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complexity

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geometry

Mathematicians Complete Quest to Build ‘Spherical Cubes’

By Jordana Cepelewicz
February 10, 2023
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Is it possible to fill space “cubically” with shapes that act like spheres? A proof at the intersection of geometry and theoretical computer science says yes.

Illustration of an ornate balance demonstrating that the expression x2 + 2x + 1 weighs more than the equivalent expression (x + 1)(x + 1)
computational complexity

Computer Scientists Prove That Certain Problems Are Truly Hard

By Mordechai Rorvig
May 11, 2022
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Finding out whether a question is too difficult to ever solve efficiently depends on figuring out just how hard it is. Researchers have now shown how to do that for a major class of problems.

Five mountain landscapes on floating scrolls representing possible cryptographic worlds.
cryptography

Which Computational Universe Do We Live In?

By Erica Klarreich
April 18, 2022
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Cryptographers want to know which of five possible worlds we inhabit, which will reveal whether truly secure cryptography is even possible.

Illustration of a figure standing between broken orange walls and a blue unbreakable wall with a broken sledgehammer beside it
computational complexity

Researchers Identify ‘Master Problem’ Underlying All Cryptography

By Erica Klarreich
April 6, 2022
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The existence of secure cryptography depends on one of the oldest questions in computational complexity.

Nobel Prize

Work on Earth’s Climate and Other Complex Systems Earns Nobel Prize in Physics

By Natalie Wolchover
October 5, 2021
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Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann have been honored for their work that led to reliable predictions of the effects of climate change. They will share the Nobel with Giorgio Parisi, who has made pioneering studies of chaotic physical systems.

2020 in Review

The Year in Biology

By John Rennie
December 23, 2020
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While the study of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was the most urgent priority, biologists also learned more about how brains process information, how to define individuality and why sleep deprivation kills.

Computer scientist and complexity researcher Carlos Gershenson of the National Autonomous University of Mexico stands by a busy urban roadway.
Q&A

Complexity Scientist Beats Traffic Jams Through Adaptation

By Rodrigo Pérez Ortega
September 28, 2020
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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.

Art for "Rapid Oxygen Changes Fueled an Explosion in Ancient Animal Diversity"
Abstractions blog

Rapid Oxygen Changes Fueled an Explosion in Ancient Animal Diversity

By Jonathan Lambert
May 9, 2019
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Skyrocketing animal diversity a half-billion years ago was linked to spikes and dips in marine oxygen levels, according to a detailed geological study.

Abstractions blog

Smarter Parts Make Collective Systems Too Stubborn

By Jordana Cepelewicz
February 26, 2019
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As researchers delve deeper into the behavior of decentralized collective systems, they’re beginning to question some of their initial assumptions.


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