In February 2024, for the first time since 1972, a U.S. spacecraft landed on the surface of the moon. The craft’s name? Odysseus. Click here to learn more about the mission.
Tag Archives: Technology
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.
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.
Experimental robot performs simulated surgical operations aboard space station
A surgical robot originally intended for space has the potential to revolutionize surgery here on Earth.
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.
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?
The Amazon’s ancient complex of ‘lost cities’ flourished for a thousand years
A new discovery in the Amazon unveils more information about the vibrant and complex civilization of the Upano people, who populated the region thousands of years ago.
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.
These Chemists Cracked the Code to Long-Lasting Roman Concrete
Its formula long forgotten, the mystery of why Roman concrete remained strong over several millennia when more modern versions crumbled much faster has long baffled scientists and engineers. But now the secret of “self-healing” concrete has been rediscovered and it could lead to a construction revolution more than 2,000 years after it was first discovered.
10 Offbeat Things Humans Have Launched into Space
Did you know that Buzz Lightyear has really been to space? Most of the more than 100 space trips have included an odd item or two on board. Read to find out more about the interesting, and sometimes wacky, items that have traveled to space.
Harnessing the Military Power of Animal Intelligence
In the 1990s, the U.S. Navy revealed that sea lions and dolphins were being used to find and retrieve valuable equipment from the sea floor. These animals are also being trained to help clear mines and to protect our harbors. Read to learn about the secret uses of marine mammals!
‘We Are All Accumulating Mountains of Things’
Online shopping can be a convenience. Yet the ease of buying online might also contribute to hoarding disorder and overspending. Review the research in this article to find out more.
Hollywood Writers Reached an A.I. Deal That Will Rewrite History
The Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) went on strike for 148 days this summer, demanding that studios put guardrails around AI’s encroachment on their work. The effects of their new contract will echo in industries far beyond Hollywood.
What is the Future of Communication?
There was a time when there was no written language and almost all communication was spoken. Even when language evolved, it was often written on stone and not very portable until the invention of paper. History is full of such advances. Even the now ubiquitous smartphone was thought to be science fiction just a couple of decades ago. But have you ever asked yourself what advances may come next?
Harvard Professor Believes He’s Found Fragments of Alien Technology
Small objects sometimes lead to big discoveries. Learn how tiny, metallic spheres might point to alien technology in this short video clip.
Online social change: Easy to organize, hard to win
Author Zeynep Tufekci looks around the world at how social media can both power freedom movements and weaken them.
Dark patterns, the tricks websites use to make you say yes, explained
With the advent of more “personalized” ad experiences and the increasing value of personal data, companies have dirty tricks up their sleeves to manipulate users.
NASA announces crew for first trip back to the moon in over 50 years
It’s been over half a century since NASA last sent astronauts to the moon, and this crew of brave men and women is the first of its kind.
Great Accidental Discoveries
While hard work is a good path to success, there is another route that some people have followed: the simple accident. Some of the world’s biggest discoveries and inventions have happened by accident. And yet, to see a mistake and not think of it as a failure, but rather as a new and unexpected form of success, takes a special kind of industrious mindset.
UN Says AI Poses ‘Serious Risk’ For Human Rights
Could artificial intelligence open the door to the loss of human rights and liberties? Officials at the United Nations are concerned about the threats that advances in AI could pose to human rights.