Innovation
New ideas and scientific and technological advancements
The Big Dilemma Facing Doctors Without Borders
The non-governmental organization concedes it sometimes pays a moral price to save lives
April 2013 |
By Guy Gugliotta
Free Online Courses Mean College Will Never Be the Same
They're the biggest innovation in higher education in years, but are they a threat to small universities and community colleges?
March 29, 2013 |
By Randy Rieland
Sugar Cube-Sized Robotic Ants Mimic Real Foraging Behavior
Researchers use tiny robots to study how ants navigate a labyrinth of networks, from the nest to the food and back again
March 28, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
The Science of Being a Sports Fan
What does it mean to be “addicted” to your favorite team?
March 26, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
How Digital Devices Change the Rules of Etiquette
Should sending "Thank you" emails and leaving voice mails now be considered bad manners? Some think texting has made it so.
March 25, 2013 |
By Randy Rieland
Video: This Lizard-Inspired Robot Can Scamper Across Sand
It's a product of the emerging field of terradynamics, which studies the movement of vehicles across shifting surfaces
March 21, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Video: This Mini 3D Display Could Show up on Next Generation Smartphones
The new technology can be packed into a tiny space, requires no glasses and can project images and video in full color
March 20, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
A Partial History of Headphones
Modern headphones have their origin in opera houses, military bases and a kitchen table in Utah
March 19, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
The Perils of Wearing Clothes
From toxins in textile dyes to torturous corsets, beauty has a long history of coming at a high cost
March 18, 2013 |
By Emily Spivack
The Bay Bridge Gets Its Glow On
When an algorithm-driven light show took over the Bay Bridge last week, it was the latest example of how much technology is transforming how cities look.
March 14, 2013 |
By Randy Rieland
How a Computer Program Can Learn All About You From Just Your Facebook Likes
Your publicly available "likes" can tell others a lot you wouldn't expect—including your political views, sexual orientation and religion
March 11, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
The Secret Plot to Rescue Napoleon by Submarine
In 1820, one of Britain's most notorious criminals hatched a plan to rescue the emperor from exile on the Atlantic isle of St Helena -- but did he ever try it?
March 08, 2013 |
By Mike Dash
Lousy Sleep Isn’t Good For Your Body, Either
More and more scientific research is showing that sleep is more important to our state of mind--and body--than we ever could have imagined.
March 08, 2013 |
By Randy Rieland
Scientists Map Buried Flood Channels on Mars in 3D
Deep channels, buried under lava but now mapped with satellite data, give hints to the planet's violent, wet and recent past
March 07, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
How Smart Can a Watch Be?
Actually, fairly smart. And we're only seeing the first wave of smartwatches, with Apple expected to enter the fray as early as this year.
March 05, 2013 |
By Randy Rieland
The War on Cancer Goes Stealth
With nanomedicine, the strategy is not to poison cancer cells or to blast them away but to trick them
March 01, 2013 |
By Randy Rieland
Could Solar Panels on Your Roof Power Your Home?
Researchers at MIT are investigating how to turn houses in Cambridge, Massachusetts, into mini-power plants
March 2013 |
By James Holloway
Video: This Stretchable Battery Could Power the Next Generation of Wearable Gadgets
Durable and rechargeable, the new battery can be stretched to 300 percent of its size and still provide power
February 27, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Small Satellites—Some the Size of Postage Stamps—Are Transforming How Scientists Conduct Space-based Research
A new fleet of nanosatellites is zooming through space
February 26, 2013 |
By Mohi Kumar
How to Survive China’s Pollution Problem: Masks and Bubbles
The air quality in China's biggest cities is famously atrocious, but designers think they may have found a way to combat the issue
February 26, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
