edX founder Anant Agarwal creates a tablet-based lecture.

Powering the 21st Century

The Path to Being a Scientist Doesn’t Have to Be So Narrow

A radical new college model could change the rigged obstacle course of the world’s education system, expanding opportunity for millions of students

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How Kids’ Television Inspires a Lifelong Love of Science

Television shows for preschoolers are teaching a whole new audience about science—their parents

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VIDEO: This Helicopter is Controlled Entirely By A Person’s Thoughts

A new device can read your brain patterns to steer a toy helicopter—the mere thought of clenching your right fist veers the chopper right

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Why Navy Scientists Want to Mimic Cicadas

No, it’s not about learning to live underground for 17 years. It’s all about the noise.

Croissants await delivery to stores inside the La Boulange Pine Street baking facility in San Francisco.

Can Starbucks Do for the Croissant What it Did for Coffee?

The company is betting that it can replicate baking the pastry on a massive, industrial scale

Michael Pollan and Ruth Reichl dine at Bell & Anchor in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

Michael Pollan and Ruth Reichl Hash out the Food Revolution

Be a fly in the soup at the dinner table with two of America’s most iconic food writers

An Iraqi girl stands on former marshland, drained in the 1990s because of politically motivated water policies.

Is a Lack of Water to Blame for the Conflict in Syria?

A 2006 drought pushed Syrian farmers to migrate to urban centers, setting the stage for massive uprisings

The Ginger.io app looks for health clues in a phone log trail.

How You Use Your Phone May Tip Off Health Problems

Among the new technology geared to preventive health care is an app that tracks your social behavior and has been described as a human “check engine” light

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Interactive: Mapping Renewable Energy Around the World

Which countries are leading the way in transitioning away from fossil fuels?

Much about lightning remains a mystery.

8 Things We’ve Learned Lately About Thunder and Lightning

Such as, storms can make your head hurt. And we should expect more turbulence on transatlantic flights

Writing code is similar to giving commands, says one software engineer to his young students. “The computer can’t know what you don’t tell it.”

Educating Americans for the 21st Century

Is Coding the New Second Language?

Kids may know their way around a computer, but in order to get a job in the new economy, they will have to know how to write a program, not just use one

What will happen to nuclear energy in the 21st century?

The Unclear Fate of Nuclear Power

Two years after the accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi, can the nuclear renaissance regain its momentum?

The road to better gas mileage isn't as difficult as it seems

Good-bye, Gas Guzzlers

What will it take for automakers to deliver a fleet of fuel-sippers?

Long considered a misnomer, "clean coal" could finally become a reality thanks to a new technology from Ohio State University researchers

Could ‘Clean Coal’ Finally Live up to Its Name?

An experimental new technology captures more than 99 percent of the carbon dioxide from burning coal

There's room for both fossil fuels and renewable sources in the United States' energy diet

We Don’t Have to Choose Between Fossil Fuels and Green Energy

In a new book, Michael Levi argues that betting on a single energy path will only lead to failure

A view of the New York City skyline

Introducing a Special Report on Energy

In a world hungry for power, a new wealth of innovation hopes to keep the engine of industry running for the foreseeable future

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One Day Your Phone Will Know If You’re Happy or Sad

By analyzing every tiny facial gesture, voice inflection or even how quickly we tap out a text message, devices are getting good at reading our emotions

Bubo the robotic owl from the 1981 film Clash of the Titans

A Brief History of Robot Birds

The early Greeks and Renaissance artists had birds on their brains

It’s beautiful, but does it know art?

Can Brain Scans Really Tell Us What Makes Something Beautiful?

Some scientists think we’ll be able to define great art by analyzing our brains when we see or hear it. Critics say don’t hold your breath

A group of critically endangered California condors near Zion National Park, Utah.

Why the Endangered Species Act Is Broken, and How to Fix It

On the landmark species-saving law’s 40th anniversary, environmental historian Peter Alagona explains why it doesn’t work and offers a path toward recovery

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