By Theme - The future

  • Calendars: A fix needed?
    Calendars: A fix needed?

    Leap day approaches. But could a smart calendar finally drive a stake through the heart of Feb. 29? Could a “permanent” calendar place Christmas and New Year’s Day on Sunday, and simplify life for people who make schedules? It’s possible — but only if the new calendar gains acceptance…


    Thursday, February 16th, 2012
  • Flying robots
    Flying robots

    Compared to regular airplanes, radio-controlled craft are safer, cheaper, and easier to use for observing wildlife and environmental conditions. Where are these robots being used? What are they finding? And as prices continue to fall, what stands in the way of much broader use?


    Thursday, February 9th, 2012
  • Video surveillance: Who is watching you?
    Video surveillance: Who is watching you?

    London pioneered video surveillance in public, but it’s catching on fast. Many major cities have systems, and more are coming. What do these cameras learn? How do they interact with other sources of data? In this culture of disclosure should we even worry about privacy?


    Thursday, March 11th, 2010
  • Fertilizing the ocean
    Fertilizing the ocean

    As Earth warms, should we try huge geoengineering projects to cool the climate? Would adding iron to fertilize ocean plants withdraw enough carbon dioxide to slow warming — or backfire?


    Thursday, August 6th, 2009
  • Running short of copper, phosphorus, rare elements

    Elements rule! Without phosphorus fertilizer, millions starve. Copper = electricity shortage. And U.S. imports more than 95% of “rare-earth” elements needed for LCDs, cell phones, green energy. Risky?


    Thursday, September 11th, 2008
  • Space Travel: Humans vs. Robots

    Bush proposes mission to moon and Mars, but how great are the scientific payoffs of this expensive, risky adventure? Would it be smarter – and cheaper – to send robots?


    Friday, January 30th, 2004
  • Homestake Goldmine: Science Lab?

    An international team of scientists selected the Homestake goldmine to be the world’s deepest underground lab, but the project may sink.


    Thursday, July 10th, 2003
  • Zoonotic Disease — Bugs Jump to People

    Monkeypox, AIDS, SARS: Are more diseases jumping from animals to people, or is it just our imagination?


    Thursday, July 3rd, 2003
  • Particles Get Entangled: Weird Quantum Interaction

    Austrian researchers show quantum entanglement across the Danube River, providing new promise in cryptography and computing. At the smallest scale, you can throw out the usual rules of engagement. What’s up with spooky action at a distance?


    Thursday, June 26th, 2003
  • The Petronas Towers, in Malaysia, are now the world's tallest. They're also half empty.
    Skyscrapers: Engineering Challenge

    What did the losing World Trade designs look like? What is the significance of a city skyline?


    Thursday, January 30th, 2003


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