A mathematical mindset: Graham Farmelo sings the praises of string theory
Matin Durrani reviews The Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Maths Reveals Nature’s Deepest Secrets by Graham Farmelo
Breakthrough prize criticized for rewarding ‘failed ideas’
A $3m Special Breakthrough Prize has been awarded to the theory of supergravity but some say that high-profile prizes should not be given to work that is groundless in experiment
Solve for X
Ian Randall reviews All of Physics (Almost) in 15 Equations by Bruno Mansoulié
Language learning in children is like a phase transition
The ability that small children suddenly acquire to form complex sentences can be explained by the physics of statistical mechanics
Strange thinking
Jane Hesling reviews Weird Math: a Teenage Genius and His Teacher Reveal the Strange Connections Between Math and Everyday Life by David Darling and Agnijo Banerjee
This article is based on fictional events
David Boyt explains how Lars von Trier's 2011 film Melancholia inspired a real scientific paper on climate in the journal Nonlinearity
Field theory of amorphous solids describes toothpaste, concrete and more
Better understanding of solid-liquid hybrids could lead to better materials
Joel’s conference
Robert P Crease meets the US statistical physicist famed for his unique scientific meetings
Bright ideas and their architects
Stephen Wolfram's collection of essays details big ideas and the people who thought of them, although some of the tales are rather partial, says Tony Mann
Web life: Ice Flows
Guide penguins to their Antarctic feeding grounds and learn about the behaviour of ice sheets in the Ice Flows game
