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Special Report

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

A look at the researchers, inventors and community leaders who are bringing creativity and ingenuity to today's biggest challenges

Cells suspended in a water-based gel make up the “ink” in this 3D printer.

Innovation

Can Printed 'Skin' Heal Burns and Prevent Scars?

Inks created with a patient’s own cells may one day help the body regrow tissues

Kang’s invention won second place and an award of $175,000 at the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search, the oldest and most prestigious science, technology, engineering and math competition for high school students in the United States.

Innovation

This High Schooler Developed an A.I. Tool to Diagnose Autism and ADHD Using the Retina

Edward Kang’s RetinaMind analyzes patients’ retinal images and accurately diagnoses neurodevelopmental disorders 89 percent of the time

What if, rather than coral reef rehabilitation remaining a tedious and difficult manual process, conservationists could harness robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles to transform it into an industrial-scale endeavor?

Innovation

Could Underwater Autonomous Robots Save Coral Reefs?

Reef restoration is a slow process, with divers planting coral fragments one at a time by hand. But roboticists are now developing automated planters that could change the game

Health

More than <a href=50 million people suffer from epilepsy around the world, making it one of the most common and severe neurological disorders globally." />

Innovation

These Young Innovators Have Created a 'Fitbit' to Predict Epileptic Seizures

Truman Pierson and Christopher Fitz are developing behind-the-ear EEG patches and an accompanying app that issues an alert if the user is at high risk for a seizure in the next hour

Postpartum depression affects some one in eight women in the United States. It typically occurs in the first weeks after childbirth, after a sudden drop in levels of estrogen and progesterone.

Innovation

A Blood Test Can Now Predict a Mother's Risk of Postpartum Depression

Scientists are learning more about this leading complication of childbirth, and treatments are improving

Chloe Yehwon Lee was a finalist in the 2025 Regeneron Science Talent Search, the most distinguished STEM competition for high school seniors in the United States.

Innovation

This 17-Year-Old Scientist Is Making an Acetaminophen Alternative That Is Less Damaging to the Liver

Chloe Yehwon Lee’s research could change the painkiller, known by the brand name Tylenol, for the better, ultimately reducing emergency room visits and cases of liver failure

Environment

Hammarby Sjöstad was originally engineered to have a carbon footprint 50 percent lower than the rest of Stockholm.

Innovation

This Stockholm Neighborhood Was Built on Ambitious Sustainability Goals. When It Came Up Short, It Doubled Down and Became a Blueprint for Others

The original plan for Hammarby Sjöstad was for an eco-village aimed at attracting the Olympics. They never came, but the locals moved in and, with upgrades, hope to be carbon neutral by 2030

Nineteen-year-olds Marta Bernardino and Sebastião Mendonça are developing a robot capable of reaching and reforesting areas where humans have been unable to.

Innovation

Two College Students Are Building a Robot to Replant Burned Forests

Marta Bernardino and Sebastião Mendonça invented Trovador, a four-legged, A.I.-powered robot that can plant trees in hard-to-reach, wildfire-damaged terrain

Microplastics pose a growing global concern as they infiltrate not just the environment but also humans and animals.

Innovation

This High School Student Invented a Filter That Eliminates 96 Percent of Microplastics From Drinking Water

Virginia teenager Mia Heller’s filtration system harnesses the power of ferrofluid, a magnetic oil that binds to microplastics in flowing water

Education

Students at Anne Wien Elementary School in Fairbanks pilot test the Fresh Eyes on Ice data collection protocol with project team member Allen Bondurant in 2019.

Innovation

'Fresh Eyes on Ice' Teaches Kids to Collect Vital Ice Data in Remote Alaskan Communities

Students measure ice thickness and monitor spring break-up to help save lives in areas where frozen rivers are used as roadways

Ray Fearon plays Macbeth and Tara Fitzgerald plays Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare's <em>Macbeth</em> directed by Iqban Khan at the Globe Theatre in June 2016 in London, England.

Innovation

Businesses Have a Lot to Learn From the Impromptu 'Teaming' That Happens in Theater

A Shakespeare scholar at Harvard University explains how the creative collaboration that happens in theater can be a model for companies developing innovative new products

At Ehrman Crest Elementary and Middle School, K-6 students are benefiting from an unusual collaboration.

Innovation

Is This Elementary School Near Pittsburgh the Future of Education?

Ehrman Crest Elementary and Middle School is an innovative blend of children’s museum and classroom