah explains how her interest in public engagement grew directly out of her work as a mathematician, talks about how she got into maths in the first place, and shares one of her favourite mathematical moments.
We were very proud that Hannah announced the news at an event we organised together with the Newton Gateway to Mathematics. It was called Communicating Mathematical and Data Sciences – What does Success Look Like? and took place at the Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) on November 21, 2024. The event was part of the mathsci-comm network which aims to connect those working in, and with a stake in, communicating complex mathematics and data science to a variety of non-expert audiences. The network is supported by the INI — find out more here.
Image above: Lloyd Mann.
This content was produced as part of our collaborations with the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) and the Newton Gateway to Mathematics.
The INI is an international research centre and our neighbour here on the University of Cambridge's maths campus. The Newton Gateway is the impact initiative of the INI, which engages with users of mathematics. You can find all the content from the collaboration here.
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Euromaths: Heather Harrington
19 november 2024 · 28 min
We all know what data is: bits of information of which in this age of Big Data we have lots of. You might also know what topology is: the study of shapes that considers two shapes to be the same if you can deform one into the other without tearing them or gluing things together. Lees meer
But what is topological data analysis? And how might it help to understand proteins or diseases such as cancer? We find out with Heather Harrington a mathematician we met at the European Congress of Mathematics (ECM) this summer. Heather tells us how topological data analysis can produce a so-called barcode for a given data set which gives deep insights into its structure. Below are a couple of images illustrating a barcode to illustrate what we talk about in the podcast.
We attended the ECM with kind support of the London Mathematical Society (LMS). Heather gave the LMS lecture at the ECM.
You might also want to listen to more episodes of our Euromaths series which reports on the ECM.
Circles drawn around 20 points in the plane. If the radius r is less than r0, the circles are small enough to not overlap (left). Once the radius exceeds r0, but is smaller than r1, the circles overlap and together form a ring-like structure (middle). One the radius is larger than r1 the circles join up in the centre of this ring-like structure. What you see now is a single blob without a hole.
The barcode captures this information. For r < r0 there are 20 red lines indicating there are twenty connected components without holes. For r0 < r < r1 there is one green line indicating there is one connected component with one hole (the colours red and green differentiate between no hole and one hole). For r > r1 there is one red line indicating there is one connected component without a hole.
This content was produced with kind support from the London Mathematical Society.
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Euromaths: Giovanni Forni
12 november 2024 · 26 min
We love a game of billiards — or at least the mathematical version of it. It's a dynamical system that's just about basic enough to study but still poses lots of open questions. In this episode of Maths on the Move we talk to Giovanni Forni about chaos, periodicity and the many things we still hope to learn about billiards. Lees meer
We met Giovanni at the European Congress of Mathematics (ECM) in summer this year, which we attended with kind support of the London Mathematical Society. See here for more episodes of our Euromaths series which reports on the ECM.
To find out more about mathematical billiards on Plus see
Chaos on the billiards table
Playing billiards on doughnuts
Playing billiards on strange tables
Here are a couple of academic papers by Forni and his collaborators:
Weakly Mixing Billiards, J. Chaika, G. Forni
Weak Mixing in rational billiards, F. Arana-Herrera, J. Chaika, G. Forni.
This content was produced with kind support from the London Mathematical Society.
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Euromaths: Jessica Fintzen
5 november 2024 · 14 min
As the days in the UK get shorter and darker we continue remembering the brilliant time we had in Seville last summer at the European Congress of Mathematics (ECM). In this episode of Maths on the move we talk to one of the mathematicians we met at the ECM, Jessica Fintzen, who won a prestigious EMS Prize at the Congress. Lees meer
Jessica tells us how to capture infinitely many snowflakes at the same time, the maths of symmetry and her work on representation theory, and why she likes doing handstands.
To find out a little more about Jessica's mathematics, as well as her gymnastics, see this video.
You might also like to look the following content relevant to topics discussed in the podcast:
Groups: the basics
Maths in a minute: Representing groups
This content was produced with kind support from the London Mathematical Society.
