Innovation

Turning Your Hand Into a Remote Control

A Microsoft prototype called Digits could put the power to control everything from TV screens to smart phones in a device you wear on your wrist

October 26, 2012

Take That, Cancer!

The war on cancer has been going on for more than 40 years. Here are 10 small—and maybe not so small—victories scientists have had this year

October 22, 2012

One Step Closer to a Brain

It sounds funny, but when Google created a huge computer network that was able to identify cats from YouTube videos, it was a big leap forward for artificial intelligence.

October 18, 2012

Drawing the Line on Drones

A lot of police departments will soon have their own flying robots. How far should they be allowed to go in shooting video from the sky?

October 15, 2012

The Trouble With Trees

Here are 10 things scientists have learned about trees this year. Thanks to climate change, it’s not a pretty picture.

October 9, 2012

Patient, Heal Thyself

Cutting-edge research in regenerative medicine suggests that the future of health care may lie in getting the body to grow new parts and heal itself.

October 5, 2012

Can You Change Your Political Beliefs?

New research suggests that most people may not be as committed to their moral principles as they think they are

October 1, 2012

Educating Americans for the 21st Century

Why School Should Be More Like Summer Camp

Salman Khan, a rising star in the education world, has a vision for a new kind of classroom

September 30, 2012

Introducing the USS Zumwalt, the Stealth Destroyer

Set to be christened in 2013, this new naval warship will amaze, leaving almost no wake in the open seas

October 2012

Forget the Volt, Make Way for Electric Trucks

Smith trucks are powered by batteries, not diesel, which could make a big difference in the fight against climate change

October 2012

How Brains Make Money

A new breed of scientists says that if you want to understand why people make financial decisions, you need to see what’s going on inside their brains

September 28, 2012

Hope and Change: 5 Innovation Updates

Here’s the latest on robots that work with humans, a revolutionary camera, home 3-D printers, mobile wallets and Google’s driverless car

September 25, 2012

Who Needs a Boss When You Have Your Co-Workers?

In a new book, Steven Johnson encourages us to lose top-down hierarchies, typical of companies, and instead organize around peer networks

September 24, 2012

Getting Smart About Traffic

Thanks to GPS, sensors, artificial intelligence and even algorithms based on the behavior of E. coli, it’s possible to imagine the end of commuting madness

September 20, 2012

How Dogs Fight Cancer

Man’s best friend is becoming a key player in fighting cancer, allowing scientists to speed up the process of connecting dots between genetics and disease

September 17, 2012

Wearable Tech Makes a Fashion Statement

When models wore Google’s goggles on the runway, it signaled that the next wave of digital devices may actually go post-geek.

September 13, 2012

It’s a Woman’s World With the End of Men

Men are floundering in the 21st century, according to Hanna Rosin, and the shift has wide-ranging implications for the workplace and the home

September 10, 2012

10 Inventions You Haven’t Heard About

Apple’s iPhone 5 will get all the attention this month, but here are some lesser-known innovations whose time has also come

September 10, 2012

What’s the Perfect Book to Get Over a Breakup?

Alain de Botton has provided a valuable service: giving reading prescriptions for a “shelf-help” approach to everyday problems

September 9, 2012

NASA Sparks Its Imagination

Rovers that ride winds on Venus, robots that roll like tumbleweeds and other wild ideas for exploring space

September 7, 2012