Tech
- Physics
Why your shoelaces untie themselves
High-speed video shows how the combined motions of a shoe’s swinging and landing on the ground provoke shoelaces to come untied.
- Materials Science
Nanowires made from silver are super stretchy
When silver nanowires stretch slowly, atoms on their surface can spread to heal weak spots. The discovery could lead to more flexible electronics.
- Tech
These antennas turn anything into a radio station
Engineers have developed antennas that can turn ordinary objects — even posters — into radio stations.
- Climate
Cool Jobs: Head in the clouds
What do a microbiologist, an atmospheric scientist and a materials engineer have in common? They’ve all got their heads in the clouds.
- Tech
Star Trek gets closer to becoming home tech
Inspired by Star Trek, inventors have created handheld devices to diagnose common medical ailments.
- Tech
How to safely watch a solar eclipse
Certified safety glasses are a must for protecting your eyes when looking at the sun. Here’s how to safely enjoy a solar eclipse, like the one on August 21, 2017.
- Tech
‘Nanostraws’ safely sneak a peek inside cells
Scientists have developed tiny straws that let them peek inside a living cell without killing it or even damaging it.
- Tech
Teaching robots right from wrong
Robots of the future will face tricky dilemmas. Researchers are working on tools to help robots make the right choices and keep people safe.
- Tech
Cool Jobs: Doing real science in virtual worlds
Virtual reality isn’t just for gamers. Scientists are using VR technology to tackle real-world problems.
- Tech
Fleets of flying robots could pollinate crops
Tiny flying drones use patches of sticky hair to capture pollen. One day they might join bees in pollinating crops.
- Physics
Single atoms become teensy data storage devices
Most people consider a thumb drive to be an amazingly small device for storing data. But this new system uses a ten-thousandth the number of atoms of today’s data-storage devices.
- Tech
Auto-focus eyeglasses rely on liquid lenses
Engineers have designed what could be the last eyeglasses anyone would need. Right now, they’re bulky but smart. Liquid lenses are key to their adjustability — and those lenses focus automatically.
