Long reads Wandering in the heavens: how mathematics explains Saturn’s rings Ian Stewart shows how maths is changing cosmology, and explains why the best way to reach a comet near Mars is to go round the back of the… By Ian Stewart
Now you see it, now you don’t: what optical illusions tell us about our brains Illusions can offer insights into how the visual system processes images. By Ian Stewart
The memoirs of Richard Dawkins and Stephen Hawking: Evolution in the head Two of the most visible of today’s scientists are Stephen Hawking and Richard Dawkins. Their autobiographies present an opportunity… By Ian Stewart
The third culture: The power and glory of mathematics In 1959 C P Snow delivered a celebrated lecture in which he decried the man-made gulf between the arts… By Ian Stewart