Computing

  1. Science & Society

    Parag Pathak uses data and algorithms to make public education fairer

    Economist Parag Pathak has overhauled school choice systems across the United States. Now he’s assessing what makes for a good education.

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  2. Tech

    A chip made with carbon nanotubes, not silicon, marks a computing milestone

    Silicon’s reign in cutting-edge electronics may soon over. The carbon nanotube could be its successor.

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  3. Artificial Intelligence

    Artificial intelligence has now pretty much conquered poker

    A new artificial intelligence called Pluribus is a real card shark at six-player no-limit Texas Hold’em.

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  4. Artificial Intelligence

    AI can learn real-world skills from playing StarCraft and Minecraft

    By playing StarCraft and Minecraft, artificial intelligence is learning how to collaborate and adapt.

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  5. Science & Society

    Facebook data show how many people left Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria

    Conventional surveys can’t track migration after natural disasters in real time. But Facebook data may provide a crude estimate of those who flee.

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  6. Math

    Mathematicians may have found the fastest way to multiply huge numbers

    A new theoretical method for multiplying enormous figures appears to achieve a speed first predicted decades ago.

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  7. Earth

    A new algorithm could help protect planes from damaging volcanic ash

    A computer program that tracks the temperature and height of clouds in the atmosphere could keep planes away from volcanic ash.

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  8. Computing

    Virtual avatars learned cartwheels and other stunts from videos of people

    A new computer system that lets animated characters learn acrobatic skills from videos could be a cheaper alternative to traditional motion capture.

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  9. Computing

    A new computer program generates eerily realistic fake videos

    It’s getting harder to tell fact from fiction — even on camera.

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  10. Computing

    Solving problems by computer just got a lot faster

    A new computer program sifts through all possible solutions to find the best answer to a given problem far faster than other algorithms.

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  11. Math

    ‘Weird Math’ aims to connect numbers and equations to the real world

    The book Weird Math attempts to make chaos theory, higher dimensions and other concepts more relatable.

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  12. Computing

    Are computers better than people at predicting who will commit another crime?

    If crime-predicting computer programs aren’t any more accurate than human guesswork, do they still have a place in the criminal justice system?

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