Computer science

The idea that artificial intelligence can “reason” is more intuitive than ever. But intuitions can be wrong, and the science is far from settled.

Shayan Oveis Gharan has won the Abacus Medal for using tools from across mathematics to boost the power of algorithms.

Today’s computers need safeguards against random energy fluctuations. Thermodynamic computers would put those fluctuations to use.

When checking that solutions to certain problems are correct, it turns out, you can’t get around the inherent complexity of the quantum world.

Our genetic heritage is not a blueprint or an algorithm, as many biologists have imagined, but something else entirely.

With automated proof-checkers, a problem can be broken up into small chunks, solved bit-by-bit, then reassembled with confidence that every piece is correct. For some, this heralds a new area in mathematical research.

The podcast returns with 12 all-new episodes that explore the biggest questions in basic science and mathematics.

Do we need quantum computers to fully understand complex chemical reactions? A new result, decades in the making, shows the surprising power of ordinary “classical” machines.

A graduate student recently harnessed the complexity of mathematical proofs to create a powerful new tool in cryptography.