Week in Science: Mathematicians have beef with Good Will Hunting

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March 6—This week, you can ring a doorbell to help fish migrate through a Dutch canal. Plus, mathematicians have problems with the film Good Will Hunting, and the face of an ancient human ancestor is reconstructed. Are you a math lover? Or a little math curious? Im thrilled to announce the launch of our new newsletter Proof Positive, which digs into the amazing math of everyday life (and some plain geeky things). Sign up here and get it for free every week in your inbox. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor Have thoughts? Email newsletters@sciam.com anytime.

Top Stories

Why mathematicians hate Good Will Hunting This Oscar-winning classic set a surprisingly simple mathematical challenge Manon Bischoff

Ring the Fish Doorbell to help migrating fish navigate a Dutch canal A Dutch lock is closed for the spring, and its employees want you to tell them when migrating fish come knocking by ringing a digital doorbell K. R. Callaway

Face of ancient human ancestor 'Little Foot' reconstructed for the first time "Little Foot" is the most complete Australopithecus fossil ever found. And now we finally have an idea of what this group of ancient hominins looked like Jackie Flynn Mogensen

See the moon turn blood red in a total lunar eclipse A total lunar eclipse is set to grace the sky on Tuesday. Here's how to see it Claire Cameron

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AI was supposed to save coders time. It may be doing the opposite Studies find AI helps developers release more software—while logging longer hours and fixing problems after the code goes live Steven Melendez

This may be the oldest 'butthole' imprint on Earth Fossils show exceptionally rare evidence of a cloacal vent—the slit that most vertebrates use to excrete, have sex and lay egg—which could shed light on the evolution of the orifice Taylor Mitchell Brown

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS captured speeding through the solar system by Jupiter-bound spacecraft This mysterious interstellar visitor is on a whirlwind journey through our solar system Jackie Flynn Mogensen

Are prime numbers hiding inside black holes? The strange case for prime numbers at the heart of physics Lyndie Chiou

A Bill Gates–backed nuclear power plant just got cleared to start building TerraPower, a start-up founded by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, is set to build a new kind of nuclear power plant in Wyoming Claire Cameron

Punch the monkey and his plushie re-create a famous psychological experiment Punch, a monkey that went viral after he was abandoned by his mother in a Japanese zoo, is reminiscent of a foundational attachment theory experiment Mark Nielsen, The Conversation US

Massive Saharan dust storm brings risk of 'blood rain' and fiery skies to southern Europe Known as "La Calima," this desert dust plume could hit Spain, Portugal and France, bringing with it grit-laden, rust-colored rainfall Claire Cameron

A salt battery could make EVs more winterproof—if it holds up on the road CATL says its sodium-ion pack can keep charging and delivering power far below freezing. The real test is whether those lab numbers survive real winter driving You Xiaoying

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