Tech

  1. The asteroid moonlet Dimorphos, taken by DART just seconds before the spacecraft smashed into it.
    Planetary Science

    NASA’s DART spacecraft just smashed into an asteroid — on purpose

    If the first-ever attempt to knock a space rock off course works, it could provide a blueprint to protect Earth from a killer asteroid.

    By Maria Temming
  2. tweezers hold a diamond sensor as light shines through
    Quantum Physics

    This environmentally friendly quantum sensor runs on sunlight

    Quantum sensors often rely on power-hungry lasers to make measurements. A new quantum magnetometer uses sunlight to measure magnetic fields instead.

    By James R. Riordon
  3. blueprint style illustration of a brain with lines and shapes to indicate networks
    Neuroscience

    An AI can decode speech from brain activity with surprising accuracy

    Developed by Facebook’s parent company, Meta, the AI could eventually be used to help people who can’t communicate through speech, typing or gestures.

    By Jonathan Moens
  4. Yeast DNA transcription
    Tech

    50 years ago, genes eluded electron microscopes

    In the 1970s, scientists dreamed of seeing genes under the microscope. Fifty years later, powerful new tools are helping to make that dream come true.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  5. In 2019, scientists found a way to store human livers for more than a day at subzero temperatures without the organs freezing (shown). The technique could eventually help ease the shortage of donor organs, saving thousands of lives.
    Health & Medicine

    50 years ago, scientists hoped freezing donor organs would boost transplants

    In the 1970s, biologists hoped to freeze organs so more could last long enough to be transplanted. Scientists are now starting to manage this feat.

    By Asa Stahl
  6. three sequence images of a syringe stuck in a dead wolf spider as it picks up a spider corpse
    Tech

    Scientists turned dead spiders into robots

    In a new field dubbed “necrobotics,” researchers used a syringe and some superglue to control the dead bodies of wolf spiders.

    By Asa Stahl
  7. photo of Michel Roccati standing and using a walker as a researcher monitors his progress on an tablet
    Neuroscience

    Spinal stimulation gives some people with paralysis more freedom

    Methods that stimulate the spine with electrodes promise to improve the lives of people with spinal cord injuries, in ways that go well beyond walking.

    By Laura Sanders
  8. ultrasound patch on skin
    Health & Medicine

    This stick-on ultrasound patch could let you watch your own heart beat

    A new, coin-sized ultrasound probe can stick to the skin like a Band-Aid for up to two days straight, marking a milestone in personalized medicine.

    By Asa Stahl
  9. array of reflectors around a tower with a solar reactor
    Environment

    How to make jet fuel from sunlight, air and water vapor

    Solar kerosene could one day replace petroleum-derived jet fuel in airplanes and help stabilize greenhouse gas emissions.

    By Nikk Ogasa
  10. a close-up on a person's eye, with a tear streaming down their cheek
    Health & Medicine

    A new technology uses human teardrops to spot disease

    A proof-of-concept technique to analyze microscopic particles in tears could give scientists a new way to detect eye disease and other disorders.

    By Meghan Rosen
  11. photo of someone's hand wearing a wetsuit glove with octopus suckers
    Tech

    This octopus-inspired glove helps humans grip slippery objects

    The human hand, for all its deftness, is not great at grasping slippery stuff. A new glove aims to change that.

    By Maria Temming
  12. a flexible clear implant with a wavy design in the center, held up by tweezers
    Health & Medicine

    This soft, electronic ‘nerve cooler’ could be a new way to relieve pain

    A tiny electronic device implanted in the body generates targeted pain relief by cooling off nerves, experiments in rats suggest.

    By Meghan Rosen