Technology & Space

Jupiter's moon Europa, potentially home to a liquid water ocean, is considered one of the likeliest locales for extraterrestrial life.

Life in the Cosmos

Where in the Solar System Are We Most Likely to Find Life?

A number of interplanetary destinations could harbor extraterrestrial life—finding it could be just a space mission away

The traditional geographic coordinate system identifies locations on the globe with a pair of long numbers. what3words proposes using language instead.

A Plan To Replace Geographic Coordinates on Earth With Unique Strings of Three Words

The startup what3words wants to change the way we talk about locations

Dr. Woosuk Bang, a Ph.D. candidate at the time of this photograph, prepares his doctoral thesis experiment on the Texas Petawatt laser. Earlier experiments with terawatt class lasers proved that clusters of gaseous molecules could be converted into ion energy. Dr. Bang's experiment, among the first to be conducted with the Texas Petawatt, created an ion plasma of sufficient temperature and density to catalyze neutron fusion reactions.

Art Meets Science

Adventures In Laser Science

A photo series by Austin-based photographer Robert Shults casts physicists and their everyday life in the lab in a sci-fi B-movie light

A mother right whale and her calf.

New Research

Satellites Spot Whales From Space

This new method could help researchers remotely count and keep track of whale populations

A new, ultra thin circuit, shown embedded on a contact lens placed on a prosthetic eye.

This Clear, Flexible Electronic Circuit Can Fit on the Surface of a Contact Lens

The technology could someday be used in implantable medical devices or environmental sensors

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The Coolest Science of 2013, in GIFs

This year, we saw dissolving electronics, flying meteors, gravity-defying chains and rotting pineapples

The Vast Majority of Raw Data From Old Scientific Studies May Now Be Missing

A new survey of 20-year-old studies shows that poor archives and inaccessible authors make 90 percent of raw data impossible to find

Frozen seafood in the lab, ready for DNA testing.

The DNA Detectives That Reveal What Seafood You're Really Eating

Genetic sequencing allows scientists to uncover increasingly prevalent seafood fraud

A closeup of one of the rocks, with a patch of dust brushed away by Curiosity's instruments, that provides evidence of an ancient lake.

Curiosity Found Evidence of An Ancient Freshwater Lake on Mars

Drilling into Martian rock revealed that it formed at the bottom of a calm lake that may have had the right conditions for sustaining life

One of the ancient human fossils found in Spain's La Sima de los Huesos.

Scientists Just Sequenced the DNA From A 400,000-Year-Old Early Human

The fossil, found in Spain, is mysteriously related to an ancient group of homonins called the Denisovans, previously found only in Siberia

A row of servers, housed in an Iceland data center.

Is the Future of the Internet in Iceland?

With free air cooling and 100 percent renewable electricity, does it make sense to outsource our data to Iceland?

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The Brilliance Behind the Plan to Land Curiosity on Mars

Adam Steltzner’s ingenious ideas were crucial to the most spectacular space mission of our time

Soon this field in inner-city Detroit could be lined with maple trees.

Can Planting Gardens and Orchards Really Save Dying Cities?

Urban planners sure hope so, particularly in places like Detroit where a company plans to start filling abandoned lots with small forests

“One Coin for all your cards.”

Soon, You Might Pay for Everything With a Coin

Coin, a new product that allows users to store up to eight cards in one place, could be in use as early as this coming summer

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The 2013 Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards Liveblog

Follow along as we celebrate the best in innovation

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10 Things We’ve Learned About Fat

Experts have long known that trans fat isn't good for us, but research has turned up surprises—chocolate and chili peppers can help us lose fat

The brain scan on right shows Alzheimer’s damage.

How Lasers Could Be the Answer to Alzheimer’s

They're now able to detect the clumps of toxic proteins that destroy the brain. One day they may be able to get rid of them

Can cameras read what’s going on in a second grader’s mind?

Can Facial Recognition Really Tell If a Kid Is Learning in Class?

Inventors of software called EngageSense say you can tell if kids are engaged in class by analyzing their eye movements

Superbugs are making public health experts very nervous.

What Will It Take to Wipe Out Superbugs?

Scientists are taking all kinds of approaches to try to stop the ominous threat from bacteria antibiotics can no longer kill

A lot of factors go into making a deal.

10 Things We’ve Learned About Negotiation

Make the first offer. Don't use "I" too much. And maybe it's not a good idea to look your counterpart straight in the eye

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