Computing

Soon participants in virtual gatherings will feel like they are physically together

Droid friends and assistants are penetrating deeper into our lives

Life’s information-storage system is being adapted to handle massive amounts of information

But its consequences could be troubling

Social media bots promote unproved benefits of e-cigarettes

Quantum computers are improving at a doubly exponential rate

Breakthrough demonstrations using defective diamonds, high-flying drones, laser-bathed crystals and other exotica suggest practical, unhackable quantum networks are within reach

It’s called decoherence—but while a breakthrough solution seems years away, there are ways of getting around it

Researchers trained a neural network to scrutinize high school essays and sniff out ghostwritten papers. Christopher Intagliata reports.

Tech experts can’t guarantee it’s safe

Researchers combined laboratory and simulated experiments on 3-D-printed wings to find the ideal wing shape

Virtual assistants are getting smarter. Let's think about how that will play out