The Operatives

Astrophysical observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico, home to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey 2.5-meter telescope.

Historic Caltech observatory in southern California operating the famous 200-inch Hale Telescope.

The world's largest marine protected area, safeguarding fragile Antarctic polar ecosystems and toothfish habitats.

He was a mathematician who co-discovered the Atiyah-Singer index theorem connecting topology, geometry, and analysis, winning the Abel Prize.

Deep underground physics laboratory situated in the Fréjus Road Tunnel between France and Italy.

She is a mathematician who solved the sphere-packing problem in dimensions 8 and 24, winning the Fields Medal.

Next-generation ground-based observatory for very high-energy gamma-ray astronomy located in Chile and Spain.

Major thermal brine spa center and historic fair city situated on the Rhine in northern Switzerland. Population: ~4,400.

Vast fully protected marine reserve in Mexico protecting giant oceanic manta rays and volcanic islands.

International scientific team operating two ground-based Cherenkov telescopes at La Palma for gamma-ray astrophysics.

World-famous thermal health resort, Tamina Gorge spring center, and municipality in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Population: ~6,500.

Vast conservation reserve encompassing the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, one of the largest marine protected areas in the world.

He is a mathematician who played a foundational role in the development of wavelet theory, winning the Abel Prize.

International physics collaboration in Mendoza, Argentina, studying ultra-high-energy cosmic rays across a vast surface array.

Oceanic volcanic sanctuary in Colombia protecting critical Pacific pelagic aggregations and marine corridors.

University of California astronomical observatory atop Mount Hamilton, the world's first permanently inhabited mountaintop observatory.

He is a mathematician who made groundbreaking contributions to topology, dynamical systems, and algebraic structures, winning the Abel Prize.

Historic cradle of Swiss high horology and watchmaking complications located in the Jura Vaudois of Switzerland. Population: ~7,000.

Underground physics facility located in the Aragonese Pyrenees, Spain, conducting low-background dark matter searches.

He is a mathematician who proved Szemerédi's theorem on arithmetic progressions and the regularity lemma, winning the Abel Prize.

Renowned alpine climatic resort and winter sports destination located in the Schanfigg Valley of Switzerland. Population: ~3,100.

He was a mathematician who created the theory of buildings in group theory, winning the Abel Prize and Wolf Prize.

Historic cross-border twin town on the Rhine River renowned for its medieval fortifications in Aargau, Switzerland. Population: ~3,700.

He is a mathematician who made foundational contributions to partial differential equations, fluid dynamics, and shock waves, winning the Abel Prize.