EMAIL OF THE DAY

“Turing might be known primarily as a mathematician and the founder of computer science, but he was truly a full-fledged scientist of incredible insight. A decade ago, as an undergraduate student, I stumbled across some articles on “Turing structures,” which were Turing’s theory as to how certain complex biological patterns (zebra stripes, cow spots, etc) could arise from relatively simple (and well-understood) chemical equations. Some 40 years after his theory, scientists discovered that his hypothesis had real-world application. Looking at his original paper, I was amazed at how clearly and concisely he wrote, with an obvious concern for the lay reader who lacked his mathematical brilliance.
For a long but entertaining read, I recommend Neal Stephenson’s “Cryptonomicon,” which includes some highly enjoyable historical speculations on the breaking of Enigma.”