French mathematician Rene Descartes, in 1637, announced the “first principle” of his philosophy in scholarly Latin: “Cogito, ergo sum.” Its eloquent simplicity has haunted us ever since: “I think, ...

Some quantum cryptographers want to find ways to keep messages secret even if the rules of quantum mechanics don’t hold. The ...

A University of Portsmouth physicist has explored whether a new law of physics could support the much-debated theory that we are simply characters in an advanced virtual world. The simulated universe ...

A slow computer doesn't always need new hardware. A few targeted changes can improve speed, responsiveness, and day-to-day ...

One basic principle of computer modeling is “garbage in, garbage out.” In other words, you can’t model phenomena you don’t understand. Nonetheless, politicians often use bad models to give a veneer of ...