Curated category
Formal sciences
- Computer scienceIn 1623, Wilhelm Schickard constructed the first working mechanical calculator. This machine marked a turning point in human attempts to automate arithmetic…
- Organoid intelligenceIn 2019, researchers at Johns Hopkins University began using the term organoid intelligence to describe a new field combining computer science and biology.
- MathematicsThe Babylonian tablet known as Plimpton 322 dates to approximately 1800 BC and contains a sexagesimal numeral system still used today for measuring angles.
- LogicAristotle wrote his Organon in the 4th century BCE, establishing term logic as the dominant system of reasoning for over two thousand years.
- CryptographyA carved ciphertext on stone in Egypt dates back to ancient times, though scholars debate whether it concealed information or simply amused literate…
- Artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence was founded as an academic discipline in 1956. The field has experienced multiple cycles of optimism followed by periods of…
- Game theoryIn 1564, Gerolamo Cardano wrote Liber de ludo aleae, a manuscript on games of chance that remained unpublished until 1663.
- Decision theoryBlaise Pascal published his Pensées in 1670, introducing a famous wager about the existence of God. This text marked an early moment when probability theory…
- Pattern recognitionIn 1936, statisticians introduced discriminant analysis to assign classes based on data patterns. This early method laid the groundwork for modern pattern…
- StatisticsThe word statistics comes from the Latin term status, meaning situation or condition in society. In late Latin, this evolved to mean state.