Technology & Innovation

The country became the first in the world to officially recognize the use of the virtual currency for legal and tax purposes. 

With the world economy fighting its way off the ropes, is China capable of supporting global commerce by developing an economic juggernaut like Apple or Ikea?

On Tuesday evening, the television news network Al Jazeera America will enter the homes of nearly half of this country’s 100 million cable subscribers.

In response to a 2010 TED talk by gaming researcher Jane McGonigal, an organization has emerged that will develop in-game plug-ins giving players ways they can assist with real-world disaster relief.

For some of its car models, Audi has provided a free augmented reality app that allows an owner to get information about a certain component simply by pointing a mobile device at it.

Taking the fireflies-in-a-jar concept to an entirely new level, a team of undergraduates has made it to the finals of a scientific competition with their BioBulb project. The secret ingredient: Genetically-engineered E. coli.

Is Youthful Pain the Key to Success?

A new report shows worrisome incompetence among Air Force nuclear missile launch officers.

New Zealand-based Martin Aircraft has just been given the go-ahead to begin manned test flights of its P12 jetpack. If all goes well, a (very expensive) version could be on the market in as little as two years.

University of Strathclyde scientists have identified 12 asteroids that could be retrieved using current technology within the next three to eight years…assuming they work very, very carefully.

Specifically, five humble drive-ins: A Web site launched last week invites visitors to decide which ones will receive new digital projectors — and stay in business a little longer — courtesy of the automaker.

For those of us who think there’s something not quite right about playing “Pac Man” on a PC, there’s San Francisco’s All You Can Arcade subscription service, which delivers machines to homes and businesses for a monthly $75 fee.

The country is the world’s largest polluter, but it is cleaning up faster than anyone else.

Researchers have been studying the social, ecological, and economic factors behind what they say is the “homogenization” of American lawns…and “keeping up appearances” is only one of them.

A system currently being tested on European flights uses a short-wave ultraviolet laser to detect air density fluctuations that could signal a pocket of turbulence ahead.

Like the Raspberry Pi, Columbia University professor Shree Nayar’s device helps kids learn the basics of hardware design, and he also plans to donate some to underprivileged communities.

For other subjects, an app that allows teachers to create, analyze and grade assignments online, and provides students with instant feedback on their work, may seem like no big deal. For music theory, it’s a big deal.

To coincide with the Discovery Channel’s annual “Shark Week” series, Nova Southeastern University has launched a Web site that allows visitors to follow specially-tagged sharks as they swim around the world.

An engineer has developed a process that will produce ammonia more cleanly and possibly in enough amounts to provide an alternative energy source.

As of today (Aug. 6), the site’s Art Store offers over 40,000 works of original and limited-edition art from more than 150 galleries and dealers. Prices range from hundreds of dollars to millions of dollars.

Or, more specifically, stomach complaints: nEmesis monitors diners’ Twitter accounts for certain words that might indicate a potential food poisoning issue. Tests showed its findings closely matched those of health inspectors.

A Finnish team made crowdsourcing a literal public affair by setting up large touchscreens in busy areas and watching passersby as they performed basic research tasks with them. The results were on par with those of paid online volunteers.

With global population still on the march, and developing economies like India and China brining potentially billions more drivers onto the roads, demand for oil as a source of energy may actually decline in the years ahead.

To encourage higher birthrates and allow parents to leave the house in search of work, Germany has promised that all families will have ready access to daycare services.

A Gallup poll released this week shows that the 20-point gap between the two, first noted in 1992, has now closed. Meanwhile, the number of hard liquor drinkers has remained more or less steady.

San Francisco-based Relay Rides is unveiling their program this month at San Francisco International Airport and, by doing so, launching a salvo at traditional car rental companies.

Of course. But a lot of people apparently aren’t so sure. In its screed against Janet Yellen, vice chair of the Fed since 2010 and one of the three candidates […]

Yes, say Michigan Tech researchers, who compared the costs of purchasing certain common inexpensive household items against the costs of printing them at home. The savings was significant.

Singapore’s JWT creative agency collaborated with Swiss fragrance company Givaudan to create “smell kits” that, when given to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, help them remember younger, better days.

The company is conducting internal testing on a Google Now local news “card” that will push geographically relevant information to help users get to know their neighborhood better.