THIS COULD BE A BUZZKILL FOR SOME FOLKS: Claimed Breakthrough Slays Classic Computing Problem; Encryption Could Be Next. “A professor’s claim to have created an algorithm that dramatically simplifies one of theoretical computer science’s most notorious problems has experts preparing to reconsider a long-established truth of their field. It is also seen as a reminder that similar algorithmic breakthroughs are possible that could weaken the tough-to-crack problems at the heart of the cryptography protecting the world’s digital secrets.”