Research on molecular machines won last year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry. Now scientists have figured out a way to get these tiny molecules to join forces and collaborate on real work on a macro scale.
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Science + Tech – Articles, Analysis, Opinion
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A revolution in the tools and techniques developmental psychologists use to investigate kids’ knowledge and capabilities is rewriting what we know about how and when children understand their world.
A strengthening movement of Indigenous designers and developers is working to show Indigenous cultures, teachings, languages and ways of knowing through video games.
New standards and regulations are beginning to govern how companies protect customers’ data. Companies ignore this vital issue at their peril, both financially and legally.
How can the same basic genome produce such different forms in the two sexes of a single species? It turns out one gene can encode for various things, depending on the order its instructions are read.
The Tor Project is upgrading its protections for internet users’ privacy and anonymity. A scholar and volunteer member of the nonprofit effort explains what’s changing and why.
The technical consensus is clear: Adding ‘backdoors’ to encryption algorithms weakens everyone’s security. So what are the police and intelligence agencies to do?
Today’s radical right is remaking its profile, using online communications to spread its message farther and deeper into our society than ever possible before.
Every year, school districts across the U.S. try to plan out a bus schedule that works for all students while keeping costs and emissions low. Our mathematical models can help.
It’s been five decades of microwave popcorn and piping hot leftovers in home kitchens. A serendipitous discovery helped engineers harness radar to create this now ubiquitous timesaving appliance.
A European Union law will require human-understandable explanations for algorithms’ decisions. A team of researchers has found a way to provide that, even for complex calculations.
Every moment of life on our planet has had the force of gravity in the background. But the prospect of long-distance space travel means it’s time to figure out what happens to our biology in its absence.
As searches of smartphones and other digital devices at US borders become more common, can research and computer science help protect travelers’ privacy?
The latest release from WikiLeaks, of information about CIA hacking efforts, is yet another reminder of how Americans and our government must better protect our secret information.
In science, the word ‘theory’ has a very specific meaning that’s easy for nonscientists to misunderstand or misconstrue. Here’s what a theory must withstand to be accepted by the scientific community.
Standards, like electrical plugs, are usually so simple we don’t even really notice them. But they’re extremely important: Good ones can drive innovation; bad ones can stifle growth.
Are we in a race against climate change? Or is it a war? How does thinking of the past or the future affect your support for the science? Researchers are learning how metaphors and context matter.
World-class fiber-based internet service is available in less than a quarter of Los Angeles County. By contrast, it’s almost ubiquitous in Stockholm and Paris.
Anthropologists gather clues about how our ancient ancestors lived from their teeth. What will future anthropologists make of us based on the fossilized pearly whites we’ll leave behind?
You might think that trolling on the internet is done by a small, vocal minority of sociopaths. But what if all trolls aren’t born trolls? What if they are ordinary people like you and me?
Alternate realities don’t just exist in politics – and not all falsehoods are lies. Distortions of the truth can range from a normal part of human nature to pathological.
Coating paper with an inexpensive thin film can allow users to print and erase a physical page as many as 80 times. That reduces both the cost and the environmental effects of paper use.
Can California’s wet weather make earthquakes more likely? Scientists are still learning about what triggers these events. Even human activity can be a culprit.
The power grid is increasingly computerized. That opens it to attacks and requires new defenses.
Giving rural residents the option of using broadband access isn’t enough to boost their community involvement. To really improve civic engagement, rural dwellers need to use the internet.