Beyond Euclid #182
Welcome to Beyond Euclid #182, the newsletter for the best mathematics and science stuff of the week. I am Ali, and I curate cool math and science stuff every week to help you have a better week.
First of all, I owe you a big apology for the 20-day silence.
As some of you might remember, during last year’s family vacation, we were involved in a road rage incident that almost ended in a serious accident. Thankfully, this year we finally managed to take a peaceful trip as a family — and it turned out to be full of unforgettable memories with my kids. As a father, I’ve come to realize that nothing is more important than making time for your children. Everything else can wait.
But during those 20 days, I also realized something else: I genuinely missed working on Beyond Euclid. I kept thinking about how soon I could start writing again. Crafting this newsletter brings me real joy — it makes me feel alive.
Anyway, I’ll stop rambling. Here it is — this week’s Beyond Euclid. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together.
And if you’d like to support Beyond Euclid financially, it would mean the world.
Mathematics + Science + Art
• A beautiful approach to find the area of a circle! You can convert a circle into a rectangle in a beautiful way.
• The hexagonal structure of honeycombs is nature’s engineering answer — maximum density, minimal waste. The same principle applies in data compression, where information in high-dimensional spaces needs to be packed tightly yet flexibly. At the mathematical peak of this field lies the challenge of packing spheres most efficiently. In 2016, Maryna Viazovska solved it in eight and then 24 dimensions — earning a Fields Medal for the breakthrough.
And if you want to go deeper, Steven Strogatz has written a brilliant piece on exactly this topic. If you’ve ever wondered what makes hexagons so special, his take is a must-read.
• Gabrielle van de Laak’s artwork made me look.
• On this postcard, Sir William Thomson (later known as Lord Kelvin) signs off to James Clerk Maxwell with a clever joke: "T² dp/dt". This isn't just an equation — it's a piece of scientific wit. Thomson, Maxwell, and their friend Peter Guthrie Tait often signed their letters with playful symbolic aliases instead of names. Here, Thomson escalates the joke by signing as T², making it “T² dp/dt” — a layered pun combining math, initials, and friendship. A brilliant example of physicists turning their own field into a running joke.
• After two decades of preparation, the Vera Rubin Observatory has begun capturing its first grand portrait of the universe. Perched high in the mountains of Chile, this monumental telescope does more than watch the night sky — it’s built to detect dark matter, dark energy, and even asteroids on a possible path toward Earth.
With its 3.2-billion-pixel camera, the first images revealed galaxy clusters 55 million light-years away, nebulae glowing with young stars, and 2,104 newly discovered asteroids — seven of them near-Earth, though none currently pose a threat. Perhaps the most stunning feature: Rubin will scan the entire sky every 3 to 4 days.
Engineering + Physics + Art
• Al-Mujadilah in Doha is the world’s first contemporary mosque designed specifically for women. Designed by DS+R, it’s more than a place of worship — it’s a space for education and community. The 750-person main hall is tilted 17° toward Mecca and expands to 1,300 during Ramadan.
Its ceiling features 5,500 conical openings that soften natural light; the central carpet is inspired by traditional Turkish prayer rugs. Two olive trees connect the indoors with nature, and the 39-meter minaret broadcasts the call to prayer with moving speakers — a modern take on tradition.
• In front of the Hirshhorn Museum, “Needle Tower” rises 60 feet high while touching the ground at just 14 inches. Its secret is tensegrity — a structural principle where tension holds everything in balance. The rods don’t even touch each other; cables pull them into perfect alignment.
Built in 1968 by Kenneth Snelson, it’s both sculpture and engineering feat. During major storms, they literally lay it down to protect it. Otherwise, it stands firm — no bolts shifting, no parts loosening. Some structures aren’t strong because they’re heavy, but because they’re tight. Here's a video of 15 people raising it up by hand at the Hirshhorn Museum.
• The image below shows two different methods for tying a surfboard to a car roof: Parallel Strapping and Criss-Cross Strapping. "Which is safer?" and "Which is stronger?" Generally, parallel strapping (the method on the left) is safer and stronger.
Here's why:
Better Stability and Wind Resistance: In parallel strapping, the straps press the surfboard tightly and directly against the car's roof. This is more effective in preventing the board from lifting up or shifting, especially at high speeds or in crosswind conditions. The board is secured directly to its main support points.
