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Mathematics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Oct-2026 06:16 ET (22-Oct-2026 10:16 GMT/UTC)

World Cup Fever Study now open to all major smartwatches

Bielefeld University
Business Announcement

At the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Bielefeld University is looking for fans of all national teams. The Football Fever Study uses smartwatch data to record how match events affect fans' heart rate and stress levels. Anyone wearing a device from one of 13 supported brands, such as Apple, Google, Samsung, and Garmin, can take part.

Going up against the heat: Vertical greenery keeps cities cool

Osaka Metropolitan University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international research team led by Osaka Metropolitan University researchers evaluated the impacts of urban heat island mitigation strategies on both indoor and outdoor thermal environments in an educational facility located in Shahrud, Iran, a city characterized by extremely hot summers.

Journal: Energy and Buildings

Distant ocean temperatures found to influence snowfall in Antarctica

Research Organization of Information and Systems
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Snowfall deep inside East Antarctica has increased in recent decades, and distant ocean temperature changes may be partly responsible. Using long-term climate data and observations from Dome Fuji station, researchers found that the increase in snowfall is strongly linked to atmospheric blocking patterns that carry moist air into inland Antarctica. These patterns are, in turn, influenced by sea surface temperature changes in the subtropical South Atlantic Ocean—highlighting important climate connections across vast distances.

Journal: Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Gate-voltage-controlled topological phase transition achieved in β-Ag2Te, paving the way for a new class of low-power electronics

Science China Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Topological phase transition is attracting great attention in condensed matter physics, and its gate-voltage-reversible control is essential for electrically driven topological devices. Recently, Professor Jinxiong Wu’s team at Nankai University achieved the first gate-voltage-reversible topological phase transition in β-Ag₂Te nanodevices, evidenced by a π Berry phase transition. Theoretical attributes this to the Stark effect modulating band structure. Based on this, they built a prototype topological phase transition transistor with on-off ratio exceeding 10⁴, opening a new route for electrically controlled topological devices.

Journal: National Science Review

Mount Sinai researchers identify brain “entrapment” patterns associated with depression

The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New multimodal imaging study uncovers mechanisms that may help explain persistent depressive symptoms and inform personalized treatments

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: National Institute of Mental Health, Friedman Brain Institute

New mathematical model maps complex inner workings of root hair growth in plants

University of Cambridge
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have developed a new mathematical model that reveals how plant root hairs grow and change at the cellular level. Using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and high-resolution live imaging, researchers mapped the dynamics of key structures inside root hair cells, including the nucleus and cytoskeleton. The study identifies four distinct stages of root hair development and shows how coordinated changes in the cytoskeleton drive the transition from fast to slow growth. By combining experimental data with mathematical modelling, the research provides new insights into how plants control cell shape and growth.

Journal: The Plant Cell
Funder: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Human Frontier Science Program, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Gatsby Charitable Foundation

AI and quantum computing accelerate materials development at UW

University of Washington
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New computing techniques — including AI and quantum computing — are enabling UW researchers to design unique and complex quantum materials.

Journal: Nature Communications

People show a natural tendency to walk to the left

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international study led by the University de Navarra, with the participation of the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), has discovered that people exhibit a slight but consistent tendency to move toward the left when walking. The research, carried out in collaboration with researchers from Waseda University and the University of Tokyo (Japan), as well as Shanghai University (China), and published in Nature Communications, shows that this individual inclination influences how crowds spontaneously organize themselves and could help improve models used to manage pedestrian flows in crowded spaces.

Journal: Nature Communications

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