World’s fastest “shoes” increase walking speed by 250%
Shift Robotics is taking pre-orders on Moonwalkers — $1,400 “shoes” that let you walk 2.5x faster without expending any extra energy.
Could hydrogen-fuelled flights be a reality by 2035?
By 2035, hydrogen fuel cells could be used to electrify mid-range flights and hydrogen combustion aircraft could be used on long-haul flights.
First-of-its-kind nasal vaccine for COVID-19 deployed in India
India has begun deploying a nasal vaccine for COVID-19 that may be able to prevent infections, not just limit their severity.
ChatGPT-like AI creates new bacteria-killing proteins
Using a large language model AI, biotech startup Profluent has created new antimicrobial proteins.
5 things you didn’t know GPS could do
You’d be surprised at all the things that GPS — the global positioning system that underlies all of modern navigation — can do.
Your microbiome is influenced by the people you hang out with
The human microbiome is largely influenced by our social interactions, according to the largest study to date of microbiome transmission.
mRNA could train our blood cells to stop chronic inflammation
A new study has identified the substance used by our white blood cells to reduce inflammation when it is no longer needed.
Why 2023 will be “the year of mixed reality”
Mixed reality, in which immersive virtual content is seamlessly combined with our physical world, is set to transform the world.
New blood test predicts Alzheimer’s 3.5 years in advance
A blood sample and machine learning helps predict whether people with mild cognitive impairment will soon develop Alzheimer’s.
NASA’s “Lucy” will take a 40,000-mile detour to visit this asteroid
NASA has added a tenth asteroid flyby to the record-breaking Lucy mission so that it can test a new asteroid-tracking system.
Why changing your mind is a feature of evolution, not a bug
Reasoning by yourself is a much weaker tool than contributing your reasoning to a group and being flexible to changing your mind.
This near-Earth asteroid is 4.2 billion years old and nearly indestructible
By analyzing just three dust particles, researchers learned that the rubble pile asteroid Itokawa is 4.2 billion years old and hard to kill.
Rare Martian meteorite is full of complex carbon molecules
A 650-million-years-old meteorite found in Africa shows the rich and complex chemistry that once happened on Mars.
The most undervalued problem-solving tool? Lateral thinking.
Lateral thinking is a way of approaching problems. It deliberately forgoes obvious approaches in favor of oblique or unexpected ones.
New brain implant breaks record for turning thoughts into text
Stanford researchers have developed a brain-computer interface that allowed a woman to “type” 62 words per minute using only her thoughts.
Extreme heat is changing habits of daily life
Researchers found that extreme temperatures actually have a much larger effect on human activity than the previous estimations.
In Japan, humanoid robots could soon become part of the family
More than any other nation, Japan tends to feel comfortable with the idea of humanoid robots entering the home.
Simple tweak to cancer treatment reduces relapse risk by 28%
Delivering chemotherapy to colon cancer patients before and after surgery — instead of just after — reduces their risk of recurrence by 28%.
An open-source option is shaking up the microchip industry
The RISC-V architecture for microchips is transitioning from a novelty to a major player in the tech world.
Cosmic dust from Venus is inspiring new air pollution-busting technology
Inspired by chemistry observed on the surface of Venus, researchers produced a synthetic material that could improve air quality.