New Scientist: Thirty years after the introduction of the Rubik’s Cube, researchers have determined that the number of moves required to solve any of its 43 quintillion possible positions is no more than 20.
Tomas Rokicki of Palo Alto, California, and his team used the methods of computational group theory and the supercomputing powers of Google to speed up the process of solving this complex and formidable mathematical problem.
The finding that the Saturnian moon may host layers of icy slush instead of a global ocean could change how planetary scientists think about other icy moons as well.
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.
January 29, 2026 12:52 PM
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