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Sunday March 16, 2014

Physicists, Generals And CEOs Agree: Ditch The PowerPoint

John Paul Chou (right), a physics professor at Rutgers University, uses a whiteboard and answers questions during a forum at Fermilab. Amanda Solliday/Fermilab hide caption

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Amanda Solliday/Fermilab

Physicists, Generals And CEOs Agree: Ditch The PowerPoint

March 16, 2014 • A group of physicists banned PowerPoint from forums, and they aren't the only people who say we should cut back on slide-based presentations: Others include Amazon, LinkedIn and NASA.

Tuesday March 11, 2014

Evolved Science: Crowds Can Catalog Bugs Faster

Notes From Nature allows volunteers to digitally catalog thousands of scientific specimens, like this insect from the Calbug project. Screengrab/NotesFromNature.org hide caption

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Screengrab/NotesFromNature.org

Evolved Science: Crowds Can Catalog Bugs Faster

WFSU News

March 11, 2014 • Thousands of non-scientists sitting at their home computers may now be as useful as a single Einstein — thanks to online crowdsourcing. What once took years, now takes days.

Evolved Science: Crowds Can Catalog Bugs Faster

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Thursday February 20, 2014

Deep Learning: Teaching Computers To Tell Things Apart

Cat Or Dog? Sure, you can easily tell the difference. But a machine may not be able to guess on the first try. iStockphoto hide caption

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iStockphoto

Deep Learning: Teaching Computers To Tell Things Apart

February 20, 2014 • The first step in recognizing people could be telling the difference between a cat and a dog. Facebook is investing in artificial intelligence research, with the hopes of better sorting your photos.

Deep Learning: Teaching Computers To Tell Things Apart

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Thursday January 23, 2014

Weekly Innovation: A Radiation Detector In Your Smartphone

Scientists tested their radiation detection app on four smartphones, concluding that it works well enough to be a useful warning system for first responders. Idaho National Laboratory hide caption

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Idaho National Laboratory

Science

Weekly Innovation: A Radiation Detector In Your Smartphone

January 23, 2014 • Scientists at the Idaho National Laboratory created and tested an Android app that could allow your smartphone to detect gamma radiation. They say the technology could be used as radiation detectors by first responders.

Wednesday December 11, 2013

Science

The 'Digital Lollipop': You Can Literally Taste The Innovation

December 11, 2013 • The technology creates the illusion of taste by sending electrical and thermal stimulation to different parts of the tongue. Imagine tasting food on TV cooking shows, getting rewarded with a treat for succeeding in a video game or sharing a meal with a friend on social media.

Sunday October 20, 2013

What's Creepy, Crawly And A Champion Of Neuroscience?

The RoboRoach device allows users to influence the movements of cockroaches with a smartphone. Backyard Brains hide caption

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Backyard Brains

Science

What's Creepy, Crawly And A Champion Of Neuroscience?

October 20, 2013 • The new RoboRoach project allows users to influence the movements of cockroaches with a smartphone. Greg Gage of Backyard Brains says it's not brain control but more like the bridle of a horse. The RoboRoach just provides a sensation that makes the cockroach perceive an obstacle.

What's Creepy, Crawly And A Champion Of Neuroscience?

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Monday September 30, 2013

Space's Wild: 5 Cool Happenings Along The Final Frontier

SpaceX launched an upgraded version of its Falcon 9 rocket Sept. 30 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, northwest of Los Angeles. SpaceX hide caption

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SpaceX

Science

Space's Wild: 5 Cool Happenings Along The Final Frontier

September 30, 2013 • Space organizations are taking potential leaps for mankind: SpaceX tries to reuse rocket parts, Orbital Sciences docks a craft to the International Space Station, and NASA is exploring the uses of 3-D printing. Spoiler: One of those uses is pizza.

Tuesday September 24, 2013

The Mystery Of $600 Million Traded In The Blink Of An Eye

A television monitor on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange shows the decision the Federal Reserve made on Sept. 18, 2013. Richard Drew/AP hide caption

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Richard Drew/AP

Science

The Mystery Of $600 Million Traded In The Blink Of An Eye

September 24, 2013 • Somehow, information about the Fed's bond buying decision got into computers in Chicago faster than the speed of light. Those milliseconds meant millions.

Tuesday August 13, 2013

A Closer Look At Elon Musk's Much-Hyped Hyperloop

A rendering of a Hyperloop pod. Courtesy of Elon Musk hide caption

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Courtesy of Elon Musk

Innovation

A Closer Look At Elon Musk's Much-Hyped Hyperloop

August 13, 2013 • Existing concepts in science like linear induction motors and magnetic levitation are back in the spotlight thanks to Elon Musk's proposal for a rail system that can travel faster than the speed of sound.

A Closer Look At Elon Musk's Much-Hyped Hyperloop

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