The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. If you want to solve a tricky problem, it often helps to get organized. You might, for example, break the problem into pieces and tackle ...

You’re at the checkout screen after an online shopping spree, ready to enter your credit card number. You type it in and instantly see a red error message ...

Ever wondered how social media platforms decide how to fill our feeds? They use algorithms, of course, but how do these algorithms work? A series of corporate leaks over the past few years provides a ...

An innovative algorithm called Spectral Expansion Tree Search helps autonomous robotic systems make optimal choices on the move. In 2018, Google DeepMind's AlphaZero program taught itself the games of ...

Martina Egedusevic receives funding from the Scottish Forestry Trust. Daniel Green works for Heriot-Watt University as an Assistant Professor in Nature-based Solutions. He is also a Research Associate ...

All species on Earth, both living and extinct, are related. We know this because of a biological tool called the tree of life. This "tree" takes the form of a diagram that maps the relationships ...

Since the heyday of radio, records, cassette tapes, and MP3 players, the branding of sound has evolved from broad genres like rock and hip-hop to “paranormal dark cabaret afternoon” and “synth space,” ...

Last summer, a fire tore through the Hawaiian island of Maui, killing more than 100 people and razing thousands of buildings and homes. The disaster was one of the deadliest wildfires in American ...

Scientists have trained an AI algorithm to count the number of flowers on fruit trees using only smartphone images. The system could predict the size of a harvest months in advance — saving farmers ...

From microbes to four-legged critters, dead trees play an essential role in a forest’s ecosystem. Experts say it's rare that removal is necessary. Letting dead trees, like this bristlecone pine in the ...

Social media apps regularly present teens with algorithmically selected content often described as “for you,” suggesting, by implication, that the curated content is not just “for you” but also “about ...