Latest Articles
Solution: ‘The Bulldogs That Bulldogs Fight’
To minimize brain strain when thinking recursively, start simply, look for a pattern and let the pattern do the work.
The Bulldogs That Bulldogs Fight
Solve a linguistic whodunit about a college mascot by thinking like a self-referencing computer subroutine.
Solution: ‘How to Find Simple Treasures in Complex Numbers’
Puzzle solvers used “imaginary” numbers to solve a real world problem: finding long-lost treasure.
How to Find Simple Treasures in Complex Numbers
In spite of their name, “imaginary” numbers are as real as any other numbers, especially when it comes to hunting for lost treasure.
Quanta’s Science and Math Crossword Puzzle
Celebrate a year’s worth of scientific and mathematical insights by solving this brain-teasing cryptic crossword from our puzzle columnist.
Solution: ‘How Equality and Inequality Shape Birds and Bees’
Puzzle solvers explored how evolution may have used negative and positive control mechanisms to shape the conflicting parental functions of reproduction and child rearing.
How Equality and Inequality Shape the Birds and the Bees
Two dynamic, seemingly opposing forces likely played an important role in the evolution of reproduction and child rearing in social animals like bees and humans.
Solution: ‘Evolutionary Math and Just-So Stories’
How much stock should we put in mathematical models of evolution that have not been validated by rigorous empirical data?
Evolutionary Math and Just-So Stories
Evolutionary stories like the grandmother hypothesis are easy to construct from mathematical models, but how well do they reflect reality?