Computer science

Even as mathematicians and computer scientists proved big results in computational complexity, number theory and geometry, computers proved themselves increasingly indispensable in mathematics.

Today’s information age is only possible thanks to the groundbreaking work of a lone genius.

The goal of the “busy beaver” game is to find the longest-running computer program. Its pursuit has surprising connections to some of the most profound questions and concepts in mathematics.

Jelani Nelson designs clever algorithms that only have to remember slivers of massive data sets. He also teaches kids in Ethiopia how to code.

A cryptographic master tool called indistinguishability obfuscation has for years seemed too good to be true. Three researchers have figured out that it can work.

Deep neural networks, often criticized as “black boxes,” are helping neuroscientists understand the organization of living brains.

Vinton Cerf helped create the internet 40 years ago, and he’s still working to connect people around the world — and off it.

After 44 years, there’s finally a better way to find approximate solutions to the notoriously difficult traveling salesperson problem.

A small community of mathematicians is using a software program called Lean to build a new digital repository. They hope it represents the future of their field.