Science

Why happiness is not the best indicator of well-being

Achieving values and pursuing growth is the real secret to a fulfilled life.

Jason Crawford

How Arc Institute is bringing science into the century of biology

Stephen Johnson

A vibrant graphic illustration featuring a large leafy plant with integrated plant sensors, comic-style speech bubbles containing exclamation marks, and a round bubble depicting ants, set against a blue textured background.

Agriculture

Plant sensors could act as an early warning system for farmers

Using sensors made from carbon nanotubes, researchers discovered signals that help plants respond to stresses like heat, light, or attack.

Anne Trafton | MIT News Office

Boston Dynamics unveils a new robot: Stretch

Boston Dynamics’ second commercial offering is a warehouse robot named Stretch that can lift and move 800, 50-pound boxes every hour.

Kristin Houser

Series| Catalysts

Research grants, the silicon valley way

4:48

In partnership with Stand Together

What if there was a way to fast-forward innovation? An economist and tech billionaire recently joined forces to make research grants available within 14 days.

Jack Berning

This insect swiped a gene from plants to help itself survive

A plant gene has been discovered in whiteflies, marking the first known example of horizontal gene transfer of a functional gene between plants and insects.

Kristin Houser

Researchers have built a mini-lab for mini-brains

Researchers have created a “tiny machine” to better study brain organoids, clumps of stem cells that simulate the brain.

B. David Zarley

Watch Japan’s latest robot painter in action

For SXSW’s AI Painting Project, a robot arm was trained to generate paintings based on given concepts and using a limited number of brushstrokes.

Kristin Houser

bacteria under marine snow brought to life

Scientists brought to life 100-million-year-old bacteria

Researchers successfully resuscitated bacteria from the South Pacific Gyre that were buried under marine snow for 100 million years.

Teresa Carey

Researchers have grown a mouse embryo in a bottle

Researchers have grown a mouse embryo outside the uterus for longer than ever before, opening up the door to learning more about how mammals grow.

B. David Zarley

Languages

Neanderthals had the capacity for human communication

Neanderthals appear to have had the capacity to hear verbal language, suggesting that modern human communication has ancient roots.

Kristin Houser

Clean Energy

Fuel tests to begin for world’s largest fusion reactor

At the JET nuclear fusion reactor, scientists are testing a fuel that could power a $25 billion nuclear fusion device.

Kristin Houser

Archaeology

After 360,000 years, extinct cave bear's DNA is still readable

Scientists have sequenced the DNA from the ear bone of an ancient cave bear, an extinct relative of the polar and brown bears.

Teresa Carey

Sections

Video

Freethink

We focus on solutions: the smartest people, the biggest ideas, and the most ground breaking technology shaping our future.