Tag Archives: Technology

Laboratory pipette with drop of blue liquid over petri dish with red biological analysis solution contaminated by infectious bacteria growth for a biotechnology experiment in a science research lab

A promising test for pancreatic cancer . . . from a teenager

If someone said you could change the world, would you believe it? If you had an idea that could save countless lives, would anyone listen? Watch this talk by Jack Andraka, a teen who discovered a revolutionary way to detect certain cancers. Discover what he did, how he did it, and what it took to get people to listen.

Silhouette of father and son looking through telescope at sunset

The 10 Most Intriguing Science Breakthroughs of 2023

It’s too early to know what the greatest scientific discoveries and achievements of 2024 will be, but now that we’ve had some time to reflect on last year, here is one site’s opinion on what the Top 10 most intriguing advancements of 2023 were. Which ones do you agree with? Are there any you think should have made the list?

Fire Pit

This year’s Olympic flame isn’t a flame at all—and that’s a good thing

The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris had a goal of being the most environmentally-friendly games in history. One way to meet this goal was by asking the question: “What if the Olympic flame looked like a flame, but wasn’t one?” Learn how engineers came up with the illusion at the heart of the Olympic Games

French passport and money

Paris Olympics ticket scams rise ahead of the summer games. Here’s what to look out for.

Anytime an event like the Olympics brings together large groups of people,many of whom are international tourists, scams are sure to follow. From fake tickets to fake souvenirs to the dangers of public wi-fi networks, here are some of the scams you should look out for when going to the Olympics—or any other large public event.

Cat Carved in Jack-O'-Lantern

The CIA’s Most Highly-Trained Spies Weren’t Even Human

Pigeons that guide missiles to their targets? Cats that spy on secret meetings? Trained spiders? Read this article to learn why Bob Bailey, the first director of the Navy’s dolphin training program, says he’s never found an animal he couldn’t train—and find out what his animals have been trained to do.

Two teenage girls giving a bank card to a cashier in a store

How Retailers Are Using AI To Manipulate Consumer Shopping

Have you ever wondered why some products appear at the top or bottom of online shopping search pages? Or why some items appear twice? Or why you may see identical items with different prices? Artificial Intelligence is powering more and more online and it has a growing ability to influence consumer decisions—and to do so in ways the consumer is unaware of.

Grassy area with a castle perched on a large ceramic urn

The Visual Illusions that Reveal How Our Minds Work

Disney is known for creating magical effects on-screen, but did you know they also use tricks and deception in their theme parks, too? This article discusses a few of the ways Disney–and other theme parks and entertainment venues–use optical illusions to create magical effects in real life.

Robot reading book to senior woman sitting on sofa at home

AI ‘companions’ promise to combat loneliness, but history shows the dangers of one-way relationships

At a time when health professionals are warning the public about the effects of loneliness and isolation, can Artificial Intelligence help? The author of this article sees limits to technology’s ability to promote human connection and fulfillment.

Seamstress with arm prosthesis working on sewing machine

A new device let a man sense temperature with his prosthetic hand

Researchers in Italy and Switzerland have developed a new device that makes it possible for a person with an amputation to sense temperature through their prosthetic hand. The technology is a major step toward prosthetic limbs that could restore a full range of senses, improving both the prosthesis’s usefulness and its acceptance by those who wear them.

NASA patch - Apollo 11 mission

Naming Apollo: Why NASA chooses Greek gods as names

In 2019, NASA announced that the agency’s efforts to return to the Moon would be named the Artemis program. The goddess Artemis was heavily associated with the moon, and she’s also the twin of Apollo, whose name graced NASA’s first lunar missions in the 1960s. But why does NASA choose mythological names in the first place?

Robots dressed in a business suits

People Are Increasingly Worried A.I. Will Make Daily Life Worse

Like it or not, artificial intelligence is here to stay–and it is making its way into every part of our lives. With self-driving cars using A.I. to make split-second steering decisions, A.I. helping to sort job and college applications, and companies using A.I, to sway customer behavior, a lot of people are growing fearful of the technology. People used to fear monsters in the darkness, but in modern times, some of our scariest monsters are lines of code in a machine.