How was the wheel invented? Computer simulations reveal the unlikely birth of a world-changing technology nearly 6,000 years ago

People have long assumed that wheels evolved from simple wooden rollers. But how? And why? A new model focused on mechanical advantage and structural strength suggests some answers.

Kai James, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology • conversation
June 11, 2025 • ~8 min

Could gravity be evidence that the universe is a computer simulation? My new study suggests why this might be so

Suppose the law of gravity is simply a byproduct of the universe operating under a computer-like code.

Melvin M. Vopson, Associate Professor of Physics, University of Portsmouth • conversation
May 13, 2025 • ~6 min

Could gravity be evidence that the universe is a computer simulation? My new study suggests so

Suppose the law of gravity is simply a byproduct of the universe operating under a computer-like code.

Melvin M. Vopson, Associate Professor of Physics, University of Portsmouth • conversation
May 13, 2025 • ~6 min

Do we live in a computer simulation like in The Matrix? My proposed new law of physics backs up the idea

If the average amount of information conveyed by an event is always decreasing, it could mean we live in a computer program.

Melvin M. Vopson, Associate Professor of Physics, University of Portsmouth • conversation
Oct. 18, 2023 • ~8 min

Can supercomputers help solve mysteries of universe?

A talk with Andrew Pontzen, author of “The Universe in a Box: Simulations and the Quest to Code the Cosmos.”

Liz Mineo • harvard
July 31, 2023 • ~6 min

A new data-driven model shows that wearing masks saves lives – and the earlier you start, the better

The model provides county-level analysis and simulates the benefits of mask-wearing in terms of illnesses and deaths.

Biplav Srivastava, Professor of Computer Science, University of South Carolina • conversation
Nov. 13, 2020 • ~6 min

Six unknown factors in coronavirus models and how they could affect predictions

The questions researchers around the world are working on day and night.

Imran Mahmood Qureshi Hashmi, Research Fellow in Agent-based Modelling, Brunel University London • conversation
April 2, 2020 • ~7 min

/

1