It’s a common trope in dystopian sci-fi stories: an evil corporation requires its employees to receive microchip implants in order to constantly monitor their whereabouts. While there aren’t any known…
A biocomputer powered by lab-grown human brain cells has leveled up from Pong to Doom. While nowhere ready to handle the video game shooter’s most challenging levels, researchers at Cortical…
Like many other cultures, the ancient Romans loved their board games. Some of history’s most well-documented examples of tabletop pastimes date back to the empire. Ludus Latrunculorum, aka latrones, was…
It’s a regrettable reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting scientific stories we come across each month. So every month, we highlight a handful of…
If you didn’t grow up with smartphones and tablets, then the touchscreen inputs, busy interfaces, and multiple apps can quickly become overwhelming. If you have parents or grandparents who struggle…
In 1774, British physician-scientist Charles Blagden received an unusual invitation from a fellow physician: to spend time in a small room that was hotter, he wrote, “than it was formerly…
Google on Friday unveiled its plan for its Chrome browser to secure HTTPS certificates against quantum computer attacks without breaking the Internet. The objective is a tall order. The quantum-resistant…
QR codes are designed to be used as quickly and easily as possible. But while tens of millions of the black-and-white gridworks are used every day, few people are likely…
Despite the headline, this isn’t really a story about superconductivity—at least not the superconductivity that people care about, the stuff that doesn’t require exotic refrigeration to work. Instead, it’s a…
Archivists at the Library of Congress believe they may have discovered the first depiction of a robot in cinemas, thanks to a 127-year-old reel that had been gathering dust in…