A collaboration between mathematicians and biologists has discovered “why platelets, the cells that form blood clots, are the size and shape that they are”, a better understanding of which “could have wide implications [for] healing wounds and in strokes and other conditions”.
New strategy for winning the iterated prisoner’s dilemma
A new strategy for the iterated prisoner’s dilemma allows, over the very long run, one player to unilaterally claim an unfair share of the rewards.
Matt Parker’s Twitter Puzzle – 3rd June
Matt Parker (@standupmaths on Twitter) has tweeted the following Maths Puzzle, in light of the forthcoming transit of Venus: If you’re bored: Venus orbits the Sun in 224.70069 days while the Earth takes 365.242199. Ish. Feel free to work out how often it overtakes. — Matt Parker (@standupmaths) June 3, 2012 No spoilers in the comments!…
Math/Maths 99: Beer, Flying Carpets and Sarcastic AI
A new episode of the Math/Maths Podcast has been released. A conversation about mathematics between the UK and USA from Pulse-Project.org. This week Samuel and Peter spoke about: The Guinness Sinking Bubble Problem; Egocentric Social Network Structure; Computers understanding language in context; Researchers Build Miniature Flying Carpet; Campaign to disregard Turing’s conviction; The Turing Enigma…
Loebner tires of Loebner Prize, discusses future of thinking machines
TechRepublic have published an interview with Hugh Loebner, originator of the Loebner Prize competition, in which he discusses the prize and the future of thinking machines.
Campaign to disregard Turing’s conviction
A report on the MK [Milton Keynes] NEWS website offers support for the campaign of Iain Stewart MP “in his efforts to have Alan Turing’s conviction for homosexuality quashed”. In a piece for Travels in a Mathematical World I wrote about the Turing pardon and the prospect of a new piece of legislation which, according…
Marcus du Sautoy interview; Marcus supports the Telegraph’s numeracy campaign
Marcus du Sautoy has lent his weight to The Telegraph’s numeracy campaign, Make Britain Count. In an interview covering maths and music, patterns and abstraction and a little about his and his children’s mathematics education, he also talks about how maths teaching in schools could be improved, stating that in this country there’s an honour…