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Upending the Narrative of the Great Man of History

The Voice of Witness project spearheaded by Dave Eggers and Mimi Lok gives the victims of crisis a megaphone

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The Freshman at MIT Who is Revolutionizing Nanotechnology

Teenager Saumil Bandyopadhyay has harnessed cutting-edge physics to upend industries ranging from automobiles to astronomy

Electronics That Can Melt in Your Body Could Change the World of Medicine

John Rogers, a revolutionary materials scientist, is pushing the boundaries of the medical world

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Dear Sir, Ben Franklin Would Like to Add You to His Network

Historian Caroline Winterer’s analysis of Franklin’s letters applies big data to big history

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How Do You Get Poor Kids to Apply to Great Colleges?

Caroline Hoxby and her team of researchers are revolutionizing the way the best colleges reach out to talented low-income students

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Doug Aitken is Redefining How We Experience Art

The artist uses video, music, mirrors, railroad cars, even entire buildings to create works that make every viewer a participant

The Toxins That Affected Your Great-Grandparents Could Be In Your Genes

Biologist Michael Skinner has enraged the chemical community and shocked his peers with his breakthrough research

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If Cockroaches Are Conscious, Would That Stop You From Smushing Them?

Research has shown cockroaches are adept communicators, and can even show individual personality

Microbes May Be Responsible For Wine Regions’ Distinctive Flavors

Wines’ regionally-distinctive flavors may be caused by the bacteria and fungi that live on the grapes

The Hunger Games Is Getting More People Interested in Archery

For Hunger Games fans, there’s a new hobby in town: archery

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Scientists Accidentally Captured the Sound of Poachers Killing an Elephant, And It’s Very, Very Sad

A microphone network meant to eavesdrop on elephants’ conversations ended up hearing something far more gruesome

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This Hurricane Season Was Way Less Awful Than People Expected

This year’s hurricane season - which ends tomorrow - has been far more subdued than experts predicted

The Pictures in Your Home Goods Catalogs Are Probably Computer Rendered

Some materials are harder to render than others, but soon those catalogs will be full of space that never existed in the real world

Paralyzed patient Jason Disanto navigates through a room full of obstacles by guiding the wheelchair with his tongue.

This Wheelchair Is Controlled By a Paralyzed Patient’s Tongue

The next step, the researchers say, is to move the system outside of the lab and hospital and into the real-world environment for testing

Hockey Players Sue League For Failing to Address Head Injuries

On Monday, ten retired N.H.L. players sued the league for fraud and negligence

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Meet Brazil’s Adorable New Wildcat Species

Also known as little spotted cats, tigrillo, tigrinas or tiger cats, it turns out these wild felines are not one but two distinct species

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This Could Be the Oldest Flowering Plant Ever Found in North America

A new look at Smithsonian’s fossil collection turned up a remarkably ancient flowering plant—scientists think it’s at least 115 million years old

Same-Sex Parenting Can Be an Adaptive Advantage

Same-sex bird couples produced fewer offspring than traditional couples, but they still reared more chicks than solo parents

Apple’s Working on a New Camera That Will End Blurry Photos Forever

Apple’s new patent for a light field camera could bring refocuseable photos to a camera near you

Distant view of man standing with Macy’s Day Parade balloons

The Puppeteer Who Brought Balloons to the Thanksgiving Day Parade

A Thursday morning tradition came with strings attached

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