Thinkerlink
Thinkerlink is a free daily game about famous scientists. Guess the mystery scientist in eight tries. After each guess, every column (field, birth year, lifespan, continent, country and gender) shows whether you matched, were close, or were off, with arrows for the numbers.
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How to play
Type a scientist and pick it from the list. The row that appears compares your guess with the mystery answer, one column at a time. Use the colors and arrows to rule things out, then guess again.
Questions
Where does the data come from?
From a table we wrote and checked by hand: each scientist's field, birth and death years, birthplace and gender, using standard references.
Which scientists can be the answer?
All 131, from Andreas Vesalius to Geoffrey Hinton. Each is assigned to one main field, even though many worked across several.
How is the country decided?
It is the country that contains the birthplace today, so someone born in Breslau is listed as born in Poland.
How do I read the colors?
Purple means that column matches the answer. Striped yellow means close: a number within range, or related. Gray means no match. An arrow on a number points toward the answer: up if the answer is higher, down if it is lower.
How many guesses do I get?
Eight on most days. After four wrong guesses a hint shows the first letter of the answer, and after six it also shows the length.
What are the weekday twists?
Each day has its own rule. Monday is standard. Tuesday reveals one fact about the answer. Wednesday gives ten guesses. Thursday hides one column in your first three guesses. Friday turns the arrows off. Saturday gives only six guesses. Sunday is hard mode: every guess must be a possible answer given your clues.
When does a new puzzle appear?
At midnight in your time zone, and everyone sees the same answer on the same date.
Do I need an account?
No. Streaks and results are kept in your browser. Signing in with an email link keeps them on every device.
Scientist data: compiled by Purplelink from standard references.
Tips for Thinkerlink
- Start with someone from the 1800s, such as Darwin or Faraday, so the birth year arrow can point either way.
- Field splits the list into seven groups; birthplace then narrows it.
- Lifespan shows 'Living' for scientists who are still alive, which is a quick filter.