This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Want to see ...

Matter tells space how to curve, and curved space tells matter how to move. That's the basic principle behind Einstein's General Relativity, which linked, for the first time, the phenomenon of gravity ...

We will discuss the topology of simple closed curves on a given surface à la Thurston. We will then put on our big-boy pants and parametrize this space.