List by Author: Rachel Thomas

Avi Wigderson: "It's good to have hard problems"
You are faced with a difficult problem, it is not easily solved. How do you feel? Well, if you are Avi Wigderson, one of the winners of the 2021 Abel Prize, you are very happy!
Testing testing in schools
What's the safest way to reopen schools? And can testing make things better?
The magic of shuffling
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Want to shuffle like a professional magician? Find out how to shuffle perfectly, imperfectly, and the magic behind it.
The mathematics of shuffling
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A journey into the maths of card shuffling gives us a great insight into how mathematicians work.
How long until it's all over?
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We can't say for sure, but everything depends on how many people agree to be vaccinated.
Who should be vaccinated first?
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Modelling shows that old and vulnerable people should be prioritised.
How were the vaccines tested?
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Like any medical drug, vaccines are tested in large-scale randomised controlled trials.
How effective are the vaccines — and how do we know this?
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The efficacy of vaccines is estimated from trials, using statistical techniques.
Since herd immunity will protect us all, why do I need to get vaccinated?
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Because the vaccine may not stop transmission of the virus.
Are the vaccines safe?
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Yes the approved vaccines are safe. If you balance the risks, then taking the vaccine is much safer than taking your chances with COVID-19.
The agent perspective
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How do we learn and understand the world? What separates us from machines? Yoshua Bengio believes it all comes down to our agency.
Building meaning: dog or ostrich
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How do we build our models of the world? Yoshua Bengio explains how deep learning will help machines act to understand the world in a similar way.