Less Opportunity for Movement: While criss-cross strapping might compress the board somewhat from the sides, there's a greater risk of the board slightly moving or twisting along its longitudinal axis. In parallel strapping, the straps hold the board more rigidly in place.
Compatibility with Automotive Carrying Systems: Most roof rack systems (cross bars) are designed to carry surfboards or other long items parallel. These systems support placing the board parallel to the roof bars and then directly securing it with straps.
• Geometry. Symmetry. Restraint. These old covers didn’t just explain physics — they embodied it.
• A new paint developed in Singapore doesn’t just reflect sunlight — it “sweats” when needed. It bounces heat away, absorbs moisture from the air, and slowly releases it as temperatures rise. In doing so, it cools the surface not by using electricity like an air conditioner, but through the natural physics of evaporation. Tests showed it reduced the need for air conditioning by 30–40%; its white, porous structure blocks heat from below and releases it upward.
• This signature belonged to Abdullah Abdul Kadir, a 19th-century writer from Malaya. But it reads more like an illusion than a name — designed in the shape of a sailing ship. It has a hull, sails, even waves underneath. It looks like it was done in one stroke, but likely took serious practice. It works almost like a personal logo: playful, detailed, and quietly clever. Not exactly practical for everyday forms, but impossible to forget once you’ve seen it.
News
• The Trump administration’s funding freeze on Harvard is not just a political maneuver—it’s a heavy blow to the foundation of American science. According to court filings and internal university records, over 900 research projects have been terminated, cutting off $2.6 billion in federal funding. These weren’t vanity experiments—they ranged from artificial leaves that turn sunlight into fuel, to studying how salamanders regrow limbs, to uncovering how sleep deprivation damages internal organs.
• Over the past fifteen years, young Americans have come to spend dramatically more time alone. In 2010, people aged 15 to 29 spent about four hours alone each day. By 2023, that number had risen to six hours — a 45% increase. And while solitude peaked during the COVID pandemic, it hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. Older age groups have also become more solitary, but the shift is far smaller: about 20% more for those aged 30–44, and around 10% for people over 45.
“Alone,” in this context, means physically without anyone else — even if you're on a call or a video chat.
• A newly published study in JAMA shows that the real threat to children’s mental health is not the number of hours spent in front of a screen, but the addictive relationship they develop with it. Among 4,285 children tracked over four years, those who described their use of phones, games, or social media as “uncontrollable” were two to three times more likely to experience suicidal thoughts or self-harming behavior during adolescence.
• The cliché that glass is healthy and plastic is harmful may be cracking. A new study by France’s Food Safety Agency found that beverages in glass bottles contain 5 to 50 times more microplastics than those in plastic. On average, researchers found 100 microplastic particles per liter. The main culprit? The paint on bottle caps. As caps rub and twist, tiny fragments flake off and mix into the drink.
• A new study shows that in societies with high levels of corruption, inequality, poverty, and violence, “dark personality traits” are more common. Traits like psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism aren't just individual quirks — they mirror the structure of the society.
• A large study reveals that marijuana users face a 29% higher risk of heart attacks and a 20% higher risk of stroke compared to nonusers, based on medical data from 200 million individuals aged 19 to 59.
• A new study sheds light on why many American millennials are drifting away from organized religion. The shift isn’t necessarily about abandoning belief altogether, but rather turning toward a more personal, value-driven sense of spirituality — one that emphasizes authenticity, freedom, and social justice.
This Week I Learned That
• The original recordings of the 1969 Moon landing are gone. NASA admitted that the tapes were reused in the 1980s — part of a batch of 200,000 magnetic tapes that were wiped and recorded over to save costs. The reason? Budget cuts.
• The most precise atomic clocks are so accurate that they wouldn’t drift by even a single second in 30 billion years — that’s over three times the age of the universe.
Buy
• Designed by Geonwoo Kang, the “Ducky Thermometer” reimagines the boring digital thermometer as a cheerful duck-shaped gadget. It’s easy for little hands to hold, makes playful sound effects, and shows temperature using three duck face expressions: healthy, slightly feverish, and sick. No scary numbers — just simple, friendly feedback. Honestly, can it hit the shelves already? I’d buy one in a heartbeat.
Bookmark This Gem
• You can literally mark your thesis with blood, sweat, and coffee. ☕
This coffestrains package lets you add realistic coffee rings and splashes to your LaTeX documents.
Hope you had a great time. Great articles thoroughly enjoyed the brain rambling you devised for me every week.