Ant teamwork suggests models for computing faster and organizing better.
2000 Ingenious proof settles a wickedly prickly question about unfurling crinkly polygons. A quantum computation involving a custom-built molecule furnishes experimental evidence that a quantum computer can determine the order of a permutation more efficiently than can a conventional computer. Adventurous voyages to Antarctica test mathematical models of sea ice. Untangling a web of conflicting demands can be tough on computers. From sifting through radio telescope signals for signs of extraterrestrial life to searching for record-breaking prime numbers, home and office computers contribute via the Internet to a variety of research efforts.