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Euromaths: Richard Montgomery
29 oktober 2024 · 17 min
The world is full of networks. We're part of them, our infrastructure is full of them, and there are even networks within our bodies (e.g. made from neurons). This summer the mathematician Richard Montgomery won a prestigious EMS Prize at the European Congress of Mathematics (ECM) for his work on the pure maths of networks, also known as graph theory. Lees meer
In this episode of Maths on the move Richard tells us about an amazing result he helped to prove to great acclaim, known as Ringel's conjecture, and why it's interesting to take graphs to the extreme.
You might also want to read this article about Richard's work. To find out more about the event at the Isaac Newton Institute in honour of Tim Gowers, which is mentioned in the podcast, see here.
This content was produced with kind support from the London Mathematical Society.
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David Spiegelhalter and the art of uncertainty
22 oktober 2024 · 24 min
David Spiegelhalter, one of our favourite statisticians in the whole world, has a new book out. It's called The art of uncertainty: How to navigate chance, ignorance, risk and luck and published by Pelican Books. Lees meer
In this episode of Maths on the Move we talk to David about the book, touching on a huge range of topics — from double yolked eggs and the bay of pigs, to why it's useful to disagree and why uncertainty is personal. Enjoy!
To find out more about some of the topics mentioned in this episode see,
When being wrong is right — on the "tell me why I'm wrong" approach
Struggling with chance — on the philosophy of probability
Freedom and physics — on randomness and free will
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Meet the multiverse
8 oktober 2024 · 14 min
We recently found out why pieces of toast tend to land butter side down. It' because the physical factors at play, including the typical height of breakfast tables and the strength of the Earth's gravity, are just right to allow a piece of toast to perform one flip on its way to the floor: from butter side up to butter side down. Lees meer
The strength of the Earth's gravity is measured by the gravitational constant g, one of the constants of nature. These constants are special not just when it comes to toast. If their values were just a tiny bit different, life as we know it couldn't exist. This begs the question of why — why are the constants fine-tuned for our existence? Some people have taken this fine-tuning as evidence of the existence of a god who wanted us to be here, but there's also another explanation: perhaps our Universe is just one of many, all with different values for the constants of nature? If such a multiverse exists, then the existence of our Universe within it is no longer surprising. It's just one of many.
All this reminded us of an interview we did in 2016 with astrophysicist Fred Adams at the FQXi international conference in Banff, Canada. In this episode of Maths on the move we bring you this interview. Adam tells us all about the multiverse and how knowledge about our own Universe can help us to calculate how many of those other universes could be similar to our own. We hope you enjoy it, but if it's too mind-boggling, have a piece of toast.
Fred Adams
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The Gömböc revisited
1 oktober 2024 · 22 min
A Gömböc is a strange thing. It looks like an egg with sharp edges, and when you put it down it starts wriggling and rolling around as if it were alive. Until not so long ago no-one knew whether Gömböcs even existed. Gabor Domokos, one of their discoverers, reckons that in some sense they barely exists at all. So what are Gömböcs and what makes them special? Lees meer
In this episode of Maths on the move we revisit an interview with Domokos from all the way back in 2009.
We were reminded of this interview when we thought about what makes a good mathematical story and the story of the Gömböc has it all: beautiful mathematics, an exciting discovery, a beach holiday, romance (sort of) and even turtles. We hope you enjoy it!
You can read the article that accompanies this this episode here.
Gábor Domokos
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What are groups and what are they good for?
24 september 2024 · 25 min
Over the summer we've been incredibly lucky to have been working with Justin Chen, a maths student at the University of Cambridge who is about to start his Masters. Justin has done some great work on how to explain the concept of a mathematical group, and group theory as a whole, to non-mathematicians. In this episode of Maths on the move he tells us how groups are collection of actions, akin to walking around on a field, and why group theory is often called the study of symmetry. He also marvels at the power of abstraction mathematics affords us, tells us about what it was like diving into the world of maths communication, and what his plans are for the future. Lees meer
You can find out more about groups in the following two collections Justin has produced:
Groups: The basics
Groups: A whistle-stop tour
You might also want to read Justin's article Explaining AI with the help of philosophy mentioned at the beginning of the podcast. It is based on an interview with Hana Chockler, a professor at King's College London, conducted at a recent event organised by the Newton Gateway to Mathematics and the Alan Turing Institute.
