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Innovation / Technology

Members of the Lake Whillans drill team lived in yellow tents studding the Antarctic landscape.

Digging for the Secrets Beneath Antarctica

Scientists have found life in the depths beneath the ice

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World’s Newest Atomic Clock Loses 1 Second Every 50 Billion Years

Tired of your clocks losing time? A new clock, which is the most accurate ever, uses ytterbium atoms and lasers to precisely define a second

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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The Robot Revolution Is for the Birds

Look up for robotic ravens and cyborg pigeons

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

Rethinking the battery may hold the key to how we reduce our reliance on fossil fuels

Want to Revolutionize Energy? Improve the Battery

Better energy storage could transform electric vehicles and the power grid, and help the climate

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

The Hoover Dam generates about 4 billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power each year, enough to power the lives of 1.3 million people.

Powering the 21st Century

Where to Take a Tour of the World’s Power Plants

From Nevada’s Hoover Dam to a geothermal plant next to an Icelandic volcano, these six power stations open their doors to visitors

Engineers and doctors 3D printed this custom-made splint that currently holds open the airway of a six-week-old infant and will be gradually absorbed into the body over time.

Doctors Use a Dissolvable 3D-Printed Tracheal Splint to Save a

An infant’s collapsing airway now has a device holding it open; as his tissue strengthens, the splint will be absorbed into his body

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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

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Princeton University Celebrates the Art of Science

In a new exhibition, the university showcases 43 images rooted in scientific research that force viewers to contemplate the definition of art

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

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The World According to Twitter, in Maps

A new geographic analysis of millions of tweets provides a remarkably broad view of humanity, by language, location and other factors

What makes a 21st century mom?

10 New Things Science Says About Moms

Among then: They answer a lot of questions and their spit is good for us

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What Happens When a Keyboard Goes From Tactile to Touchscreen?

There’s a word for that odd quirk of Apple iPads that hold on to design components of old keyboards

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