Math and Science
Photo and art by Gabriele Meyer. Read about the mathematics underlying the sculpture.
The essence of mathematics is freedom, as Georg Cantor so pithily put it. It's also joy, meaning, play, power, and awe.
Skeptical? It's understandable: Too many of us feel shut off from the joy of mathematics, having been convinced in school that math is nothing but an infinite ladder of ever-more-complicated rote calculations, with the test of one's intelligence being the ability to climb its greasy rungs. This mind-numbing view of math wounds so many of us, cutting us off from our mathematical selves and depriving us of confidence in our innate ability to find meaning and structure in the world.
My goal in writing about mathematics is to help heal those wounds just a little bit, and to allow all of us, the mathematically injured and uninjured alike, to play together in that free world of mathematics. Whether you're a mathematician or someone who has avoided math since sixth grade, you can look at the world through a mathematical lens and see the beauty and meaning that is revealed.
New York Times
I've had the honor of writing obituaries for several giants of mathematics.
- Isadore Singer, Who Bridged a Gulf From Math to Physics, Dies at 96 (PDF) His unifying disparate theoretical realms helped revolutionize our understanding of the most basic structure of the universe. February 12, 2021
- Michael Atiyah, Mathematician in Newton's Footsteps, Dies at 89 (PDF) He united mathematics and physics in a way not seen since the days of Isaac Newton. January 11, 2019
- Vladimir Voevodsky, Revolutionary Mathematician, Dies at 51 (PDF) He upended mathematical thinking so profoundly that he changed the meaning of the equals sign. October 6, 2017
- Alexander Grothendieck, Math Enigma, Dies at 86 (PDF) He transformed the way many mathematicians approached their research, according to his unique vision. November 14, 2014
Discover
I'm a contributing editor for Discover. Here are a few of my favorite stories for them:
- Fatal Cancer Threatens Tasmanian Devil Populations (PDF) A voracious cancer threatens to wipe out an iconic Tasmanian species and destabilize the island's ecosystem. Can biologists trick the disease into taming itself? March 31, 2014
- The Mystery of Extraordinarily Accurate Medieval Maps (PDF) Beautifully detailed portolan charts present historians with a puzzle: How were they made? A mathematical analysis offers some clues. May 27, 2014
- Diving into the Mysteries of Fractals (PDF) Infinity, Contained. June 30, 2018
Science News Math Trek
For seven years, I wrote a column for Science News about mathematics, producing more than 100 articles. For all of my Math Trek articles, go here. Some samples:
- A Building of Bubbles (PDF) The swim center for the Olympics, which looks like it formed out of froth, was designed using the mathematics of foam. July 19, 2008
- The Grammy in Mathematics (PDF) Mathematician nominated for award for restoring the only known recording of a live Woody Guthrie performance. February 5, 2008
- Winning the World Series with Math (PDF) A nearly circular path could be the fastest way to home plate. October 22, 2010
- Darwin, the Reluctant Mathematician (PDF) Despite disliking mathematics, the great biologist inadvertently advanced statistics. February 11, 2009
Wired Equation
Sadly, many of my Wired Equation articles have vanished, but here are some samples of late-stage proofs of the articles:
- The Law of Rainbows August 30, 2011
- Why Soda Goes Pop April 26, 2011
- Counting Votes November 1, 2010
Other Wired articles:
- Ante Up, Human July 9, 2010
- 1848 Daguerreotypes Bring Middle America's Past to Life July 9, 2010
NPR
I've had great fun being a guest on All Things Considered several times to discuss math. You can see all of them here. Here are three samples:
- Scientists Discover 15th Convex Pentagon Able to Tile the Plane (PDF) August 14, 2015
- Principia Mathematica Celebrates 100 Years (PDF) December 22, 2010
- Fields Medal Recognizes Mathematical Achievement (PDF) August 19, 2010
Fields Medalist Profiles
In 2010, I had the honor to write "work profiles" for the general public of the winners of the Fields Medals, one of the highest honors in mathematics, on behalf of the International Mathematical Union, which gives the prizes. See the profiles for Elon Lindenstrauss, Ngo Bao Chau, Stanislav Smirmov and Cedric Villani (PDF).
Booklets
I have written several booklets about mathematics for math organizations. I wrote one on the mathematics and statistics of sustainability (PDF) and several on math education for MSRI, like this one (PDF), based on its Critical Issues in Mathematics Education annual conference.
↑ Back to TopNew Mexico Energy
Photo credit: Steven Baltakatei Sandoval
New Mexico is a clean energy leader despite being poor and rural. It's more exposed to climate change than almost anywhere in the country. It's also the #2 oil producer in the US. And it happens to be the state I live in and love.
Substack
- In Which I Persuade You that the Energy Transition is Awesome (PDF) The energy transition is unstoppable — not because of political will, but because solar and wind are now the cheapest electricity ever produced, and getting cheaper every year. An introduction to the big picture, and why paying attention to it might be the best antidote to overwhelm you'll find.
- The New Mexico Paradox (PDF) New Mexico was the third state to commit to 100% renewable energy — and it's the #2 oil producer in the country. A poor, rural state navigating that contradiction turns out to be a surprisingly clarifying lens on the energy transition everywhere.
- How a Dying Coal Plant Sparked New Mexico's Ambitious Climate Law — and What Other States Can Learn (PDF) In 2019, New Mexico passed one of the most ambitious clean energy laws in the country — with bipartisan support, in a poor, oil-heavy state. The secret ingredient was a dying coal plant, and a piece of financial alchemy that turned a utility's bad investment into lower bills, worker support, and binding climate targets.
