There oughta be a law...

When Joseph Tooby-Smith applied the formalization language Lean to a physics paper, he exposed an error than undermined a widely cited theorem. He was formalizing the paper to contribute to PhysLib, the physics version of MathLib. www.newscientist.com/article/2520...

Simple experiment. Scroll through social media for an hour. Write down how it made you feel. Then read a book for an hour. Write down how it made you feel. Compare notes.

“A thrilling account of ‘how one man’s quest to build a truth machine—a computer program that can provide a complete, 100 percent guarantee that a chain of logic is correct—is transforming the field of mathematics’ . . .Readers will be captivated.” — @publisherswkly.bsky.social starred review

Off the coast of Japan, biologists netted a pea-size jellyfish with an unusual biological clock — a chance finding that suggests there are likely more overlooked cellular timekeeping mechanisms to be discovered. @mstarling.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/the-jellies-...

I recommend Carl Zimmer's book Air-Borne for the deep history that led to this shocking mistake. It wasn't just a matter of "oh it was a new virus, we didn't know anything about it" - there's a far more profound lesson than that for how science happens. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

“Near the beginning of my career, I got the Fields Medal. And near the end, I’m getting the Abel Prize,” Faltings says. “It’s a nice duality.” www.scientificamerican.com/article/gerd...

“A fascinating example of how cultural clashes and creativity can create new paradigms… [In THE PROOF IN THE CODE], proofs, personalities, and machines collide—intriguingly—at the uneasy intersection of mathematics and computer science.’”

Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard have won the Turing Award for their foundational work in quantum information science. www.quantamagazine.org/quantum-cryp...

“Ruling on a lawsuit brought by several prominent medical organizations, a district court said the federal government had not based its decisions on science in limiting Covid shots and revising the childhood immunization schedule.” www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/h...

In today’s edition of Philomath, we offer a glimpse behind the scenes: how we think about submissions, what we’re looking for in a proposal, and some of our favorite science books. Check it out here: mailchi.mp/066f700b557f...

Happy Pi Day!

Best thing I saw on TV in London last week: Gogglebox. It’s like MST3000 but with hilarious reax from regular Brits watching the news or other popular shows. Also: Street markings telling you which way to look are surprisingly helpful.

Happy π day. Here's a pie chart

At the @panmacmillan.bsky.social stand at the London Book Fair. Go team @quantabooks.org + @fsgbooks.bsky.social!

Martin Hairer: “That’s the magical thing about mathematics—there are things that seem like they’re really hard and completely incomprehensible, and you think about it for a while and it becomes obvious. It gives you the sense of really understanding something profoundly.” youtu.be/0h9loXPYop0?...

“Kevin Hartnett is one of today’s finest chroniclers of math. With marvelous clarity and narrative flair, he introduces us to computer-verified proof, the drama behind it, and the people reimagining what math can be.” — @stevenstrogatz.com www.quantabooks.org/books/the-pr...

In January, we went inside the Dilley detention center. Children shared letters describing the anguish of being ripped from their lives: propub.li/4cUHm8L After publishing that story, we learned about Edison, a 13-year-old from Chicago detained for 2+ months. Listen to Edison in his own words 👇

Conservation of mass.

Eight months before publication, Terence Tao’s SIX MATH ESSENTIALS is already the #1 selling math book on Amazon.

Today’s action “is a rejection of the most basic laws of physics”, says #climate scientist Friederike Otto. I report on the EPA revoking its own ruling on the danger of greenhouse gases: www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪

Be the first to hear about our forthcoming books and special events. Receive author interviews and publishing tips. Get the inside story behind our logo, imprint, and book projects. Sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of this web page: quantabooks.org

Politics may represent your reality, but science represents everyone’s reality.

We’re thrilled to announce that Terence Tao (@teorth.bsky.social)’s SIX MATH ESSENTIALS is available for preorder: us.macmillan.com/books/978037.... A whirlwind tour through six core ideas that have guided mathematicians from antiquity to the frontiers of what we know today. Pubs October 27, 2026.

I'm thrilled to reveal the new cover for @teorth.bsky.social's SIX MATH ESSENTIALS! This slim, elegant book reveals Terry Tao's deep insights about what math is, where mathematical ideas came from, how they've evolved, and how math is best used to make sense of the complexities of our world.

Marty Baron: "The Washington Post’s ambitions will be sharply diminished, its talented and brave staff will be further depleted and the public will be denied the ground-level, fact-based reporting in our communities and around the world that is needed more than ever." www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/b...

