AbstractKurtz randomness is a notion of algorithmic randomness for real numbers. In particular a real α is called Kurtz random (or weakly random) iff it is contained in every computably enumerable set U of (Lebesgue) measure 1. We prove a number of characterizations of this notion, relating it to other notions of randomness such as the well-known notions of computable randomness, Martin-Löf randomness and Schnorr randomness. For the first time we give machine characterizations of Kurtz randomness. Whereas the Turing degree of every Martin-Löf random c.e. real is the complete degree, and the degrees of Schnorr random c.e. reals are all high, we show that Kurtz random c.e. reals occur in every non-zero c.e. degree. Additionally, we show that ...