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Plus magazine opens a door to the world of maths, with all its beauty and applications, by providing articles from the top mathematicians and science writers on topics as diverse as art, medicine, cosmology and sport. You can read the latest mathematical news on the site every week, browse our blog, listen to our podcasts and subscribe to our fortnightly email newsletter.

In the current issue...
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Issue 55 of Plus

It's ten years since the first draft of the human genome was published and Plus is joining in the celebrations with a package on the maths of genes. We try and solve the genome puzzle, model cell suicide, and find out why DNA evidence in court isn't as straightforward as it seems. Genes aside, we assess small but lethal risks, create some fractal music, encounter a two box paradox, and find out how to win with coins and cards.

 

Two lines in a plane always intersect in a single point ... unless the lines are parallel. This annoying exception is constantly inserting itself into otherwise simple mathematical statements. Burkard Polster and Marty Ross explain how to get around the problem.

Two computer geeks claim to have calculated the number pi to 5 trillion digits — on a single desktop and in record time. That's 2.3 trillion digits more than the previous world record held by the Frenchman Fabrice Bellard.

The work of Fields Medallist Stanislav Smirnov will take mathematics and physics into a new phase with his mathematical proof of the understanding of phase transitions.

If you are (or were) an England fan and don't feel like watching Germany's unstoppable advance to take the ultimate trophy, why not use the freed-up time to look at the maths behind the beautiful game...