American Scientist

It is somewhat amazing that a time of such great hardship, destruction, and loss as World War II could also have been a time of such immense advancement in the mathematics of fair divisioning. Despite the growing chaos around them, a group of Polish mathematicians—including Stanisław Ulam, who went to work on the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos after the war ended—met regularly at a coffee shop to discuss elegant mathematical ideas. One of their concepts, now known as the ham sandwich theorem, proved that there were ways to equally cut groups of multiple objects with a single line, in two or three dimensions. But as Theodore Hill describes in "Slicing Sandwiches, States, and Solar Systems," the research has implications for the extant problem of gerrymandering, the unfair partisan divisioning of voter districts. However, whether mathematics helps or adds to such divisioning depends on the definition used for “fair,” which can be tricky.

A debate similarly divided along party lines surrounds the concept of gene editing. Matthew Nisbet discusses investments that will be necessary to expand the public dialogue around this new technology in this issue’s Science Communication column, "The Gene-Editing Conversation."

As humans we often make choices about how to use the world around us, and how we are going to ensure that we preserve our environment for future generations. Energy generated by less polluting sources is therefore seen by many as a noble effort to mitigate climate change. But even green sources of energy require space, and where is that space going to come from? In this issue’s Perspective column, "Rearranging the Planet to Save It," Robert L. Chianese examines the plight of a diminutive species, the desert tortoise, that is being displaced by solar power projects in the Mojave Desert. Humans may think of the desert as a barren place, but Chianese points out that’s only from our perspective as an apex species.

A species that is decidedly not diminutive is the African elephant, and it knows how to use its size. Western populations are all for the conservation of this majestic animal, but what about the people who have to live near the conservation areas and have their crops regularly destroyed by these large marauders? In "Living in an Elephant Landscape," Jonathan Salerno, Lin Cassidy, Michael Drake, and Joel Hartter describe efforts to encourage more local voices in the debates surrounding conservation efforts.

One thing for certain is that humans are not going to stop using resources. Let’s hope that with thoughtful dialog, we can make decisions that work the best for everyone, and everything, in our world. Let us know what you think.

—Fenella Saunders (@FenellaSaunders)