Innovations

Scientists Have a New Way of Knowing How Many Sharks Are in the Sea

The predators are elusive, but marine ecologists are finding more of them by analyzing the "environmental DNA" in ocean water samples

A new show at the Smithsonian's Cooper Hewitt in New York City looks at how design interacts with other senses beyond vision, like this "smell" map of Amsterdam by Kate McLean that reveals the aroma of the city's restaurants, old book stores, laundromats and other neighborhood sites.

Could Our Housewares Keep Us Healthier?

Some designers are harnessing sound, color, smell and touch in products that promote well-being and independence for all

This Is How MINI JCW Turbo Engines Are Built

The John Cooper Works edition is the fastest machine MINI has ever built. With a 228 two-liter twin turbo motor, it can hit 0 to 60 in six seconds flat

A lithograph by French caricaturist J. J. Grandville depicts the torture of too much noise.

Why Are We Always Searching For "A Quiet Place?"

Perhaps the real monster is not noise, but instead our own intolerance of unwanted sounds

Panama Canal construction in 1913 showing workers drilling holes for dynamite in bedrock, as they cut through the mountains of the Isthmus. Steam shovels in the background move the rubble to railroad cars.

How the Panama Canal Took a Huge Toll On the Contract Workers Who Built It

The project was a tremendous American achievement, but the health costs to the mostly Caribbean contract workers were staggering

A Brief History of the Stoplight

How a bright idea shaped our cities and gave the go-ahead to our love affair with the car

This Car Factory Assembles Camaros Every 35 Minutes

At the Lansing Grand River plant, where the Camaro is assembled, speed is the name of the game: it takes just 35 minutes for one vehicle to be fitted

Why Jaguar Uses Aerospace Aluminum to Build Its Cars

One big challenge facing Jaguar in its switch from steel to aluminum was how to utilize this lighter, less flexible alloy

Decisions made by engineers today will determine how all cars drive.

The Ethical Challenges Self-Driving Cars Will Face Every Day

The biggest ethical quandaries for self-driving cars arise in mundane situations, not when crashes are unavoidable

Why We Should Test Heart Drugs On a 'Virtual Human' Instead of Animals

Thousands of animals are used for heart drug tests each year—but research shows that computer-simulated trials are more accurate

Gene editing, which uses "molecular scissors" to cut and replace pieces of DNA, could be key for curing herpes.

Can We Gene-Edit Herpes Away?

Because the virus hides out deep in our bodies and stays there for life, a vaccine has eluded scientists for decades. But there may be another way

Vanessa Brandon worried that her cancer was a burden on her family: “I don’t want my sickness to become their sickness.”

Could Immunotherapy Lead the Way to Fighting Cancer?

A new treatment that uses the body's own immune system to fight cancer is offering hope to patients with advanced disease

1000 embryos and 123 surrogate dogs were required to make the first pair of cloned dogs, in 2005. Last month, Barbra Streisand revealed that her two dogs, Miss Violet and Miss Scarlett, were clones of her late Coton de Tulear Samantha.

The Real Reasons You Shouldn't Clone Your Dog

It’s easy to understand why someone would want to. It's harder to justify the actual cloning process, both ethically and scientifically

What Will Our Society Look Like When Artificial Intelligence Is Everywhere?

Will robots become self-aware? Will they have rights? Will they be in charge? Here are five scenarios from our future dominated by AI

For all their flaws, lab mice have become an invaluable research model for genetics, medicine, neuroscience and more. But few people know the story of the first standardized lab mice.

The History of Breeding Mice for Science Begins With a Woman in a Barn

Far more than a mouse fancier, Abbie Lathrop helped establish the standard mouse model and pioneered research into cancer inheritance

What the Founding Fathers' Money Problems Can Teach Us About Bitcoin

The challenges faced by the likes of Ben Franklin have a number of parallels to today’s cryptocurrency boom

These black- and red-colored pigments reveal that humans were using pigments, potentially to communicate status or identity, by around 300,000 years ago.

Colored Pigments and Complex Tools Suggest Humans Were Trading 100,000 Years Earlier Than Previously Believed

Transformations in climate and landscape may have spurred these key technological innovations

What surprises will this year’s tournament have in store?

Can a Computer Model Predict the First Round of This Year's March Madness?

Two mathematicians at Ohio State University are using machine learning to forecast tournament upsets

Google Japan Now Has Street View From a Dog's Perspective

It's like riding an Akita around Japan

Is this machine adding an antenna to the fabric?

Embroidering Electronics Into the Next Generation of 'Smart' Fabrics

Is an archaic sewing skill a key to connected, sensing, communicating fabrics of the future?

Page 23 of 28