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Innovation

Imagine them without the blades

Do Wind Turbines Need a Rethink?

They’re still a threat to bats and birds and now they even have their own “syndrome”. So, are there better ways to capture the wind?

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Video: Researchers Produce Human Tissue-Like Material Using 3D Printing

Using droplets coated in oil as “ink,” a 3D printer can construct a network of synthetic cells that mimics brain and fat tissue

New research says olive oil is one healthy fat.

10 New Things We Know About Food and Diets

Scientists keep learning new things about food, from the diet power of olive oil’s aroma to how chewing gum can keep you away from healthy foods

PHOTOS: Life Along the Borders

The recent book On Borders features the work of photographers who captured images of boundaries both literal and metaphorical

Inside a World War II-era blimp hangar in Tustin, California, the future of aviation is preparing for liftoff.

Photos: The U.S. Military’s Prototype for a Flying Submarine

Capable of carrying 66 tons of cargo, the Aeroscraft could bring airships back to the skies

An MSF doctor at a hospital in Kenya. After the cold war, the group became a strong advocate for humanitarian intervention worldwide.

The Big Dilemma Facing Doctors Without Borders

The non-governmental organization concedes it sometimes pays a moral price to save lives

Using an equation based off animal territories, an anthropologist at UCLA was able to draw theoretical borders between gang turf in Los Angeles.

What Can Bees Teach Us About Gang Warfare?

In Los Angeles, an anthropologist is using equations to teach police about how street gangs operate

Countries will begin vying for new shipping routes and untapped natural resources as the North Pole continues to melt.

When an Iceberg Melts, Who Owns the Riches Beneath the Ocean?

The promise of oil has heated up a global argument over the Arctic’s true borders

Will going to class become quaint?

Free Online Courses Mean College Will Never Be the Same

They’re the biggest innovation in higher education in years, but are they a threat to small universities and community colleges?

La Salle fans during March Madness.

The Science of Being a Sports Fan

What does it mean to be “addicted” to your favorite team?

Smartphones are changing our notion of acceptable behavior.

How Digital Devices Change the Rules of Etiquette

Should sending “Thank you” emails and leaving voice mails now be considered bad manners? Some think texting has made it so

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Do Drone Pilots Deserve Their Own Medal?

It’s never been easy, but drones and cybersystems are making it more difficult than ever to decide which servicemen are deserving of what

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The Bay Bridge Gets Its Glow On

When an algorithm-driven light show took over the Bay Bridge last week, it was the latest example of how much technology is transforming how cities look.

To boldly go where only a few men (and women) have gone before: “Moving Beyond Earth,” a permanent exhibit at the Air and Space Museum, has a replica of the waste collection system used aboard NASA’s space shuttles. This may be the fanciest toilet you will ever see.

How Do Astronauts Go to the Bathroom in Space?

A look at the space shuttle toilet and “the deepest, darkest secret about space flight”

A good night’s sleep is worth the effort.

Lousy Sleep Isn’t Good For Your Body, Either

More and more scientific research is showing that sleep is more important to our state of mind—and body—than we ever could have imagined

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Which Major Cities Are Leaders in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

Research shows that cities can cut emissions by 70 percent; check out the ones striving their hardest to curb their carbon appetites

It tells you what’s happening on your phone. And it tells time.

How Smart Can a Watch Be?

Actually, fairly smart. And we’re only seeing the first wave of smartwatches, with Apple expected to enter the fray as early as this year

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The War on Cancer Goes Stealth

With nanomedicine, the strategy is not to poison cancer cells or to blast them away but to trick them

While Chagnon defends conclusions drawn from decades of fieldwork in the Amazon, some fellow scholars charge that he has engaged in sensationalistic self-promotion.

Why Was This Man an Outcast Among Anthropologists?

Napoleon Chagnon’s new memoir reignites the firestorm over his study of the Yanomamö

The writer ventured into the deep jungles of Colombia.

The Lost Tribes of the Amazon

Often described as “uncontacted,” isolated groups living deep in the South American forest resist the ways of the modern world—at least for now

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