Innovation

Innovation

lithium-sulfur batteries
A lucky discovery involving lithium-sulfur batteries has a legitimate chance to revolutionize how we power our world.
Standard probiotics cannot compare to the diversity that your microbes have.
This representation of the Bamum kingdom is a rare example of early 20th-century indigenous African cartography.
texas geothermal
A community in Austin, Texas is using geothermal energy to keep homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
success
The only way to support someone’s success is to understand how they define it.
Stand Together
ballooning spiders
Small spiders use their silk threads to passively fly, a process called ballooning. Learning how could help atmospheric scientists.
flying-v plane
A radical redesign of commercial aircraft, called the flying-V plane, could increase fuel efficiency by 20%, greatly reducing emissions.
On Nov. 13, 1946, a scientist dropped crushed dry ice from a plane into supercooled stratus clouds.
javelin missiles
Javelin missiles have been an effective force multiplier, the latter-day equivalent of the sling that David used against Goliath.
michio kaku
Michio Kaku predicts, among other things, how we'll build cities on Mars and why cancer will one day be like the common cold.
james webb spikes
When we started imaging the Universe with Hubble, every star had four "spikes" coming from it. Here's why Webb will have more.
what are collective illusions
1mins
From trust and conformity to aspiration, this new series, hosted by Todd Rose, explores and decodes the world's greatest Collective Illusions.
Stand Together
The ranking is encouragingly diverse, with the top 10 featuring representation from five regions.
learning pathways
The talent required to take an organization to the next level often already exists in-house, and learning pathways can be an effective tool for unlocking that untapped potential.
edible electronics
Edible electronics, devices that can be broken down and digested, could perform many useful functions inside the body.
Rotterdam, NL
Africa has the most universities in the 2022 rankings with over two thirds of the world’s youngest universities.
A new method of extracting rare-earth elements could put us on the track toward a circular economy.
It took a series of ingenious experiments in the 20th century to uncover some of our biggest cognitive biases.
gui
Graphical user interfaces are how most of us interact with computers, from iPhones to laptops. But they were once condemned as making students lazy and destroying the art of writing.
da vinci helicopter
Da Vinci dreamed up a helicopter 400 years before they actually existed. Now, engineers have brought his design to life, but with a twist.
Outfitted with wheels and rotors, the bot can morph from a land drone into a quadcopter in seconds.
Trafalgar Square Pyramid
Take a look at the Times Square Totem, the Trafalgar Square Pyramid, and other landmarks that were never built.
A frog swimming.
Scientists looked for ways to trigger the “build whatever normally was here” signal for cells at the site of a wound.
A vintage-style illustration of a man in a suit with a mustache and top hat, the top of his head open as colorful smoke swirls out, symbolizing creativity.
3mins
Anyone can learn from this creativity challenge.
John Templeton Foundation
5g airplanes
In general, 5G is not a threat to human health or activities, but there are some legitimate questions about interference with airplane instruments.
mass flourishing
Historically, periods of mass flourishing are underpinned by technological revolutions. Currently, we are undergoing a technological revolution unlike anything the world has ever seen.
nuclear fusion
Why power generated through nuclear fusion will be the future, but not the present, solution to humanity's energy needs.
space plane
Space planes could radically lower the cost of spaceflight.
using viruses as medicine
This Yale researcher is creating an experimental therapy for cystic fibrosis made from viruses - and it’s working.