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Using mathematics to better understand cause and effect

Cause and effect. We understand this concept from an early age. Tug on a pull toy's string, and the toy follows. Naturally, things get much more complicated as a system grows, as the number of variables increases, and as ...

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Mathematics
Are ideas contagious? How the structure of human-interaction networks affects spread of both illness and information
Mathematics
Team presents new theoretical strategy for generating asymmetric distributions in probability and statistics
Mathematics
How higher-order interactions can remodel the landscape of complex systems
Mathematics
Want to solve a complex problem? Applied math can help
Mathematics
A method of 'look twice, forgive once' can sustain social cooperation
Mathematics
Why do large electorates tend towards evenly split results?
Mathematics
Researchers develop precise pricing formula for perpetual American strangle options
Mathematics
Two-way mathematical 'dictionary' could connect quantum physics with number theory
Mathematics
Soft cells: Rounded tile shapes echo those found in nature
Mathematics
Mathematical modeling explores the statistical mysteries of successfully scheduling a meeting
Mathematics
Mathematicians model a puzzling breakdown in cooperative behavior
Mathematics
Different mathematical solving methods can affect how information is memorized
Mathematics
Mathematicians debunk GPS assumptions to offer improvements
Mathematics
Framework for solving parabolic partial differential equations could guide computer graphics and geometry processing
Mathematics
Generalized splitting-ring number theoretic transform
Mathematics
Cold math, hot topic: Applied theory offers new insights into sea ice thermal conductivity
Mathematics
Mathematicians unlock the secrets of ouzo's cloudy transformation
Mathematics
New research analyzes 'Finnegans Wake' for novel spacing between punctuation marks
Mathematics
Those with the biggest biases choose first, according to new math study
Mathematics
Study uses topological data analysis to identify voting deserts

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General Physics
Extending classical black hole inequalities into the quantum realm
Plants & Animals
First successful test of wild minke whales reveals they have ultrasonic hearing
Analytical Chemistry
Sustainable method can electrosynthesize important chemical for synthetic rubber production
Archaeology
Healthy elbow room: Social distancing in Neolithic mega-settlements
Other
Saturday Citations: Sweaty, remarkable humans; ocean level rise projections; closeup of a star in another galaxy
Astrobiology
Ryugu asteroid sample rapidly colonized by terrestrial life despite strict contamination control
Astrobiology
Oldest direct evidence of hot water activity on Mars found
Astronomy
2 million mph galaxy smash-up seen in unprecedented detail
Evolution
Gene regulation study reports surprising results: Extensive regions of DNA belong to multiple gene switches
Archaeology
Peaches spread across North America through Indigenous networks, radiocarbon dating and document analysis show
Archaeology
Earliest fish-trapping facility in Central America discovered in Maya lowlands
Biochemistry
Natural substance from edible cyanobacterium could combat skin aging by enhancing collagen
Molecular & Computational biology
'e-Drive': New gene drive reverses insecticide resistance in pests... then disappears
General Physics
Accessing the lesser known nucleon: New neutron measurement can help physicists learn about nucleon structure and spin
Analytical Chemistry
Exploring new liquid organic hydrogen carrier materials for a safer, more transportable energy source
Paleontology & Fossils
Fossil discovery reveals giant worm lizard with snail-cracking jaws
Planetary Sciences
Niagara fireball event leads to discovery of tiniest known asteroid
Condensed Matter
Discovery of van Hove singularities could lead to novel materials with desirable quantum properties
Optics & Photonics
Prototype lenses can block epileptic-seizure causing wavelengths
Biochemistry
Next-generation, nature-inspired sunscreens have a new molecular scaffold

Exploring how community-based social norms evolve

Cooperation is a guiding principle of everyday life. It's as simple as following the rules of the road when driving or holding a door for a stranger; cooperation is a fundamental aspect of human societies and has long intrigued ...

Researchers develop online hate speech 'shockwave' formula

A George Washington University research team has created a novel formula that demonstrates how, why, and when hate speech spreads throughout social media. The researchers put forth a first-principles dynamical theory that ...

Implications of no-free-lunch theorems

In the 18th century, the philosopher David Hume observed that induction—inferring the future based on what's happened in the past—can never be reliable. In 1997, SFI Professor David Wolpert with his colleague Bill Macready ...

Exploring 'compellingness' in mechanism design

Consider an auction. You have two types of main protagonists or agents: a seller (or auctioneer) and many potential buyers. There are, of course, certain ground rules. For instance, one objective may be to design the auction ...

Machine learning model analyzes why couples break up

What does artificial intelligence offer that goes beyond traditional statistical models, such as regression analysis, to investigate the behavior of households, in particular the factors that cause the separation of couples ...

Human crowds are best modeled by a 'visual neighborhood'

Human crowd dynamics are best predicted by a visual neighborhood model, based on the visual fields of each person in the crowd. Birds flock, fish school, and human crowds, too, move in a collective motion pattern. Understanding ...