- Small Is Beautiful — But It's Not Enough (PDF) The environmental instincts shaped by half a century of Small Is Beautiful thinking — mistrust of corporations, preference for local scale, safety in saying no — once pointed us toward ecological sanity. Now they can point us away from it.
ME/CFS
Image credit: Eros Dervishi
In 2006, I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (now called myalgic encephalomyelitis or ME/CFS), an illness I've struggled with since 1999.
My memoir about navigating the science and politics of poorly-understood illnesses, Through The Shadowlands: A Science Writer's Odyssey into an Illness Science Doesn't Understand, was published by Rodale in May, 2017.
O Magazine
- Lost and Found (PDF) It was an honor to write this essay for O magazine, based on my book. I describe my search for relief from a mystery illness doctors don't understand, the amazing benefit I gained from avoiding mold, and how the experience transformed me. May 22, 2017
New York Times
- Getting It Wrong on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (PDF) In 2011, a Lancet study claimed that psychotherapy and gradually increasing exercise could cure myalgic encephalomyelitis. But their data showed it couldn't. Cowritten with David Tuller. March 18, 2017
- A Disease Doctors Refuse to See (PDF) The highly prestigious Institute of Medicine wrote that ME/CFS is a real, non-psychiatric disease, based on a review of the scientific literature, and it called for doctors to take it seriously. Many doctors responded by sneering. February 25, 2015
STAT News
- Why Did It Take The CDC So Long to Reverse Course on Debunked Treatments for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis? (PDF) David Tuller and I congratulate the CDC on its recent move to stop recommending cognitive behavioral therapy and graded exercise therapy, and we exhort it to do far, far more to make up for recommending ineffective and often dangerous treatments, for decades. September 25, 2017
- Bad Science Misled Millions with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Here's How We Fought Back (PDF) Patients had just won access to the PACE trial data and published their initial reanalysis, which showed that the PACE investigators' claims of recovery were bogus. I told the story from my own, personal point of view. September 21, 2016
Substack
- Two Systems in Collapse (PDF) The discipline of ME — meter your energy ruthlessly, act anyway, don't attach too much hope to any one effort — turns out to map surprisingly well onto the discipline of climate response. An essay about two systems in collapse, and what each illuminates about the other.
Slate
- How to Assess Internet Cures Without Falling For Dangerous Pseudoscience (PDF) A community on Facebook practically cured my horrendous illness. Here's how you can navigate the scary waters to potentially find real solutions, too.
- Hope for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (PDF) I wrote this shortly after Tuller published his great exposé of the PACE trial. It introduced the very serious problems with the trial to the general public for the first time. November 13, 2015
- Stolen Notebooks and a Biochemist in Chains (PDF) This was the very first article I ever wrote about ME/CFS, when I was at my very sickest. It transformed my life. I "came out" publicly as having the disease myself, and as a result, I was contacted by patients who introduced me to the idea that mold might be at the root of my illness. December 2, 2011
- The Science Isn't Settled on Chronic Lyme (PDF) A close look at the evidence for chronic Lyme disease — and at how decades of sexism may explain why the medical establishment has been so quick to dismiss it. Co-written with Maya Dusenbery. June 27, 2018
Washington Post
- With Long-Haul Covid-19, Important Advice for Patients, Doctors, and Researchers (PDF) I and two other ME/CFS patients offer advice for long-haulers, based on our own experiences. October 24, 2020
- What is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, and Why Aren't We Doing More To Treat The Illness? (PDF) and How the Definition of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Keeps Changing (PDF) When I tell people that the politics of myalgic encephalomyelitis are horrendous, they often look surprised. "Politics?" they ask. This article, with its sidebar, explains what I mean. October 6, 2014
Sense About Science
- Epistemically Challenged (PDF) I was asked about a "problem of knowledge" I was particularly interested in, and I discussed how my experience with ME/CFS has transformed my relationship to science and left me wondering about how we as individuals evaluate the significance of science. September 8, 2015
The Open Notebook
- How to Report with Accuracy and Sensitivity on Contested Illnesses (PDF) When the scientific consensus is absent, corrupted, or actively harmful, the usual shortcuts of science journalism become a trap. Covering poorly understood illnesses like ME/CFS or long Covid requires everything science journalism demands — and then some. Credentials don't equal correctness. A guide for journalists, written from the inside. January 26, 2021
Essays
New York Times
- May I End My Life With You? (PDF) My friend made the weightiest decision possible while staying at my home. I struggled with what it meant.
Substack
- Holding What Has No Meaning (PDF) After my friend Beth Mazur died, and after my illness took more than I'd thought I had left to give, I found myself asking what remains when everything has been stripped away.
The Last Word on Nothing
- The Candi Cane Cooper Caper, or, The Mathematics of Dr. Dolittle (PDF) My cat Lao went missing during a camping trip in the Sangre de Cristos, and my husband was bereft. I did what any rigorous science journalist would do: called a psychic. I explain it all — with math. July 19, 2018
STAT News
- Bad Science Misled Millions With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Here's How We Fought Back (PDF) In 2011, a Lancet study claimed that psychotherapy and gradually increasing exercise could cure myalgic encephalomyelitis. Patients found huge scientific problems with the study, and after a five-year battle, won access to the underlying data — and proved that it was bogus. I tell the story here from my own personal perspective. September 21, 2016
