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Computer Science
computational complexity
Computer Scientists Eliminate Pesky Quantum Computations
For years, intermediate measurements made it hard to quantify the complexity of quantum algorithms. New work establishes that those measurements aren’t necessary after all.
information theory
Qubits Can Be as Safe as Bits, Researchers Show
A new result shows that quantum information can theoretically be protected from errors just as well as classical information can.
2021 in Review
The Year in Math and Computer Science
Mathematicians and computer scientists answered major questions in topology, set theory and even physics, even as computers continued to grow more capable.
Quantized Columns
What Does It Mean for AI to Understand?
It’s simple enough for AI to seem to comprehend data, but devising a true test of a machine’s knowledge has proved difficult.
artificial intelligence
AI Researchers Fight Noise by Turning to Biology
Tiny amounts of artificial noise can fool neural networks, but not humans. Some researchers are looking to neuroscience for a fix.
information theory
Researchers Defeat Randomness to Create Ideal Code
By carefully constructing a multidimensional and well-connected graph, a team of researchers has finally created a long-sought locally testable code that can immediately betray whether it’s been corrupted.
explainers
How Quantum Computers Will Correct Their Errors
Quantum bits are fussy and fragile. Useful quantum computers will need to use an error-correction technique like the one that was recently demonstrated on a real machine.
polynomials
Surprising Limits Discovered in Quest for Optimal Solutions
Algorithms that zero in on solutions to optimization problems are the beating heart of machine reasoning. New results reveal surprising limits.
Quantized Columns
The Uselessness of Useful Knowledge
Today’s powerful but little-understood artificial intelligence breakthroughs echo past examples of unexpected scientific progress.