Archive

Seventy years after the invention of a data structure called a hash table, theoreticians have found the most efficient possible configuration for it.

Four mathematicians have estimated the chances that there’s a clear path through a random maze.

A controversial technique has produced detailed maps of the magnetic fields in colossal galaxy clusters. If confirmed, the approach could be used to reveal where cosmic magnetic fields come from.

When your mind is wandering, your brain’s “default mode” network is active. Its discovery 20 years ago inspired a raft of research into networks of brain regions and how they interact with each other.

An idea derived from string theory suggests that dark matter is hiding in a (relatively) large extra dimension. The theory makes testable predictions that physicists are investigating now.

Terence Tao, who has been called the “Mozart of Mathematics,” wrote an essay in 2007 about the common ingredients in “good” mathematical research. In this episode, the Fields Medalist joins Steven Strogatz to revisit the topic.

A mutant seedling revealed how plant tissues scatter incoming light, allowing plants to sense its direction and move toward it.

Two mathematicians have shown that origami can, in principle, be used to perform any possible computation.

Integer linear programming can help find the answer to a variety of real-world problems. Now researchers have found a much faster way to do it.