A 3D shape of constant width as seen from three different angles. The middle view resembles a 2D Reuleaux triangle
Andriy Prymak et al. 2024/SageMath/Danylo Radchenko
Mathematicians have reinvented the wheel with the discovery of shapes that can roll smoothly when sandwiched between two surfaces, even in four, five or any higher number of spatial dimensions. The finding answers a question that researchers have been puzzling over for decades.
Such objects are known as shapes of constant width, and the most familiar in two and three dimensions are the circle and the sphere. These aren’t the only such shapes, however.…
Your happiness in life may not be U-shaped – here’s how it could vary
Our happiness levels are not constant throughout our livesIppei & Janine Photography/Getty Images The commonly held belief that happiness follows...
Jane Goodall, dogged advocate for the natural world, has died aged 91
Jane Goodall studying the behaviour of a chimpanzee during her research in TanzaniaPenelope Breese/Liaison Renowned conservationist Jane Goodall has died...
Two-in-one inhalers slash asthma attacks among young children
Combination asthma inhalers seem to be the best treatment option for all agesSBDIGIT/Getty Images Inhalers that combine providing immediate relief...
Reconstructed skull gives surprising clues to our enigmatic Ancestor X
The Yunxian 2 skull was squashed, but has now been reconstructed and appears to be an early DenisovanGary Todd (CC0)...