This article was produced as part of our collaborations with the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (INI) and the Newton Gateway to Mathematics.
The INI is an international research centre and our neighbour here on the University of Cambridge's maths campus. The Newton Gateway is the impact initiative of the INI, which engages with users of mathematics. You can find all the content from the collaboration here.
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Euromaths: Avi Wigderson
17 september 2024 · 19 min
This summer we were very pleased to attend the European Congress of Mathematics (ECM), which took place in Seville, Spain, in July. We went to lots of fascinating talks and generally enjoyed the mathematical hustle and bustle. We also interviewed a range of interesting mathematicians about topics as diverse as mathematical billiards and topological data analysis, and we now bring you these interviews as part of our podcast. Lees meer
First up is the eminent Avi Wigderson, who has won many prestigious mathematical prizes, including an Abel Prize in 2021. Avi gave a great talk at the ECM about the role of errors in mathematical proofs. Traditionally, mathematical proofs need to be absolutely waterproof and errors are anathema. But as Avi told us, if you allow a certain level of error to creep in, you can do amazing things. For example, you can construct zero knowledge proofs, which allow you to prove something without giving any information away about what you're proving. And you can construct proofs that even if they're very long, can be checked for correctness by just reading a few pages. Find out more in this episode of Maths on the move.
The photo of Avi Wigderson above is courtesy Cliff Moore/Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ USA/AbelPrize.
This content was produced with kind support from the London Mathematical Society.
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The origin of life: On Earth and elsewhere
10 september 2024 · 27 min
Is there life elsewhere in the Universe? And how did life emerge here on Earth? These two questions are often considered separately, but answers to one shed important light on answers to the other. In their new book Is Earth exceptional: The quest for cosmic life, renowned astrophysicist Mario Livio and Nobel laureate Jack Szostak combine both these question and find fascinating answers. Lees meer
In this episode of Maths on the move we talk to Livio about the new book. From creating life in the lab to searching for it on distant planets, Livio gives us a riveting whistelstop tour of research into the origin of life, here on Earth an elsewhere. Is Earth exceptional is out on September 10, 2024 in the US and on September 26, 2024 in the UK.
To get a taster of Livio's writing (which we think is very good) see a list of his Plus articles. We have also reviewed six of Livio's books:
Galileo and the science deniers
Why? What makes us curious
Brilliant blunders
Is god a mathematician?
The equation that couldn't be solved
The golden ratio
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The secret to a happy summer: Seville, causality and staircases!
24 juli 2024 · 19 min
We're getting excited for the summer here but before we all head off on holidays we catch up with Marianne in Spain at the European Congress of Mathematics, and Justin and Rachel in the UK having just attended some fascinating events in London and Cambridge held by the Isaac Newton Institute of Mathematical Sciences and the Newton Gateway. Lees meer
Marianne told us about her recent interview with Avi Widgerson – winner of the Abel Prize in 2021 and the most recent Turing Prize. Justin told us about how the philosophical concept of causality can help us understand AI. And Rachel tells us about the surprising phenomena of anti-diffusion and how it links the patterns we see on Juniper, staircases in our oceans and fusion reactors of the future.
We'll be back with more podcasts in the Autumn, but here are some of our recommendations for your summer reading and listening pleasure!
Articles:
How to (im)prove mathematics
Fractal photo finish
Chaos on the billiard table
Podcasts:
Tying together black holes, quantum gravity and number theory
The murmuration conjecture: finding new maths with AI
From clicks to chords
Books:
Collision – Stories from the Science of CERN
This content was produced as part of our collaborations with the London Mathematical Society, the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences and the Newton Gateway to Mathematics.