A Canadian company said on Friday that it would no longer sell a warehouse in Virginia to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which had planned to use the site as an ICE processing facility.

Just experienced the most intense tear gassing of my life by federal officers outside the ICE facility in Portland where marchers gathered. There was no fast exit as they indiscriminately threw loads of gas and flash bangs. Children were in the crowd screaming. @oregoncapitalchronicle.com

Sinner possesses the speed, consistency and offensive/defensive prowess of Djokovic (whom he lost to in their nail-biting AO semifinal), while Alcaraz displays the athleticism, variety and finesse of Federer and Nadal combined into one player. Tennis is in good hands. 🎾

New planet just dropped and it 1) is almost exactly Earth-sized 2) has a year that's almost exactly 1 Earth year. 3) orbits a star that is not a 💢temperamental little shit M-dwarf 💢but is instead a 🧡 good orange boi 🧡 Me for @science.org based on results presented at #RockyWorlds4: 🔭🧪

The Boss standing up for all that’s Good and Pretti in America. youtu.be/GDaPdpwA4Iw?...

“A Trace analysis of federal spending data found that gun industry revenue ballooned as Department of Homeland Security agents carried out mass federal raids in major cities — and shot people trying to protest or document the agents’ activities.” www.thetrace.org/2026/01/gun-...

Fun story about creative new techniques in the study of Fourier analysis. Leila Sloman writes in @quantamagazine.bsky.social: "The fog surrounding the Fourier transform is still dense. But these new techniques are a little better at seeing through it." www.quantamagazine.org/networks-hol...

What flat Earthers and other anti-scientific conspiracy theorists have in common is a myopic view of the world. Earth looks flat from where we stand. Vaccines look dangerous if someone we know had an adverse reaction. It's science that gives us a broader perspective and brings us closer to reality.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s special address at Davos today: “Friends, it is time for companies and countries to take their signs down.” www.weforum.org/stories/2026...

Hey! @wired.com is doing a bunch of hiring. Here we go with a thread of five great jobs, with a few more coming shortly: 1) We are hiring a senior editor for our science desk, which means you get to work with geniuses like @timmarchman.bsky.social @mollytaft.com and @emilymullin.bsky.social

That’s one way to keep people off your front lawn.

Oh, just get vaccinated (part 5,000) "Many shots seem to have “off-target” benefits, such as lowering the risk of dementia, studies have found." (gift article)

“They’re going to bring back suffering and death,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the infectious disease committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics. “I don’t say that with any hyperbole, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/h...

Best time of the year for @quantamagazine.bsky.social readers: The Year in Review series dropped this week. Articles: www.quantamagazine.org/tag/2025-in-... Math recap video: youtu.be/hRpcWpAeWng?... Physics recap video: youtu.be/CPoQkE9KaAY?...

“Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.” ― Charles Darwin

What are Lie groups, you ask? Leila Sloman has you covered.

If you're in need of a feel-good story, this one is well-crafted by Kurt Streeter and beautifully shot by @fremson.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

If you’ve watched David Tong’s talks on YouTube or in person, you know how captivating he is in making the subject of quantum field theory come alive. I’ve learned so much working with David on this book and can’t wait to share it with curious readers everywhere.

It's been a thrill and an honor to collaborate with @teorth.bsky.social on his first popular math book—a short and friendly introduction to six core areas of mathematics that, taken together, reveal the creative essence, analytical power, and wondrous connectedness of the mathematical enterprise.

“Today is a defining moment for our country,” Michael Osterholm, a public health expert at the University of Minnesota, said. “We can no longer trust federal health authorities when it comes to vaccines.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/h...

Just imagining how much better it would be if ALL news stories about vaccine-preventable illnesses were illustrated with pictures of people with the disease, not pictures of needle injections. If you must show something that people will find scary & unpleasant, make it the disease, not the cure.

"Seventeen years after the [LHC] switched on, particle physicists are realizing that they can use the collider to explore how information flows through quantum systems — a question at the foundations of quantum computing." www.quantamagazine.org/particle-phy...

Why does it feel like we’ve seen this movie (of misaligned incentives and feedback loops) before? “OpenAI had also relied on an automated conversation analysis tool to assess whether people liked their communication with the chatbot.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/t...

YOU, or someone talented you know, could be the next @upshot.nytimes.com fellow. It’s a paid, full-time, one-year job working on the staff of (dare I say) the coolest desk in the newsroom. But hurry — applications close on Wednesday, so apply now and/or share with friends!