Tech
- Materials Science
Experiment: The surprising strength of eggshells
Architecture is full of arched doors, windows and other structures. But how strong is the natural arch of eggshells?
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Rocket propellants
Rockets need more than fuel to get where they need to go — they also need oxidizers to burn that fuel. Together, these chemical combos are known as rocket propellants.
- Materials Science
Scientists Say: Quantum dot
Quantum dots are nanosized specks whose properties are governed by the strange rules of quantum physics.
- Tech
This young engineer built an affordable electronic braille reader
Thermo Fisher JIC finalist Yash Mehta got inspired to make a better braille device after visiting a school for blind students in Old Delhi, India.
- Artificial Intelligence
Scientists Say: Deepfake
Seeing should no longer mean believing, now that AI tech makes creating fake videos, audio and images easier than ever.
- Tech
A Jurassic Park-inspired method can safely store data in DNA
DNA can store all types of data. An amber-like material can now protect its information long-term — or release it on demand for short-term use.
- Chemistry
Predicting and designing protein structures wins a 2024 Nobel Prize
A biochemist and two computer scientists using AI shared the top award in chemistry.
- Artificial Intelligence
ChatGPT and other AI tools are full of hidden racial biases
In tests, AI programs would recommend people who use African American English for less prestigious jobs and harsher punishments for serious crime.
- Artificial Intelligence
Explainer: What is generative AI?
New bots are emerging all the time that can create — at your direction — images, computer code, articles, ads, songs and more.
- Artificial Intelligence
Two AI trailblazers win the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics
John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton used brain-like networks based on principles of physics to jump-start machine learning.
- Space
Spacecraft need an extra boost to travel between stars
Star Wars makes space travel look easy by breaking the laws of physics. Off-screen, the technology for spacecraft to reach other worlds doesn’t exist yet.
- Physics
Weirdly, mayo can help study conditions ripe for nuclear fusion
Yes, mayo. The texture of the sandwich spread is perfect for mimicking what a fusion fuel capsule goes through when blasted with lasers.
