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Networks Untangle Malaria’s Deadly Shuffle
By examining regions shared between some of nature’s most variable genes, malaria researchers are piecing together an understanding of a deadly parasite.
A Twisted Path to Equation-Free Prediction
Complex natural systems defy analysis using a standard mathematical toolkit, so one ecologist is throwing out the equations.
How to Create Art With Mathematics
Can you generate aesthetically pleasing, symmetrical curves with two numbers and a simple mathematical function?
A Magical Answer to an 80-Year-Old Puzzle
Using crowd-sourced and traditional mathematics research, Terence Tao has devised a solution to a long-standing problem posed by the legendary Paul Erdős.
A New Map Traces the Limits of Computation
A major advance in computational complexity reveals deep connections between the classes of problems that computers can — and can’t — possibly do.
Solution: ‘The Road Less Traveled’
The solution to this month’s puzzle uses both mathematics and psychology to explain trouble with choosing the fastest route.
A Tricky Path to Quantum-Safe Encryption
In the drive to safeguard data from future quantum computers, cryptographers have stumbled upon a thin red line between security and efficiency.
The Road Less Traveled
When there are two paths to your destination, why does it always seem like you’re on the road with more traffic?
A New Design for Cryptography’s Black Box
A recent cryptographic breakthrough has proven difficult to put into practice. But new advances show how near-perfect computer security might be surprisingly close at hand.