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Computer Scientists Invent an Efficient New Way to Count

May 16, 2024

By making use of randomness, a team has created a simple algorithm for estimating large numbers of distinct objects in a stream of data.

How Do Machines ‘Grok’ Data?

April 12, 2024

By apparently overtraining them, researchers have seen neural networks discover novel solutions to problems.

What Your Brain Is Doing When You’re Not Doing Anything

February 5, 2024

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.

The Hidden Connection That Changed Number Theory

November 1, 2023

Quadratic reciprocity lurks around many corners in mathematics. By proving it, number theorists reimagined their whole field.

The Deep Link Equating Math Proofs and Computer Programs

October 11, 2023

Mathematical logic and the code of computer programs are, in an exact way, mirror images of each other.

How Many Microbes Does It Take to Make You Sick?

September 27, 2023

Exposure to a virus isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. The concept of “infectious dose” suggests ways to keep ourselves safer from harm.

How Scientists Are Tackling the Tricky Task of Solar Cycle Prediction

September 7, 2023

Scientists have struggled to accurately forecast the strength of the sun’s 11-year cycle — even after centuries of solar observations.

Alan Turing and the Power of Negative Thinking

September 5, 2023

Mathematical proofs based on a technique called diagonalization can be relentlessly contrarian, but they help reveal the limits of algorithms.

How Genetic Surprises Complicate the Old Doctrine of DNA

July 31, 2023

For over a century, biologists have had to contend with a complicated picture of genetics, which they’ve only recently begun to understand.

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