Prime numbers, the building blocks of mathematics, have fascinated for centuries − now technology is revolutionizing the search for them
- Written by Jeremiah Bartz, Associate Professor of Mathematics, University of North Dakota

A shard of smooth bone etched with irregular marks dating back 20,000 years puzzled archaeologists until they noticed something unique – the etchings, lines like tally marks, may have represented prime numbers. Similarly, a clay tablet from 1800 B.C.E. insc...