We’ve seen plenty of evidence lately that security on the Internet is not all that it could be. Recent examples of lost, misplaced, or unsecured data — including episodes with CardSystems Solutions, ChoicePoint, Citibank, Bank of America, and Wachovia — could potentially affect millions of consumers.

Leonard Kleinrock is emeritus professor of computer science at the University of California, Los Angeles. He created the basic principles of packet switching, the foundation of the Internet, while a graduate student at MIT, where he earned a Ph.D. in 1963. The Los Angeles Times in 1999 called him one of the “50 people who [...]

This week the world’s largest general science journal, aptly named Science, takes a different and more humble tack, presenting a list of the 125 biggest quandaries that scientists have failed to fathom.

The 12 teenagers and young adults, some in ripped jeans and baggy T-shirts, sit in a circle, chewing gum and fidgeting as they shyly introduce themselves. “I’m 12 years old,” one boy announces with a smile. “I love playing computer games. That’s it.” “It’s been good to sleep” says another, a 17-year-old with spiky hair, [...]

NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft lived up to its name early Monday when it slammed into a comet with such force that the resulting blast of icy debris stunned scientists with its size and brightness.