mathematics

A study led by the University of the Balearic Islands proposes a mathematical model to understand quantitatively the impact of ideologies on the coexistence of various languages. The more groups of people with different linguistic preferences mix, the more challenging it becomes for different languages to coexist within the same society, say the authors, whose study is published in the scientific journal Chaos. The team says this model could be useful to design policies aimed at preserving minority languages.

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters has awarded the Abel Prize to Luis A. Caffarelli, a native of Argentina with US-Argentine nationality, for his "fundamental contributions to the theory of the regularity of nonlinear partial differential equations". Considered the Nobel Prize of mathematics, the award recognises work over an entire career - unlike the Fields Medal, which is awarded for a result under the age of 40. Caffarelli has become the first Latin American to receive this award.

This year's theme for 8M is "For an inclusive digital world: innovation and technology for gender equality". If we want to innovate for everyone, there must be women doing research in mathematics, an essential discipline in the fields of technology, finance and health. However, the future of mathematical research in Spain has a male profile and this is worrying: advances and major decisions will be made excluding half of the population.

Ukrainian mathematician Maryna Viazovska was today awarded one of four Fields Medals, considered the Nobel Prize in mathematics. After Iran's Maryam Mirzakhan, who received it in 2014, she is the second woman to be honoured with this prestigious award.

Mathematician Maryna Viazovska (Kiev, Ukraine; 1984) has today been awarded one of the four Fields Medals, considered the Nobel Prize in Mathematics. She is the second woman to be awarded this prize, after the Iranian Maryam Mirzakhan, who received it in 2014.