The Riemann hypothesis concerns the basic building blocks of natural numbers: prime numbers, values greater than 1 that are only divisible by 1 and themselves. Examples include 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 ...

A new algorithm brings together the advantages of randomness and deterministic processes to reliably construct large prime numbers.

Using a notion called integer partitions, mathematicians have discovered a new way to detect prime numbers while also connecting two areas of math in an unexpected way ...

Two mathematicians have found a strange pattern in prime numbers — showing that the numbers are not distributed as randomly as theorists often assume.

A new proof has debunked a conspiracy that mathematicians feared might haunt the number line. In doing so, it has given them another set of tools for understanding arithmetic’s fundamental building ...

Numbers like 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11 are all prime numbers. What fewer people know is why these numbers are so important, and how the mathematical logic behind them has resulted in vital applications ...