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A New Map Traces the Limits of Computation
A major advance in computational complexity reveals deep connections between the classes of problems that computers can — and can’t — possibly do.
Solution: ‘The Road Less Traveled’
The solution to this month’s puzzle uses both mathematics and psychology to explain trouble with choosing the fastest route.
Visions of Future Physics
Nima Arkani-Hamed is championing a campaign to build the world’s largest particle collider, even as he pursues a new vision of the laws of nature.
An Explorer of Life’s Deepest Partnerships
The biologist Nancy Moran has spent a career investigating the surprising nature of symbiosis, a phenomenon in which two species can appear to merge into one.
How the Body’s Trillions of Clocks Keep Time
Cellular clocks are almost everywhere. Clues to how they work are coming from the places they’re not.
Einstein’s Parable of Quantum Insanity
Einstein refused to believe in the inherent unpredictability of the world. Is the subatomic world insane, or just subtle?
A Tricky Path to Quantum-Safe Encryption
In the drive to safeguard data from future quantum computers, cryptographers have stumbled upon a thin red line between security and efficiency.
The Road Less Traveled
When there are two paths to your destination, why does it always seem like you’re on the road with more traffic?
A New Design for Cryptography’s Black Box
A recent cryptographic breakthrough has proven difficult to put into practice. But new advances show how near-perfect computer security might be surprisingly close at hand.