6 amazing examples of game-changing technology for the blind community
In the United States there are roughly 8.4 million people who are either blind or have some other visual impairment. In the entire world, that figure increases to 253 million. Here are six amazing examples of pieces of potentially game-changing technology that is designed to help them.
CRISPR 101: A crash course on the gene editing tool that’s changing the world
CRISPR is an advanced gene splicing method that could revolutionize medicine - and everything else.
Tuberculosis is a killer, but scientists are fighting back with nanobots
Researchers at Brock University in Ontario, Canada have developed microscopic nanobots capable of determining whether a blood sample contains the mutated bacteria for deadly, drug-resistant tuberculosis. Here's why it could prove to be a game-changer in the developing world.
Check out these cheesy TV ads for tech stuff from yesteryear
These days, tech firms spend millions of dollars on complex, multi-layered ad campaigns to market their latest wares. But just a few decades ago, such campaigns were as basic as the products they proffered. We've tracked down some of the best ads from yesteryear, many of them as cheesy as a fully loaded pizza.
New crime-predicting algorithm borrows from Apollo space mission tech
Researchers from Georgia Tech and the U.K. have developed a new predictive policing algorithm -- and it owes a debt of gratitude to technology that’s been previously used in weather forecasting and even the Apollo space missions. Here's how it could help crack down on crime.
Astrobiologists think the moon might have hosted simple life-forms long ago
Colonization of the Moon has been a long-time dream of science fiction writers but, if it ever actually happens, we may not be the first life-forms to live there. At least, that’s the theory laid out by researchers from Washington State University and the University of London.
This DIY wearable lets you see the world like a dolphin does
As one of its most notable applications, Lidar technology is most commonly associated with self-driving cars. Engineer Andrew Thaler had a different use-case in mind, however: Creating a Lidar-powered wearable device that lets you experience life the way a dolphin would.
Gene editing can reverse balding and wrinkling in mice — and maybe humans, too
Scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham have found a way to reverse wrinkled skin and hair loss in a mouse. The research could one day be used to halt some of the signs of aging in human beings -- or to restore the hair of people undergoing chemotherapy.
Zapping your brain while you sleep could actually improve your memory
Scientists with the Society for Neuroscience have demonstrated a noninvasive overnight brain stimulation technique that could turn out to enhance people's memories to improve their performance at certain tasks. Best of all? It won't even disturb your sleep! Here's how it works.
Italian researchers discover what they believe is a lake under ice cap on Mars
Scientists have discovered what is believed to be a lake located underneath the south polar ice cap of Mars, measuring about 12.5 miles across. While researchers previously found signs that water once flowed across the planet's surface, this is the first time that a persistent, existing body of water has been found.
SpaceX just landed another of its reusable Block 5 rockets
The only thing more impressive than SpaceX blastoffs may be SpaceX landings. Elon Musk's extraterrestrial-focused company has managed to land yet another rocket on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean after launching a satellite into orbit. SpaceX will be completing 3 such missions in just 2 weeks.
Dig out your rollerblade kneepads for Segway’s new ‘self-balancing roller shoes’
If you thought Heelys (those wheeled sneakers that every preteen in the United States used to wear) were odd, you may want to take a seat. Segway is here to prove that when it comes to strange methods of transportation, there's no one better versed -- not even Heelys. Meet the new Segway Drift W1s.
It’s curtains for Kuri: Work ceased on robot companion project
Eighteen months after it made its debut at CES 2017, Mayfield Robotics announced this week that it’s ending development of Kuri, its robotic companion. The wheel-based bot was described as an “intelligent pet” and acted as an interactive and mobile videographer, capturing everyday moments around the home.
You can now buy a real-life Iron Man-style jetsuit … for the price of a house
Ever wanted to soar through the air in an Iron Man-style suit like a real-life superhero? Do you have the financial resources of a real-life Tony Stark to go along with it? If so, you might want to get your life savings together to buy one of this British inventor's amazing jet-suits.
Google Street View gives woman a special gift — an image of her late mother
A former Florida woman hoping for a little piece of home got it. Thanks to modern technology and infrequently updated Street View imagery, when Denise Underhill decided to check out her mother's old home using the mapping service, she saw not just her mother's house, but her mother as well.
Remember the Y2K scare? Japan is facing a similar date-related tech crisis
Remember the Y2K bug which scared us all witless in the buildup to the year 2000? Jump forward 18 years, and Japan has its own impending Millenium bug-style problem -- and it’s threatening to hit systems in April next year when the current emperor of Japan departs the post.
Feast your eyes on the world’s most detailed image of a fruit fly brain
Using a technique known as high-speed electron microscopy, scientists from Howard Hughes Medical Institute have carried out the most detailed fruit fly brain imaging in history -- and the results are both impressive and pretty darn fascinating. Here's what it taught them.
