Risky Giant Steps Can Solve Optimization Problems Faster
New results break with decades of conventional wisdom for the gradient descent algorithm.
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Cryptographers Solve Decades-Old Privacy Problem
We are one step closer to fully private internet searches.
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These Cells Spark Electricity in the Brain. They’re Not Neurons
For decades, researchers have debated whether brain cells called astrocytes can signal like neurons.
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The Physical Process That Powers a New Type of Generative AI
Some modern image generators rely on the principles of diffusion to create images. There may be a better alternative.
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The Usefulness of a Memory Guides Where the Brain Saves It
New research finds that the memories useful for future generalizations are held in the brain separately from those recording unusual events. -
Alan Turing and the Power of Negative Thinking
Mathematical proofs based on a technique called diagonalization can be relentlessly contrarian, but they help reveal the limits of algorithms. -
Math Proof Draws New Boundaries Around Black Hole Formation
For a half century, mathematicians have tried to define the exact circumstances under which a black hole is destined to exist. -
Underground Cells Make “Dark Oxygen” Without Light
In some deep aquifers, cells have a chemical trick that could sustain whole underground ecosystems. -
The Lawlessness of Large Numbers
Mathematicians can often figure out what happens as quantities grow infinitely large. What about when they are just a little big?
