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The Computer Scientist Who Parlays Failures Into Breakthroughs

June 13, 2022

Daniel Spielman solves important problems by thinking hard — about other questions.

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How to Write Software With Mathematical Perfection

May 17, 2022

Leslie Lamport revolutionized how computers talk to each other. Now he’s working on how engineers talk to their machines.

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Pondering the Bits That Build Space-Time and Brains

April 20, 2022

Vijay Balasubramanian investigates whether the fabric of the universe might be built from information, and what it means that physicists can even ask such a question.

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In Search of Cracks in Albert Einstein’s Theory of Gravity

February 23, 2022

Celia Escamilla-Rivera is combining large data sets with supercomputers to test general relativity against its little-known competitors.

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When a Gene Illness Discovery Means Breaking Bad News

December 14, 2021

When scientists discover genes linked to dangerous illnesses in their samples, how should they convey that news to the study participants? The geneticist Cristen Willer had to tackle that challenge.

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The Mathematician Who Delights in Building Bridges

November 17, 2021

Ana Caraiani seeks to unify mathematics through her work on the ambitious Langlands program.

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Her Machine Learning Tools Pull Insights From Cell Images

November 2, 2021

The computational biologist Anne Carpenter creates software that brings the power of machine learning to researchers seeking answers in mountains of cell images.

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The Astronomer Who’s About to See the Skies of Other Earths

October 12, 2021

After the ultra-powerful James Webb Space Telescope launches later this year, Laura Kreidberg will lead two efforts to check the weather on rocky planets orbiting other stars.

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Anil Seth Finds Consciousness in Life’s Push Against Entropy

September 30, 2021

How does consciousness arise in mere flesh and blood? To the neuroscientist Anil Seth, our organic bodies are the key to the experience.

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