What's up in
Computer Science
Q&A
Complexity Scientist Beats Traffic Jams Through Adaptation
To tame urban traffic, the computer scientist Carlos Gershenson finds that letting transportation systems adapt and self-organize often works better than trying to predict and control them.
Abstractions blog
At the Math Olympiad, Computers Prepare to Go for the Gold
Computer scientists are trying to build an AI system that can win a gold medal at the world’s premier math competition.
Abstractions blog
A New Algorithm for Graph Crossings, Hiding in Plain Sight
Two computer scientists found — in the unlikeliest of places — just the idea they needed to make a big leap in graph theory.
artificial intelligence
How Close Are Computers to Automating Mathematical Reasoning?
AI tools are shaping next-generation theorem provers, and with them the relationship between math and machine.
geometry
Computer Search Settles 90-Year-Old Math Problem
By translating Keller’s conjecture into a computer-friendly search for a type of graph, researchers have finally resolved a problem about covering spaces with tiles.
Quantized Columns
Spotting Quantum Black Holes in the Lab
Can we test speculations about how quantum physics affects black holes and the Big Bang?
Abstractions blog
How and Why Computers Roll Loaded Dice
Researchers are one step closer to injecting probability into deterministic machines.
Abstractions blog
A Digital Locksmith Has Decoded Biology’s Molecular Keys
Neural networks have been taught to quickly read the surfaces of proteins — molecules critical to many biological processes.
artificial intelligence
Symbolic Mathematics Finally Yields to Neural Networks
After translating some of math’s complicated equations, researchers have created an AI system that they hope will answer even bigger questions.