Computing

Much like spoken language, Internet memes take on shifting political meanings according to context

Instead of shutting down whole cities, we can use big data to take a more targeted approach

What 1990s Internet protest movements share with today’s disinformation campaigns

Until programmers recognize their own internal biases, the software they create will be problematic

A new budget-friendly virtual-reality system helps researchers study the brains of small animals

Artificial intelligence still needs to bridge the “sim-to-real” gap. Deep-learning techniques that are all the rage in AI log superlative performances in mastering cerebral games, including chess and Go, both of which can be played on a computer. But translating simulations to the physical world remains a bigger challenge.

A robot named Curly that uses “deep reinforcement learning”—making improvements as it corrects its own errors—came out on top in three of four games against top-ranked human opponents from South Korean teams thatincluded a women’s team and a reserve squad for the national wheelchair team. (No brooms were used).

One crucial finding was that the AI system demonstrated its ability to adapt to changing ice conditions. “These results indicate that the gap between physics-based simulators and the real world can be narrowed,” the joint South Korean-German research team wrote in Science Robotics on September 23. 

A familiar concept from chaos theory turns out to work differently in the quantum world

As faith in government hits historic lows, organizers in the U.K. are trying a new math-based approach to democracy. Would it work in the bitterly divided U.S?

An expert explains how automation enables quick deliveries—which will include ballots for November’s election

Technology is blurring the lines between consumers and producers, amateurs and professionals, and laypeople and experts. We’re just starting to understand the implications

Why do we ignore information that could improve our ability to predict the odds of a personal cyberattack?

The system works like noise-cancelling headphones but fits over an open window. Christopher Intagliata reports.