Technology & Innovation

80% of solar radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere. This team has found a way to tap into the rest.

The disinformation campaigns made famous in 2016 continue.

The launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy was widely covered by the media, but one astrophotographer wanted a different kind of shot of the Tesla Roadster tumbling through space.

A bracing splash of cold Laphroaig in the face of some of our biggest misconceptions, from historian Niall Ferguson.   

Major advancements in the field of transient electronics have paved the way for gadgets that evaporate. That’s important for consumers, and the planet. 

Bill Gates has been working since 2011 with some of the brightest minds to solve a health crisis affecting more than 2 billion people worldwide.

Uber, Lyft, ZipCar, and other transportation companies have signed onto a new pledge to curb urban congestion—in their favor. 

Think the increase in revenue will influence some farmers to make the switch? 

Comments are the lifeblood of internet discussion. Here’s some of the best one from this week. Did you make the cut? 

The capabilities on this thing are both impressive and worrisome.

Facebook’s Q4 earnings call was a mixed bag, with many indications that the company is now feeling the effects of social media fatigue among a significant portion of their userbase. 

Experts caution about the dangers of the current technological revolution at the annual gathering of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Scientists devise neural networks that can spot likely government corruption.

In a move that will have far-reaching consequences for legitimate and illegitimate businesses alike, Facebook has effectively banned any and all Bitcoin advertising.

Can scientists agree on a code of ethics? The World Economic Forum Young Scientists community just proposed a Code of Ethics, which was a topic of discussion at the recent World Economic Forum’s meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

New privacy tools and transparency are all part of continuing changes to the largest social network in the world.

A rocket company launches an orbiting artwork for all the world to see, whether they want to or not.

A significant hangup on the way to portable artificial intelligence has been the neural synapse, which has been particularly tricky to reproduce in hardware. Until now. 

Ingvar Kamprad may be the most influential aesthete in the history of interior design, thanks to the mass-produced and self-assembled furniture created by his company, Ikea.

Elon Musk’s latest product is the next in a long line of PR stunts for companies like Tesla, The Boring Company and more.

Artificial Intelligence will change the nature of some jobs, and eliminate others. But will that be good for humanity? Bill Gates thinks so. 

A new survey indicates that large financial institutions are relaxing restrictions around mobile trading, increasing the volume of deals done via mobile apps 31% in 2017 from the year before.

Tickets are on sale to view the launch of SpaceX’s largest rocket, the Falcon Heavy, which carries with it humanity’s ambition to land astronauts on the surface of Mars.

Facebook announces a new unit of time called the “flick” that simplifies the creation of VR content.

Science Debate asks 2018 candidates to discuss their views on 10 vital scientific policy issues.

The correlation is more prominent in women than men.

This study is radically changing how we view the process of evolution.

Researchers in Mexico discover the longest underwater cave system in the world that’s full of invaluable artifacts. 

Researchers find an unexpected side effect of rising carbon dioxide levels in a remote tropical forest. 

Another week, another wild round of comments from our Facebook audience. Some made us laugh. Some made us cry. Here’s the best of the week.