NASA’s JPL Is Testing the Next Generation of Autonomous Martian and Lunar Technology
NASA is developing the next generation of surface exploration technology with its Exploration Rover for Navigating Extreme Sloped Terrain.
Engineering
Elephant Trunk’s Hidden Design Could Inspire a New Generation of Soft Robots
The elephant's trunk has long been studied by engineers seeking to understand how it performs both powerful and delicate tasks effectively.
Material Scientists Just Created a Revolutionary New Building Material Based on a Tangled Ball of Staples
A new material, inspired by the frustrating strength of a tangled ball of staples could be the future of flexible, adaptable design.
Holographic Breakthrough: This New Futuristic 3D Imaging System Overcomes a Longstanding Problem for Holographic Tech
A new 3D image projection system marks a major step toward overcoming a longstanding problem for holographic technology.
“When We Build the ARC Fusion Power Plant, It Will Work”: Company Claims Nuclear Fusion Reactor Design Will Produce More Energy Than It Consumes
Commonwealth Fusion Systems has published a series of papers they claim will lead to the successful construction of their ARC fusion reactor.
MIT Engineers Testing Exotic ‘Electrospray’ Propulsion for Faster, More Maneuverable Spacecraft
MIT engineers are testing "electrospray" propulsion thrusters that could make satellites and small spacecraft more powerful and maneuverable.
Decades of NASA Satellite Data Reveals the Elusive, Enigmatic ‘Urban Pulse” of Six Major Cities
Decades of satellite data have revealed the Urban Pulse of six cities worldwide, including the "health" of each city and its neighborhoods.
“SpiderCam, SpiderCam, Does Whatever a Spider Can?” 3D Camera Inspired by Jumping Spider is First to Operate Below One Watt
Northwestern engineers have unveiled an energy-efficient camera called SpiderCam that estimates depth in the same way that jumping spiders do.
Scientists Demonstrate What Pianists Have Argued for Over 100 Years
For more than a century, musicians have maintained that the way a pianist touches a key influences the sound that emerges. Many scientists, however, have argued that after the hammer strikes the string, the instrument itself determines the outcome, making the pianist's touch irrelevant.
“They Would Be Able to ‘See,’ ‘Hear,’ and ‘Think’”: Laser-Powered Ceramic Engines Could Drive Futuristic Intelligent 6G Networks
Chinese scientists claim they've tested a visible-light, laser-based ceramic engine that could enable AI-based intelligent 6G networks.
The Great Pyramid Has Endured for Millennia—Scientists Have Finally Decoded the Ancient Engineering Technology That Made It Possible
New research offers compelling evidence that "ancient Egyptian architects possessed profound geotechnical understanding" which has protected the Great Pyramid for thousands of years.
3000-Year-Old Evidence of “Anomalous” Iron Production Suggests Bronze Age Metalsmiths Launched a Technological Revolution by Accident
Long before the discovery of iron reshaped civilizations, Bronze Age metalworkers may discovered it by accident, new research suggests.
Free Energy from the Vacuum? Warp Drive Pioneer Unveils Battery-Free ‘MicroSparc’ That Allegedly Draws Power from the Quantum Vacuum
Casimir, founded by NASA & DARPA warp drive scientist Sonny White, has unveiled a chip that allegedly draws energy from the quantum vacuum.
A 250-Year-Old Mechanical Volcano Finally Erupts for the First Time
250-year-old plans for a model that would mechanically recreate the eruption of Mount Vesuvius have finally been brought to life.
This Ancient Roman Artifact’s Weird Properties Point to Evidence of 1600-Year-Old Nanotechnology, Scientists Say
Scientists have revealed a precocious nanotech discovery involving an ancient Roman artifact that predates the modern development of nanotechnology by an astounding 1,600 years.
Clean Energy Breakthrough: Scientists Have Discovered “Something Interesting and Unknown” in This Novel Material
A clean energy breakthrough has been made by UK researchers, who discovered new “in-between states” as precursors break down when heated.
NASA Tests Prototype ‘Magnetoplasmadynamic’ Electric Propulsion Thruster Designed to Power Future Trips to Mars
NASA announced a successful test of a sci-fi-sounding lithium metal vapor electric thruster propulsion system that could power trips to Mars.
Robots Are Learning Complex Tasks by Watching Humans and Other Robots
A new kinetic intelligence framework allows robots to rapidly learn complex tasks by watching other robots without any human intervention
Clean Energy Breakthrough: Bottled Lightning Produces Methanol in New “Bubble Reactor”
Lightning in a bottle, in a literal sense, may be the key to new, clean energy by reducing carbon emissions in methanol production.
“Learning Gives Our Metamaterials the Ability to Evolve”: Scientists Invent Intelligent Materials That Learn, Change Shape, and Move on Their Own
Scientists have invented intelligent metamaterials that can learn, remember, change shapes, and move on their own without external control
“First Plasma” Achieved in the Race for a Propulsion System that Could Cut the Travel Time to Mars in Half
“First plasma” has been achieved by the Sunbird exhaust test system, marking a major step toward a direct fusion drive spacecraft.
“A Microcosm of Life Itself”: Archaeologists Use ‘Radioactive’ Method to Date Historic Coral Polynesian Structures
Scientists have revealed a new timeline for historic coral structures in French Polynesia thanks to the modern uranium-thorium dating method
Scientists Have Turned Unwanted Sawdust into a Fire-Resistant Super Material
Scientists have created a fire-resistant material out of sawdust that offers a more sustainable alternative to burning the sawdust for energy
Bottom’s Up! Scientists Turn a Kentucky Bourbon Byproduct into a ‘Super’ Supercapacitor
Scientists have invented a 'super' supercapacitor made from bourbon stillage that stores 25 times more energy than current devices
This New Invention Will Let Robots Work Directly Inside a Failed Nuclear Reactor
Tokyo scientists have developed a resilient Wi-Fi robot controller chip that can withstand the ultra-high radiation inside a nuclear reactor
New Research Could Help Prosthetic Legs Work More Like Natural Limbs
For the first time, scientists have successfully decoded detailed leg movements from the existing nerves of individuals with above-knee amputations.
