Tech
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Animals
Help ornithologists develop bird photo ID tool
Cornell ornithology lab’s computer identification of common North American avian species needs your photos.
- Genetics
Enormous quantities may soon be called ‘genomical’
Genetic data may soon reach beyond astronomical proportions.
- Tech
Flame-finding pistols set off decades of blazing technology
Researchers unveiled a gun-shaped flame detector in 1965
- Tech
3-D–printed body helps jumping robot land on its feet
To launch itself into the air, a jumping robot relies on a 3-D–printed body made of a gradient of soft and stiff plastics.
- Tech
Plastic shell lets roach-bot squeeze through gaps
An arched shell helps a six-legged robot shimmy past obstacles.
- Science & Society
Your photos reveal more than where you went on vacation
By mining public databases of people’s photos, researchers can explore changing landscapes and tourist behavior.
- Health & Medicine
E-cigarette reports provide science that society craves
Research on vaping fills a crucial need in science’s service to society: providing the best information possible in a timely manner, so people can make wise choices.
- Earth
Leap second helps us with the reality of time
A leap second will be inserted at the end of the day on June 30.
- Tech
New app creates a searchable network of species worldwide
A free new app compiles millions of records of species worldwide and allows users to add sightings.
- Planetary Science
50 years ago, Mariner 4 sent back first pictures from Mars
On July 14, 1965, Mariner 4 became the first spacecraft to fly by Mars. The probe also sent back the first pictures of another planet taken from space.
- Microbes
Spore-powered engines zoom ahead
Engines that run on the dehydration of bacterial spores can power a tiny car and an LED.
- Tech
Humanoid robot tops other bots in defense agency’s challenge
A humanoid robot named DRC-HUBO won first place in DARPA’s Robotic Challenge, held June 5-6.