That bleeding vegetarian burger from Impossible Foods is now FDA-approved
Impossible Foods created a vegetarian burger that "bleeds" just like a real, juicy, half-pounder does, and now, the FDA has decided that it's 100-percent safe. This week, the FDA determined that the key ingredient in Impossible Foods' veggie burger poses no risk to our health.
Reprogrammable Braille could capture the Harry Potter series in a few pages
Why carry around a tome when you can carry around just a few pages? That seems to have been the question that launched the latest innovation in Braille, which could reduce the size and weight of books for the visually impaired. Researchers at Harvard have created a so-called reprogrammable Braille.
We asked Bill Nye about his plan to save Earth from civilization-ending asteroids
An asteroid impact event is unlikely — but the consequence would be catastrophic. As As CEO of The Planetary Society, Bill Nye, the fun-loving science guy spearheaded a recent Kickstarter campaign called Kick Asteroid! with the aim to raise money and raise awareness about these outer space threats.
The longest lunar eclipse in 100 years happens this Friday, but there’s a catch
Get out your binoculars and your passports -- that is, if you want to catch the longest total lunar eclipse of our lifetimes. Well, at least, of the century. On Friday, the celestial event will turn the moon from its normal pearly white into a beguiling red orange for more than 100 minutes
NASA’s invention of the year award goes to … space lube?
NASA handed out its award for the 2018 Government and Commercial Invention of the Year, and the winner is … space lube. While that might sound like a small fry for a company which once put mankind on the moon, it's actually pretty darn impressive stuff. Here's why.
A new discovery could make next-gen deodorants way more effective
Wish that deodorant was a bit more effective, if only to protect your nostrils during rush hour? Scientists in two universities in the U.K have taken an important step in eradicating body odor by isolating the species of bacteria which causes the most foul-smelling compounds.
New study suggests CRISPR gene editing might have unforeseen side effects
CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing sounds almost too good to be true. According to researchers from the U.K.'s Wellcome Sanger Institute, it may turn out to be exactly that. With the potential risk of genetic typos as a result of gene editing, here is what they're concerned about.
Hyperloop pod reaches fastest speed yet in Elon Musk’s latest contest
A Hyperloop passenger pod just hit a new speed record of almost 300 mph. The record was set by a German team of engineering students at a Hyperloop contest in California, which was attended by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who first set out his idea for the ultra-fast transportation system in 2013.
How laser projection is taking IMAX even further over the top
We recently traveled to IMAX’s Toronto, Ontario headquarters to see the company’s brand-new, single-projector laser system. Set to be utilized in IMAX’s smaller theaters, the new system offers a spectacular viewing experience on an 80-foot screen. We’ve seen the future of big-screen theaters, and it’s brighter and more colorful than ever.
Boeing suffers setback in space taxi testing
NASA's contract with Soyuz expires next year, and the agency wants to accelerate the timeline to certify private companies to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station. However, a recent anomaly in a test may push timelines back by quite a bit, much to the company's chagrin.
Meet the gigantic machine that eats land mines for breakfast
Developed under the watch of anti-landmine group the HALO Trust, this mine-munching tank of a machine weighs 30 tons and is capable of chewing through landmine-infested soil at an unimaginable rate. Thanks to this machine, we could have a landmine free world within decades.
A Japanese startup is planning an artificial shooting star show by 2020
Who says you have to wait around for a meteor shower? Certainly not ALE Co., a Tokyo-based startup that wants you to wish upon a shooting star anytime you'd like. The company is looking to develop a system that would offer paying customers "shooting stars on demand," and it could be in operation by 2020.
From robot insects to human-sniffing sensors, this rescue tech could save lives
Technology like inflatable vine robots and skin-sniffing smart sensors sound interesting, but could they actually save a person's life in a potential disaster zone? That's the hope of their creators, who believe this technology could play a valuable role in future search and rescue missions.
NASA is teaming up with the United Arab Emirates to send humans into space
NASA is striking up deals with other countries in the name of sending more humans into space. The American space agency has recently signed a deal with the UAE in order to advance human space travel. In a tweet, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced the signing of a joint letter of intent.
NASA’s Opportunity Rover is stuck in a giant dust storm that won’t end for months
A massive dust storm the size of North America has shrouded Mars and covered Opportunity for the last several weeks. Much of the planet is in the dark — and so too is Earth about Opportunity's whereabouts and status. Will Opportunity weather the weather?
Is another broadband option brewing? Facebook is building a satellite
In publicly disclosed FCC emails and in a confirmation to Wired, Facebook has revealed plans to launch an in-house developed satellite called Athena to offer broadband service to "unserved and underserved" areas. The low Earth orbit satellite is slated to launch sometime early next year.
Sweating up a storm? A new health sensor will eat that up
Today’s wearables generally depend upon your pulse and heart rate to gauge your fitness and health, but a team of scientists from Stanford are taking a closer look atcreated a flexible wearable that senses cortisol levels in sweat.