Computer models are vital for studying everything from climate change to disease – here’s how AI could make them even better

By John Woodward, Reader in Computer Science, Loughborough University

Here’s one definition of science: it’s essentially an iterative process of building models with ever-greater explanatory power.

A model is just an approximation or simplification of how we think the world works. In the past, these models could be very simple, as simple in fact as a mathematical formula. But over time, they have evolved and scientists have built increasingly sophisticated simulations of the world as new data has become available.

A computer model of…

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