Math
- Tech
To tame traffic, go with the flow
Lights should respond to cars, a study concludes, not the other way around.
- Math
Crowdsourcing peer review
MATH TREK: A claimed proof that P≠NP spurs a massive collaborative research effort.
- Computing
Most influential media Twitter feeds
Computer scientists find surprises when they rank top 100.
- Computing
Going viral takes a posse, not an army
Quality of followers, not quantity, determines which tweets will fly
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- Math
Swarming locusts impossible to predict
A mathematical analysis shows that random factors underlie the insects’ movements across the landscape.
- Math
When intuition and math probably look wrong
A twist on the Two Children Problem shows how information can steer what looks probable.
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- Math
‘Discounting’ the future cost of climate change
Economists develop new methods to quantify the trade-off between spending now and spending later.
- Chemistry
From movies you’ll love to drugs you’ll take
A new method picks out promising drug compounds by computer, in much the same way Netflix recommends DVDs to its customers.
- Materials Science
Physicists untangle the geometry of rope
Equations explain why winding fibers together does the job, no matter what they’re made of.
- Math
Hiding patients in plain sight
A new technique could help make medical records available to researchers without compromising privacy.
