Technology
Technological applications and advances in computers, agriculture, industry and transportation
Better, Faster, Taller – How Big can Buildings Really Get?
The race for the tallest structure in the world has been with us since humans built structures, and today it is going strong. But where's the limit?
August 20, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Books of the Future May Be Written in DNA
Researchers have encoded a book, including pictures and an accompanying computer program, in DNA
August 17, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
The Laboratory of Nikola Tesla, One of History’s Greatest Scientists, Is Up For Sale
Nikola Tesla invented a device that uses lightning to play music. No, seriously
August 17, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Good Morning Curiosity – Wake up With the Same Songs as a Mars Rover
Every Martian morning, the Curiosity rover gets a wakeup song
August 17, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Why You Should Stop Worrying About the Robot Apocalypse
You, for one, won't have to welcome your robot overlords too soon
August 16, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Aircraft Design Inspired by Nature and Enabled by Tech
In 2050, Airbus hopes to fly you around in a see-through jet shaped like a bird skeleton, with morphing seats, spa treatments, and virtual entertainment
August 16, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
Yesterday’s Tomorrows: How a Smithsonian Exhibit I Never Saw Changed My Life
Meet the historians who pioneered scholarship of retro-futurism
August 15, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Doctors Probe Bodies with Tiny Microscopes But Don’t Know What They Are Seeing
Because tiny space-age probes are used by only a handful of specialists around the country, a new study found that different labs are interpreting what they see in very different ways
August 15, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Julia Child Loved Science but Would Hate Today’s Food
It's her 100th birthday today, and while the master chef loved science she would have hated today's laboratory produced food
August 15, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Shark Week Proves We Are Fascinated by Sharks, So Why Do We Kill So Many of Them?
Around the world, these animals command a strange sort of fascination in their human admirers—an urge to see, learn and encounter, but also to kill
August 14, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Designing Bandaids that Stick When Wet Based on Gecko Feet
Scientists are unlocking the secrets behind tiny adhesive structures in gecko toes in the hopes of designing new technologies.
August 10, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Olympic Hurdling Record Broken in 1.5 Seconds – On Google Doodle
Programmers use a few lines of code to crack the Google Doodle hurdling puzzle. The rest of us still press the arrow keys frantically.
August 10, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
The LEGO-like Building Blocks of the Olympic Slalom Canoe
How a three-time Olympic competitor designed an innovative new whitewater system using underwater bricks
August 09, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
The History of the Exclamation Point
Everyone likes to complain that we're using too many exclamation points these days. Here's where the punctuation came from.
August 09, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Long Before Curiosity, Carl Sagan Had Something to Say to Kids About Mars
In a lectures series for children, Carl Sagan educates us all on the history and exploration of Mars.
August 08, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Lake Baikal and More of the Weirdest Lakes of the World
Set deep within the Russian subcontinent, Baikal is the deepest, oldest and most voluminous of all lakes
August 07, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
No One Knows When You’re Being Sarcastic in Emails
People often think their sarcasm is obvious, while receivers aren't always so quick to get the joke.
August 07, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Landing Curiosity on Mars was Way Harder and Way Less Expensive than the Olympics
Landing a car-sized rover on a distant planet using a sky crane is really hard, and really awesome.
August 06, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Only Footage of Mark Twain in Existence
This silent film footage was taken in 1909 by Thomas Edison at Mark Twain's estate
August 06, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
41% of Water in the US is Used for Power Generation
The Union of Concerned Scientists describes how warming and drought can cause problems for power generation.
August 03, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
