Number 401

Fri, 22 May 2026 15:38:10 -0700

How does gold keep its glitter? Researchers uncover why it resists tarnish

The discovery helps explain why gold jewelry and other gold objects can remain untarnished for centuries—and could also point the way toward designing more effective gold-based catalysts for industrial and energy-related applications.

The bigger the reward, the faster we learn, researchers find

Scientists long assumed that learning speed depends primarily on our experience—how many times we try and succeed—not the size of the reward. We become better at poker because we keep playing and winning, regardless of the purse being $100 or $100 million.

Number 398

Fri, 01 May 2026 15:19:10 -0700

Whether traffic flows or not depends on more than just the roads

If a city’s suburban railway network is expanded, additional flats are likely to be built in an agglomeration that is better connected as a result. The opposite also holds true: If new buildings spring up like mushrooms in a suburb, this will call for an expansion of the transport infrastructure.

End of black box AI? Scientists develop blueprint for transparent system that reveals how it learns and makes decisions

Communication on A Reading List of Aperiodic Frequency

Number 401

Number 398