Tech

Chemistry

Chemistry Nobel honors pioneers of world’s smallest machines

Three chemists are being honored with a Nobel Prize for their pioneering work creating itty bitty machines, including a microscopic ‘nanocar.’

Tech

Hot, hot, hot? New fabric could help you stay cool

A plastic fabric can let body heat escape efficiently, if the material is filled with tiny bubbles of just the right size

Tech

One day, computers may decode your dreams

Scientists are learning how to translate brain activity into words and thoughts. This may one day allow people to control devices with their minds.

Brain

Explainer: How to read brain activity

Electricity underlies the chattering of brain cells. Here’s how scientists eavesdrop on those conversations.

Computing

Self-designed tattoos are fashionable technology

Researchers have created do-it-yourself temporary tattoos. They’re a fashion-forward way to control electronic devices.

Tech

‘Smart’ sutures monitor healing

Coatings added to the threads used to stitch up a wound let researchers use electrical signals to monitor a wound’s healing — even one covered by a bandage.

Materials Science

Beetles offer people lessons in moisture control

Taking tricks from a beetle, researchers are designing surfaces that collect water from the air or resist frost buildup.

Materials Science

Nano medicines take aim at big diseases

Nanomedicines are new treatments and tools that are taking aim at disease from the cellular level. Medicine’s next big thing could be very teeny tiny.

Tech

Moral dilemma could limit appeal of driverless cars

Driverless cars will have to be programmed to decide who to save in emergencies — passengers or pedestrians. Many people aren’t yet sure they are ready to choose cars that make the most moral decision.

Tech

Clear, stretchy sensor could lead to wearable electronics

Researchers have combined plastics and metal to make a transparent, stretchable sensor. It could soon find use in touchscreens, wearable electronics and more.

Tech

Concrete science

Teen researchers are exploring ways to strengthen this building material, use it for safety purposes and use its discarded rubble.

Computing

‘Couch potatoes’ tend to be TV-energy hogs

Many government programs urge people to save electricity by using more efficient TVs. Here’s why these programs should target “couch potatoes.”