Innovative New Design Helps Superconductors Withstand Heat and Magnetic Fields
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology shaped the surface where superconducting material is grown, improving its performance at higher temperatures, and preserving its stability in strong magnetic fields.
“We Bring the Universe to the Lab”: Powerful Galactic Cosmic Ray Simulator Will Fuel Deep Space Experiments on Earth
Researchers at the GSI/FAIR accelerator facility have received a Galactic Cosmic Ray simulator that 'brings the universe to the lab.'
Quantum Computers Reveal a Strange New Molecule With Twisting Electron Motion
A new type of molecule, not only never before seen but not even predicted, was created with the aid of quantum computers.
Dolphin-Shaped Robot Skims Oil From Water Using Sea-Urchin-Inspired Technology
Researchers at RMIT University designed a small, remote-controlled robot that uses a sea urchin-inspired filter to remove oil from water.
After 10 Years of Training, NASA’s Humanoid Robot ‘Valkyrie’ Has Finally ‘Graduated’ College
After ten years of intense college 'training,' NASA's humanoid robot Valkyrie has finally returned home. But her advancements live on.
U.S. Army Research Lab Announces the Creation of ‘Super Foam’ That Absorbs 10X More Energy
Research funded by the U.S. Army Research Lab has resulted in a 'super foam' that absorbs 10X more energy than existing protective foams.
Unexpected Speeding Electron Discovery Could Boost the Future of Solar Power
New solar energy research has demonstrated that electrons can move across solar panels at a speed far greater than previously understood.
This Device Promises to Mitigate Earthquake Damage in the World’s Most Vulnerable Regions
A newly patented device could protect essential infrastructure from the worst effects of earthquakes, wind storms, and even man-made forces.
Traveling at 20% The Speed of Light: Scientists Demonstrate ‘Practical’ Light Sails to Explore the Universe
Scientists have successfully tested a material design for light sails using photonic crystals that could achieve 20% the speed of light
Engineers Create Full-Color Solar Windows Without Reducing Energy Generation
Korean scientists have created a tunable, full-color solar window that does not lose its energy generation capability regardless of color.
High-Energy Laser Turns Ordinary Moon Dust into Futuristic Materials for Lunar Colonists
A futuristic sounding process using a high-energy laser turns ordinary moon dust into versatile manufacturing and construction materials
‘Adaptive’ Robotic Wing Senses and Reacts to Wind Changes More Rapidly Than a Barn Owl
Scientists have revealed an adaptive robotic wing equipped with artificial nerves so sensitive to air currents that it outperformed a barn owl
Scientists Create ‘Unsinkable’ Metal Tubes that Still Float After Severe Damage and Submersion
A video shows unsinkable metal tubes retaining their buoyancy even after they are damaged or fully submerged for extended period of time.
Scientists Have Developed a Laser-Controlled Magnet With No Heating Required
Swiss researchers have developed a new technique allowing for magnetic polarity changes using only a laser beam.
Did Thomas Edison Create Graphene More Than 130 Years Before it Was Officially Invented?
Experiments with identical replicas of Thomas Edison's original light bulbs shows the inventor may have accidentally created graphene
Spacecraft Heal Thyself? Engineers Invent Futuristic Material That Heals Itself and Lasts for Centuries
Scientists have invented a futuristic material that heals itself capable of lasting for decades or centuries on aircraft and spacecraft.
Ancient Cannabis Enzymes Reveal How THC and CBD First Evolved
A team of scientists has taken a closer look at the origins of cannabis chemistry by reconstructing enzymes from ancient plants.
“It’s Just a Tube Hanging from an Axle”: Breakthrough Energy-Harvesting Device Makes Electricity from a Vibrating Underwater Pendulum
Catalan scientists have built a pendulum-based energy-harvesting system that converts the vibrations of water currents into usable power.
“The Waves From an Earthquake, Only On the Surface of a Small Chip”: This Vibrating Laser May Be the Future of Wireless Technology
Tiny, artificial earthquake-like waves generated by lasers may be the key to smaller, faster, and more efficient computer chips.
Researchers Unveil Futuristic Eye-Tracking Technology That Sounds Like Something from Science Fiction
Scientists have successfully demonstrated a low-cost, self-powered eye-tracking technology that is powered by the friction of blinking eyes.
“This Discovery Changes How We Think About the Quantum World”: Physicists Reveal New Evidence of Quantum Particles Working Together
Evidence of quantum particles working together to generate self-sustaining energy pulses has scientists rethinking the entire quantum world.
Robots with Feelings: New Robotic Skin Reproduces the Human Experiences of Touch and Pain
Chinese researchers have developed a novel "e-skin" that allows robots to mimic our ability to touch and feel pain.
“Zentropy Theory” May Unlock Previously Impossible Electronics Based on Transparent Ceramics
New 'zentropy theory' based on quantum mechanics could unlock seemingly impossible electronic devices made with transparent ceramics.
“Bold and Creative Concepts” Wanted: If You Have a Cool Idea for a Space Base, You Could Win $20,000
The Aurelia Institute has launched the $20,000 Aurelia Prize in Design for Space Urbanism, seeking "bold and creative" space-based concepts.