E8 has been completely mapped–a major mathematical achievement. What does it mean in layman’s terms? Erm… lemme work on that a bit. In the meantime, here’s a BBC news item on the triumph. If you want to go deeper, here is a release from the AIM over in Palo Alto. (And note they are having an explanatory lecture this afternoon, if you can get there.) Readers of my book Prime Obsession will know all about the AIM and the great work they have being doing in mathematical research. And if that picture of Sophus Lie in the BBC story caught your fancy, he gets full coverage in Chapter 13 of my latest book Unknown Quantity (of which, btw, the UK edition has just been published). Lie was one of the three great algebraists Norway produced in the 19th century–not bad for a poverty-stricken, oppressed & underpopulated nation. Lie was by no means a stoop-shouldered geek, was in fact a great sturdy Viking, who hiked for miles over the mountains. “Mathematical folklore says that if it started to rain when Lie was hiking, he would take off his clothes and stuff them in his backpack.” ( U.Q., p. 269). That’s the way to do math!