Digital twins are enabling scientific innovation
They are being used to simulate everything from bodily organs to planet Earth
SCIENTISTS ARE no strangers to computer models. Some of the very first uses of computers to simulate reality, in fact, were built by physicists keen to understand the behaviour of subatomic particles, and meteorologists hoping to predict the weather. Over the 75 or so intervening years, computer modelling has become an integral part of scientific practice, informing everything from predictions of climate change to the monitoring of pandemics.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “The heart of the matter”
From the August 31st 2024 edition
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Deforestation is costing Brazilian farmers millions
Without trees to circulate moisture, the land is getting hotter and drier
Robots can learn new actions faster thanks to AI techniques
They could soon show their moves in settings from car factories to care homes
Scientists are learning why ultra-processed foods are bad for you
A mystery is finally being solved
Scientific publishers are producing more papers than ever
Concerns about some of their business models are building
The two types of human laugh
One is caused by tickling; the other by everything else
Scientists are building a catalogue of every type of cell in our bodies
It has thus far shed light on everything from organ formation to the causes of inflammation