Hilbert’s sixth problem: Mathematicians solve 125-year-old quest to unite key laws of physics

Mathematicians have finally succeeded in unifying the laws of physics that govern the motions of particles at different scales. Their efforts resolve a question set by mathematician David Hilbert in 1900 as part of an ambitious programme for all mathematicians of the 20th century – and could deepen our understanding of the complex behaviour of fluids in the atmosphere and oceans.

“This is a major result in my view. I thought it was completely beyond reach,” says Benjamin Texier at the University of Lyon…