Tech
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Tech
50 years ago, engineers tried catching commercial planes in nets
Fifty years ago, aviation experts tried helping commercial aircraft come to a stop during landing by catching them in massive nets. The idea crash-landed for commercial flights, but it’s still used in the military.
- Artificial Intelligence
The newest AlphaGo mastered the game with no human input
AlphaGo Zero is the first AI system of its kind to learn the game just by playing against itself.
- Science & Society
Conspiring with engineers helps make science great
Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill says the passion to acquire knowledge and apply it lives in both engineers and scientists.
- Tech
This stretchy implant could help kids avoid repeated open-heart surgeries
A new type of surgical implant grows along with its recipient.
- Tech
Watch this cuttlefish-inspired ‘skin’ morph into a 3-D shape
New silicone material mimics cephalopod shape-shifting for quick camouflage.
- Tech
Superbugs may meet their match in these nanoparticles
Quantum dots and antibiotics hit bacteria with a one-two punch.
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- Tech
New atomic clock is most precise yet
This next-gen atomic clock ticks at a steady beat, but time will tell just how well it tells time.
- Computing
M. Ehsan Hoque develops digital helpers that teach social skills
Computer scientist M. Ehsan Hoque programs emotionally attuned assistants that bring people together.
- Chemistry
Cool way to peer into molecules’ inner workings wins chemistry Nobel Prize
Three scientists will split the prize for their work developing cryo-electron microscopy.
- Tech
Origami outfits help these bots change tasks swiftly
These robots change shape by slipping into different origami exoskeletons.
- Tech
Nature offers inspiration, and occasionally courage
Acting Editor in Chief Elizabeth Quill discusses how nature can inspire people to make long-lasting change.
