Innovation
New ideas and scientific and technological advancements
And the Winner Is: 2012 Inductees to the Robot Hall of Fame
Much to our chagrin, Rosey did not make it. But who did?
October 25, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Take That, Cancer!
The war on cancer has been going on for more than 40 years. Here are 10 small--and maybe not so small--victories scientists have had this year
October 22, 2012 |
By Randy Rieland
Sophie Blanchard – The High Flying Frenchwoman Who Revealed the Thrill and Danger of Ballooning
Blanchard was said to be afraid of riding in a carriage, but she became one of the great promoters of human flight
October 18, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
One Step Closer to a Brain
It sounds funny, but when Google created a huge computer network that was able to identify cats from YouTube videos, it was a big leap forward for artificial intelligence.
October 18, 2012 |
By Randy Rieland
Drawing the Line on Drones
A lot of police departments will soon have their own flying robots. How far should they be allowed to go in shooting video from the sky?
October 15, 2012 |
By Randy Rieland
A New Great Depression and Ladies on the Moon: 1970s Middle School Kids Look to the Year 2000
The ideal future according to a ten-year-old: shorter school days, lower taxes, and lots and lots of robots
October 12, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
San Francisco’s Makeathon Leads the Way for Hacking the Urban Landscape
How citizens are using design interventions to shuffle social dynamics and change public space in cities
October 11, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
New Technology Maps Greenhouse Gas Emissions at the Street and Neighborhood Level
The Hestia project draws on a variety of data sources to paint a comprehensive picture of a city's greenhouse gas metabolism
October 10, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
The Trouble With Trees
Here are 10 things scientists have learned about trees this year. Thanks to climate change, it's not a pretty picture.
October 09, 2012 |
By Randy Rieland
Patient, Heal Thyself
Cutting-edge research in regenerative medicine suggests that the future of health care may lie in getting the body to grow new parts and heal itself.
October 05, 2012 |
By Randy Rieland
Leatherhead to Radio-head: The Evolution of the Football Helmet
From hand-cobbled beginnings, the football helmet has evolved to become one of the most highly designed pieces of equipment in all of sports
October 01, 2012 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Can You Change Your Political Beliefs?
New research suggests that most people may not be as committed to their moral principles as they think they are
October 01, 2012 |
By Randy Rieland
How Do Our Brains Process Music?
In an excerpt from his new book, David Byrne explains why sometimes, he prefers hearing nothing
October 2012 |
By David Byrne
How Brains Make Money
A new breed of scientists says that if you really want to understand why people make financial decisions, you need to see what's going on inside their brains.
September 28, 2012 |
By Randy Rieland
Scientists Invent Electronic Circuits That Dissolve in Water
The new type of temporary electronics could be implanted in the body or used to monitor the environment without a need for cleanup afterward
September 27, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Hope and Change: 5 Innovation Updates
Here's the latest on robots that work with humans, a revolutionary camera, home 3-D printers, mobile wallets and Google's driverless car.
September 25, 2012 |
By Randy Rieland
Orlon! Dacron! Antron! The Great American Knits of Fall 1965
As this old newspaper ad supplement shows, in the heydey of synthetic knits, DuPont advanced its chemically made fibers as a key to "Better Living"
September 24, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
Recapping “The Jetsons”: Episode 01 – Rosey the Robot
Meet George Jetson! The first installment of our 24-part series on the show that would forever change how we view the future
September 24, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
The Copper King’s Precipitous Fall
Augustus Heinze dominated the copper fields of Montana, but his family's scheming on Wall Street set off the Panic of 1907.
September 20, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
Getting Smart About Traffic
Thanks to GPS, sensors, artificial intelligence and even algorithms based on the behavior of E. coli, it's possible to imagine the end of commuting madness.
September 20, 2012 |
By Randy Rieland
