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Articles

The Inventor of Videotape Recorders Didn’t Live to See Blockbuster’s Fall

As far as Charles Ginsberg was concerned, the video tape was “one of the most significant technological advances” since the television

Can This Bracelet Actually Replace a Heater?

MIT students have developed Wristify, a wearable cooling and heating system designed to regulate body temperature and save on energy bills

Tufa Dinku studies how satellites can be used to measure rain and temperature and other things relevant to understanding the climate.

This “Climate Models” Calendar Wants You to Check Out These Model Scientists—And Their Work

These climate scientists had some fun posing n landscapes representing their very serious work

Blue, Australian Kelpie, Age 19

This Photographer Captures the Beauty And Dignity of Elderly Animals

Photographer Isa Leshko says the project originally began as a form of self-therapy, but it evolved into a traveling photography exhibition

Mood: experimental. Desired quality: active.

These Abstract Portraits Were Painted By An Artificial Intelligence Program

The Painting Fool, a computer program, can create portraits based on its mood, assess its work and learn from its mistakes

Sweetie, a virtual 10-year-old Filipino girl

A Virtual Ten-Year-Old Girl Helped Identify 1,000 Online Predators

Over a ten week period, Sweetie accrued around 20,000 solicitations for virtual sex from men from around the world

A computer rendering of the ancient froghoppers mating

These Insects Died While Having Sex 165 Million Years Ago

A remarkable fossil from China captures two froghoppers copulating, showing how the insects’ genital structures haven’t changed despite time’s passage

Checking the Claim: FiberFix is 100 Times Stronger Than Duct Tape

A company shows how its new product can make a broken shovel as good as new

This Movie Has Been Rated S for Sexist

Even with the bar set incredibly low, most movies fail this simple test for sexism

A representation of a virtual monkey, whose arms can be manipulated by a real monkey in a new brain-machine interface—the first interface that allows for the control of multiple limbs.

A New Interface Lets Monkeys Control Two Virtual Arms With Their Brain Alone

The interface is the first that can control multiple limbs—a technology that marks another step toward full mobility for paralyzed people

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Americans Who Have Stereotypical Ideas About Race And Violence Are More Likely to Own Guns

These results held true even after controlling for conservative politics, being from the South and harboring anti-government sentiments and other factors

African elephants in Kruger National Park

Elephants Never Forget When You Slaughter Their Family

Culling an elephant pack can destroy the survivors’ social skills

Thanksgiving Day Shopping Could Overtake Black Friday in Five Years

Whether non-virtual stores will succeed in drawing shoppers away from their turkey dinners and post-stuffing stupor, however, remains to be seen

Karl Marx Is the World’s Most Influential Scholar

When compared on equal footing, Marx stands out above the crowd

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What Is a Species? Insight From Dolphins and Humans

More than 70 definitions exist for what makes a species—each is applied to a different group of organisms & uses different methods for determining a label

This Blowtorch Creates a Flame Using Water

Researchers say the SafeFlame is gentler, cleaner and only leaves behind water

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This Robot Always Wins Rock-Paper-Scissors

To do this, the Japanese robot takes advantage of humans comparatively slow visual processing time

Comrades now, veterans in gray and blue shake hands at the 1913 Gettysburg reunion, much of the old animosity healed after a half century of peace.

The Last Civil War Veterans Who Lived to Be Over 100… Or Did They?

As America prepared to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Civil War, two centenarians told their tales — only one was telling the truth

Snakes’ Vision Sharpens When They’re Under Stress

This likely allows them to optimize their vision for situations that require the most attention to detail, and in the meantime save that visual energy

“The Simpsons” Has Been Secretly Teaching Its Fans Complicated Math

Several writers for The Simpsons completed degrees in math and physics before they turned to screen writing for the beloved cartoon

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