Tech
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Quantum Physics
Quantum computers are about to get real
Qubit-based machines are gearing up to solve problems that are out of reach for even the most powerful supercomputers.
- Tech
Gecko-inspired robot grippers could grab hold of space junk
Aboard a microgravity plane, NASA is testing gecko-inspired grippers that one day could help clear up space junk.
- Tech
New video camera captures 5 trillion frames every second
A new camera’s record-breaking speed offers researchers a window into never-before-seen phenomena, such as combustion reactions.
- Tech
New pelvic exoskeleton stops people from taking tumbles
A new exoskeleton helps people prone to falling stay on their feet.
- Animals
Trackers may tip a warbler’s odds of returning to its nest
Geolocator devices that help track migrating birds could also hamper migration survival or timing.
- Tech
New printer creates color by shaping nanostructures
Researchers developed the structure-based color printing technique as an alternative to ink-based printing, in which colors fade with time.
- Health & Medicine
Readers concerned about cancer’s sugary disguise
Tricky cancer cells, brain-shaping smartphones, a cow-burying badger and more in reader feedback.
- Tech
SpaceX launches and lands its first reused rocket
Aerospace company SpaceX has successfully reused a Falcon 9 rocket’s booster section for the first time.
- Particle Physics
Readers question supernova physics
Star-destroying neutrinos, heart-hugging robots and more in reader feedback.
- Physics
Single-atom magnets store bits of data
Scientists read and write data by harnessing the magnetic properties of holmium atoms.
- Agriculture
Fleets of drones could pollinate future crops
Chemist Eijiro Miyako turned a lab failure into a way to rethink artificial pollination.
- Tech
Virtual reality has a motion sickness problem
Virtual reality games and experiences can make some people sick, and women are more susceptible.
