Robotics may seem to owe little to nature and everything to technology. But engineers have used the actions of social insects to guide the movements of robots that are not directly controlled by humans. Read this article to discover what robots can learn from ants.
“One sometimes finds what one is not looking for,” said Alexander Fleming, whose chance observation of a contaminated experiment led to the the world’s first antibiotic. This Smithsonian article discusses inventions and discoveries that centered on a flash of insight in a mind prepared to see what it wasn’t looking for.
What contributed to the devastating power of Hurricane Katrina? History® provides text, videos, and links on the formation and impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
It may be easier to have a conversation with someone who already agrees with you, but it’s better for your brain to talk with—and listen to—someone who disagrees with you. In this article, Art Markman, Ph.D., a cognitive scientist at the University of Texas, discusses the practical applications of psychological research on disagreement.
In this short video, Brian Hare explores the importance of friendliness in the animal and human worlds.
Changing from using one language to another can be a challenge, one that is made even more difficult by reminders of one’s home country. This article by Emily Underwood explains why.
Free climbers Kevin Jorgesen and Tommy Caldwell reached the summit of El Capitan’s Dawn Wall in Yosemite after over 18 days of hard work. Many consider it the toughest, most challenging rock climb in the world. Read about it here.
An opinion columnist explores the idea of whether we should think about how smart the kinds of animals we eat might be.
This video explains how a human characteristic called ‘persistence of vision’ is the key to motion in animation.
Can you imagine a world where humans aren’t reliant on fossil fuels? Such a thing may seem impossible, but Christiana Figueres believes this ambitious goal is not only possible, but within reach.
