The flat faces and straight edges of a cube signify that it belongs to a large family of geometric shapes known as polyhedra. Several years ago, mathematician John H. Conway of Princeton University wondered whether a polyhedron could have a hole passing through every face and remain a polyhedron. He coined the term holyhedron to describe such a form, should it exist.
For a long time, no one could come up with an example, even in principle, that met Conway’s precise specifications for a holyhedron. Conversely, no one could say why it was impossible to construct one. Now, Princeton mathematician Jade P. Vinson has proved that such an object can exist. His surprising solution is slated for publication in Discrete and Computational Geometry.