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The Prime Rib Problem
Prime numbers are endlessly fascinating to number theorists and math enthusiasts. This month’s puzzle explores primes by cooking up a whimsical dish of grilled snake ribs.
Solution: ‘Why Are There Two Sexes?’
The mathematical concept of parity and the fatal flaw of serial multiplication can help explain why having two sexes usually works better than having one or three.
Why Are There Two Sexes?
Asexual reproduction can produce twice as many offspring as sexual reproduction without the hassle of finding and courting a mate. So why do most complex animals have two sexes? Why not three?
Solution: ‘Bongard Problems and Scientific Discovery’
Like scientific puzzles, Bongard problems can lead you through a frustrating blind search until you find that simple, elegant rule that fits a seemingly random pattern.
Bongard Problems and Scientific Discovery
For your frustration, joy and entertainment, our puzzle challenges you to find general patterns or rules based on seemingly random, specific examples.
Solution: ‘Darwinian Evolution Explains Lamarckism’
How Darwinian natural selection can produce and sustain a Lamarckian “inheritance of acquired characteristics.”
Can Darwinian Evolution Explain Lamarckism?
Answering three questions can help reveal how the “inheritance of acquired characteristics” fits into modern evolutionary theory.
Solution: ‘Friday the 13th’
There’s more than one good way to bring order to our unruly, seemingly arbitrary calendar.
Is It Friday the 13th Again?
How our society defines years, months and weeks can seem frustratingly arbitrary. Can you bring order to our unruly calendar?