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On the mathematical frontline: Modelling behaviour
16 juli 2024 · 24 min
How we behave can have far greater impacts than just on our own daily lives. For example who we interact with and whether we get vaccinated affects how diseases spread through the community. So if we are going to use maths to try to understand such a challenge facing society, we need to make sure we include human behaviour in our mathematical models. But how do you mathematically describe the messiness of human behaviour? Lees meer
To find out we talk to mathematicians Kirsty Bolton, Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham, and Ed Hill, a Warwick Zeeman Lecturer at the University of Warwick. Kirsty and Ed organised a recent workshop bringing together experts from across maths, data science, life sciences and social sciences to explore how mathematical models can be made more realistic by including human behaviour. They tell us about both the mathematical and the communication challenges this brings, from the difficulty of learning the languages of other disciplines to the excitement of finding the sweet spot where experts from such different areas can work together to make progress.
Kirsty and Ed are both part of JUNIPER, a collaborative network of researchers from across the UK who work at the interface between mathematical modelling, infectious disease control and public health policy, and JUNIPER supported the workshop.
This podcast is part of our collaboration with JUNIPER, the Joint UNIversities Pandemic and Epidemiological Research network. JUNIPER is a collaborative network of researchers from across the UK who work at the interface between mathematical modelling, infectious disease control and public health policy. You can see more content produced with JUNIPER here.
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Euromaths: Maryna Viazovska
26 juni 2024 · 11 min
We're very excited to be going to this year's European Congress of Mathematics (ECM), which will take place in Seville, Spain, in July! We noticed that mathematicians who win one of the prizes awarded at the ECM by the European Mathematical Society quite often go on to win a Fields Medal, one of the highest honours in mathematics. Lees meer
So to celebrate the run-up to the ECM we've launched Euromaths, a miniseries of podcasts revisiting interviews with Fields Medallists who previously won an EMS prize. This week we hear from Maryna Viazovska who won a Fields Medal in 2022 and an EMS prize in 2020, talking about the theory of optimal transport and how it applies to a wide range of things, from crystals to clouds.
You can read about Maryna's work in this article. To listen to previous episodes of Euromaths click here.
This content was originally produced as part of our collaborations with the London Mathematical Society and the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences. You can find all our content on the 2022 International Congress of Mathematicians here.
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Euromaths: Artur Avila
19 juni 2024 · 12 min
We're very excited to be going to this year's European Congress of Mathematics (ECM), which will take place in Seville, Spain, in July! We noticed that mathematicians who win one of the prizes awarded at the ECM by the European Mathematical Society quite often go on to win a Fields Medal, one of the highest honours in mathematics. Lees meer
So to celebrate the run-up to the ECM we've launched Euromaths, a miniseries of podcasts revisiting interviews with Fields Medallists who previously won an EMS prize. This week we hear from Artur Avila who won a Fields Medal in 2014 and an EMS prize in 2012, talking about the theory of optimal transport and how it applies to a wide range of things, from crystals to clouds.
You can read about Artur's work in this article. To listen to previous episodes of Euromaths click here.
This content was originally produced as part of our collaboration with the London Mathematical Society. You can find all our content on the 2014 International Congress of Mathematicians here.
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Euromaths: Alessio Figalli
11 juni 2024 · 9 min
We're very excited to be going to this year's European Congress of Mathematics (ECM), which will take place in Seville, Spain, in July! We noticed that mathematicians who win one the prizes awarded at the ECM by the European Mathematical Society quite often go on to win a Fields Medal, one of the highest honours in mathematics. Lees meer
So to celebrate the run-up to the ECM we've launched Euromaths, a miniseries of podcasts revisiting interviews with Fields Medallists who previously won an EMS prize. This week we hear from Alessio Figalli who won a Fields Medal in 2018 and an EMS prize in 2012, talking about the theory of optimal transport and how it applies to a wide range of things, from crystals to clouds.
You can read about Alessio's work in this article. To listen to previous episodes of Euromaths click here.
This content was originally produced as part of our collaborations with the London Mathematical Society and the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences. You can find all our content on the 2018 International Congress of Mathematicians here.