Column

  1. Humans

    The Ignobility of Wrinkles

    A theoretical study of the way skin, apple peel, and bedsheets wrinkle has won this year's Ig Nobel Prize in Physics.

    By Julie Rehmeyer
  2. Math

    A Tangled Tale

    A piece of string tumbled over and over quickly develops knots, explaining why your headphone cords are always in a tangle.

    By Julie Rehmeyer
  3. Math

    A Prayer for Archimedes

    A long-lost work by Archimedes shows his subtle grasp of the notion of infinity, and how close he was to developing calculus.

    By Julie Rehmeyer
  4. Math

    Beating the Bush for Patterns

    Across some arid landscapes, sparse vegetation grows in fractal patterns that hold clues to its resilience.