Abstract Mad Libs

The New York Times drops freelance journalist who used AI to write book review Writer and author Alex Preston said he “made a serious mistake” after a reader spotted similarities between his review and one that appeared in the Guardian

If you choose to be a journalist or author, consider the value of your work as an original thinker, reporter, and wordsmith. Consider also how long (measured in years) it takes to build trust with your readers. www.theguardian.com/books/2026/m...

Having read a lot of these interviews for my book on Bohr, I found this fascinating. I think Heilbron is right to speak of "ridiculously detailed questions". Kuhn will whip out a 40-year-old paper and start going through it, and folks like Heisenberg won't really remember it at all.

The error was found through the formalization process. This is the paper Tooby-Smith posted about the formalization: arxiv.org/pdf/2603.08139

There oughta be a law...

*that

Computer finds flaw in major physics paper for first time A computer language designed to robustly verify mathematical theorems and expose logical flaws has been turned towards a physics paper – and spotted an error. The discovery raises questions about how ...

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...

Ha, do something analog works for me. I was actually just practicing guitar for the past half hour. Felt good, though I’m just a beginner.

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.

The Proof in the Code: How a Truth Machine Is Transforming Math and AI by undefined Journalist Hartnett debuts with a thrilling account of “how one man’s quest to build a truth machine—a computer program that can...

Read the full review: www.publishersweekly.com/9780374620059

“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

The Jellies That Evolved a Different Way To Keep Time | Quanta Magazine Off the coast of Japan, biologists netted a pea-size jellyfish with an unusual circadian clock — a chance finding that suggests there are likely more overlooked biological timekeeping mechanisms to be...

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...

Gerd Faltings, mathematician who proved the Mordell conjecture, wins the Abel Prize at age 71 The Mordell conjecture—now known as Faltings’s theorem—concerns the number of special points on a curve

“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.’”

Quantum Cryptography Pioneers Win Turing Award | Quanta Magazine Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard were recognized for their foundational work in quantum information science.

Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard have won the Turing Award for their foundational work in quantum information science.

www.quantamagazine.org/quantum-cryp...

Judge Strikes Down Kennedy’s Vaccine Policies

“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: Advice to Young Mathematicians (2024) YouTube video by The Abel Prize

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?...

The Proof in the Code - Quanta Books The inside story of Lean, a computer program that answers the age-old question: How do you know if something is true?

“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 👇

Do you envision physics/science in the mix as entertainment or is this strictly for martini lovers (as opposed to lovers of the ten martini problem)?

Conservation of mass.

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

US repeals key ‘endangerment finding’ that climate change is a public threat Overturning the 2009 decision means billions of extra tonnes of greenhouse-gas emissions over the next three decades.

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... 🧪

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