In Computers, Memory Is More Useful Than Time

Plus: Brains vs. AI on the new Quanta Podcast; How mitochondria change during bird migration; Grad student proves an Erdős conjecture

Math and Science News from Quanta Magazine View this email in your browser COMPUTATIONAL COMPLEXITY | ALL TOPICS   For Algorithms, a Little Memory Outweighs a Lot of Time One computer scientist's "stunning" proof is the first progress in 50 years on one of the most famous questions in computer science. Read the article THE QUANTA PODCAST   AI Is Nothing Like a Brain, and That's OK With SAMIR PATEL and YASEMIN SAPLAKOGLU Listen to the first episode of our new weekly series The Quanta Podcast, hosted by editor in chief Samir Patel. This week's guest is Yasemin Saplakoglu, who recently wrote "AI Is Nothing Like a Brain, and That's OK" for Quanta's special issue, "Science, Promise and Peril in the Age of AI." Listen (Apple) | Listen (Spotify) Read the article PHYSIOLOGY   'Turbocharged' Mitochondria Power Birds' Epic Migratory Journeys By ELIZABETH LANDAU Changes in the cells of flight muscles provide extra energy for birds' continent-spanning feats. Read the article NUMBER THEORY   Graduate Student Solves Classic Problem About the Limits of Addition By LEILA SLOMAN A new proof illuminates the hidden patterns that emerge when addition becomes impossible. Read the article Follow Quanta Unsubscribe | About Quanta | My Bookmarks Privacy Policy | Terms | Contact Us   Copyright © 2025 Quanta Magazine, an editorially independent division of the Simons Foundation Simons Foundation 160 5th Avenue, 7th Floor New York, NY 10010