Mikkel Thorup

Computer scientist at the University of Copenhagen

Appears in 1 story

Born: February 13, 1965, Copenhagen

Education: University of Oxford

Last updated Nov 2, 2026

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New proof of four-color theorem runs in near-linear time

New Capabilities

As of September 2026: Co-led the project; credited with the parallel-reduction strategy

The four-color theorem says any map can be colored with four colors so no neighboring regions match. A team of six mathematicians posted a new proof in March 2026 that colors any planar graph in near-linear time, down from quadratic in the previous accepted proof.

Updated Sep 11