puzzles

A flash of light that lit up the night sky above wartime Kyiv has led to widespread confusion, public speculation about what caused it, and lighthearted jokes about space aliens in a city more accustomed to Russian missile attacks.Video clips posted on social media showed the sky over the Ukrainian capital suddenly illuminated by a bright light late on Wednesday. In one clip, a flaming object appeared to be crashing to the ground. Kyiv authorities said an unknown aerial object had fallen from the sky at around 10.00 p.m.…

University of Arizona astronomers join an international effort to study the BOAT (brightest of all time), a gamma-ray burst providing a “cosmic lab” for understanding massive star deaths. The burst, GRB 221009A, had exceptionally narrow jets and raises questions about the lack of a supernova. Credit: NASA/Swift/Cruz deWildeUniversity of Arizona astronomers have joined an international effort to study the aftermath of the brightest flash of gamma rays ever observed. Observations involving various UArizona telescopes and…

There are a lot more optional — and mandatory — moments of exploration available to plyers in the Resident Evil 4 remake. One of the best examples comes in Chapter 4 when you are given the ability to move about the lake freely on your boat. Whether you found it by accident or got stuck while going along the main path, you will eventually have to solve two Cave Shrine puzzles in order to get your hands on the Church Key you need to move the story forward. If you found the altar the key is held on, you are likely at a…

In the world of Resident Evil 4, it isn’t just the existence of viruses and parasites that turn normal people into crazed zombies that differentiates it from our own reality. In this ream, most homes and buildings don’t just simply lock their doors, but secure them using obscure puzzles, such as the one you will find early on when you reach the Village Chief’s Manor. This small home has two major roadblocks preventing you from moving on and pursuing your goal of finding the president’s daughter. While there is a clue…

To most, Lewis Carroll is best known as the whimsical author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but did you know that he was also an avid puzzler and published mathematician? Among his many contributions was a book of mathematical puzzles that he called “Pillow Problems.” They are so named because Carroll devised them in bed to distract himself from anxious thoughts while falling asleep. He wrote that while stirring in bed, he had two choices: “either to submit to the fruitless self-torture of going through some…

Last year, I fell in love with Escape Academy the moment I first played it. I was instantly smitten by its well-constructed digital escape rooms, which were accessible and intuitive without being too easy. Though I adored the core gameplay loop, the package around it was a little lacking. It was over in a few hours and there wasn’t much reason to go back – there’s no fun in replaying a puzzle box you’ve already solved. Developer Coin Crew Games have worked to remedy those issues in the past year with additional DLC,…

Crafting a story can feel a bit like solving a puzzle. Sometimes you know your point A and point B, but it’s that space between that can be difficult to fill in. How do your characters arrive at the next big plot beat? What needs to happen to get them there in a way that feels natural? Each word becomes a puzzle piece that needs to be carefully placed in order to make it all make sense. That’s the exact idea at the heart of Storyteller, the latest release from publisher Annapurna Interactive, The unique puzzle game…

I have half a mind Lululu Entertainment has revealed their next game, Henry Halfhead. This sandbox puzzle game is looking to release next year. Casting you as the titular half-headed Henry, Henry Halfhead gives you the ability to possess objects. The trailer demonstrates Henry possessing a pair of safety scissors to slice up an apple, which is impressive. I could never even cut craft paper with those. My second thought is wondering if I could jam those scissors into an electrical socket.…

Image: Photo: Shutterstock Graphics: Vicky LetaGames are a bottomless reservoir of puzzle inspiration. This is because games and puzzles both tend to be founded on a concise set of logical rules. This week’s puzzle concerns one of the simplest strategy games ever devised: tic-tac-toe. Don’t feel too assured, though. You may be a tic-tac-toe expert, but have you ever tried to play it backwards?Did you miss last week’s puzzle? Check it out here, and find its solution at the bottom of today’s article. Be careful not to read…

As It Happens5:58Scientists taught individual bees to solve puzzles. Soon, whole colonies knew howBumblebees are social learners who follow cultural trends, a new study suggests.New research out of the U.K. shows that if you teach a bumblebee how to solve a puzzle in order to get a tasty treat, other bees in the colony will quickly learn that same skill through observation. And when bees are shown multiple solutions to the same puzzle, a colony will — over time — develop a preference for one technique over another."The…