Alan Turing

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Inside the Decades-Long Saga of Missing Alan Turing Artifacts

They were taken from a school in the '80s, have now been returned

(Newser) - In 1965, the mother of famed breaker of Nazi codes Alan Turing donated a box of his items to the Sherborne School he attended for five years in Dorset, England. Nineteen years later, the items went missing—during the visit of an American woman named Julie Schinghomes, say school officials....

To Celebrate a Code-Breaker, Spy Agency Offers a Challenge

It's inspired by Alan Turing, who appears on Britain's new 50-pound note

(Newser) - The UK's spy agency has released its "hardest puzzle ever" in honor of Alan Turing's appearance on the Bank of England's highest-value banknote, the 50-pound bill. Turing—"the first openly gay man to have his face on a banknote," per the Independent —was...

Alan Turing Gets a New Honor
Alan Turing Gets
New Purchase Power
Jul 15, 2019 10:07 AM CDT

Alan Turing Gets New Purchase Power

Bank of England announces it's putting famed mathematician on the 50-pound note

(Newser) - Alan Turing was persecuted for being gay by the country he helped win World War II and ultimately died by his own hand before his 42nd birthday. Almost seven decades later, England is honoring its native son and the father of artificial intelligence by putting his image on the 50-pound...

Newfound Letters From Alan Turing: 'I Detest America'

Collection of nearly 150 of the codebreaker's notes found in university filing cabinet

(Newser) - Alan Turing hated the United States. That's one nugget revealed in a trove of old letters recently unearthed in a storeroom filing cabinet at the University of Manchester. The Guardian reports the collection of 148 notes, which apparently hadn't seen the light of day in at least three...

'Turing Law' Will Pardon 65K Convicted for Being Gay

Most of the victims of Britain's anti-gay laws are dead now

(Newser) - Approximately 65,000 gay and bisexual men—only 15,000 of whom are still living—convicted under Britain's "gross indecency" and "buggery" laws will be pardoned, USA Today reports. According to the Independent , the pardons, which were announced Thursday, come as an amendment to the Policing and...

Math Model Helps Answer Riddle of Tiger's Stripes

Researchers can better explain why they're vertical or horizontal

(Newser) - Since the 1950s mathematicians have been trying to sort out exactly why some animals, like tigers and zebras, have stripes that are oriented perpendicularly to their spines, while others, like the zebrafish, have stripes that are parallel. Now Harvard researchers are proposing a mathematical model in the journal Cell Systems...

WWII Codebreaker's Notebook Sells for $1M

Turing notes show steps toward modern computing

(Newser) - A notebook that sheds light on how British mathematician Alan Turing helped invent modern computing—and win World War II—was sold for just over $1 million at an auction in New York yesterday. The 56-page handwritten notebook dates from 1942, when Turing was helping crack Nazi Germany's Enigma...

Man Behind Secret Code at CIA Offers New Hint

Kryptos' final secret message includes phrase 'Berlin clock'

(Newser) - Jim Sanborn punched four messages into his curved copper sculpture, which has sat outside CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., since 1990. The first three messages of "Kryptos" were decoded by NSA cryptographers in 1993, then by fans in 1999. The 97-character fourth message, however, has stumped code breakers for...

Computer Fools Humans, Passes 64-Year-Old Test

Said to be first to pass 'Turing Test'

(Newser) - A landmark in the realm of artificial intelligence has been achieved. In 1950, computer scientist Alan Turing suggested a test which, in its current form, requires a computer to "trick" 30% of judges into believing it's human. At London's 2014 Turing Test on Saturday, 33% of judges...

Queen Pardons WWII Codebreaker

Alan Turing committed suicide after gross indecency conviction

(Newser) - Alan Turing, widely hailed as the father of modern computing, helped the Allies win World War II by cracking Nazi Germany's Enigma code—but after the war, Britain repaid him by persecuting him for his homosexuality, leading to a conviction for gross indecency in 1952, followed by chemical castration...

Google Doodle Offers Brain-Teaser Tribute

It honors mathematician Alan Turing

(Newser) - Google today honors pioneering mathematician Alan Turing with one of its more ambitious Google Doodles. As USA Today explains, it simulates one of his theoretical concepts, a Turing Machine. "There are six puzzles to solve, one for each letter in the Google logo," writes Nancy Blair. "After...

British PM Apologizes to Gay WWII Codebreaker

Gordon Brown slams 'horrifying' treatment of late mathematician Alan Turing

(Newser) - Gordon Brown has issued a posthumous apology to WWII codebreaking genius Alan Turing, the Guardian reports. Turing's work cracking German codes helped the Allies win the war, but he was later prosecuted for having a gay relationship. He was chemically castrated after being forced to choose between that or prison,...

Fury Mounts Over Treatment of Gay WWII Codebreaker

Petition seeks posthumous apology for computing genius Alan Turing

(Newser) - A campaign to win a pardon and apology for gay World War II codebreaking genius Alan Turing is gathering steam, CNN reports. Turing—considered by many to be the father of modern computing—made a vital contribution to the Allied effort with his invention of a machine to crack German...

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