Tech

Tech

The first artificial material that follows sunlight may upgrade solar panels

Rows of tiny stemlike rods called SunBOTs orient themselves toward light, optimizing the solar energy that they can harvest.

Tech

Here’s what it will take to adapt the power grid to higher wildfire risks

Better sensing tech on power lines and reliance on more local power sources could help avoid vast power outages like those in California in October.

Science & Society

Bias in a common health care algorithm disproportionately hurts black patients

A machine-learning program that uses past medical costs to identify patients for extra care favors white patients over black patients, a study finds.

Quantum Physics

Google officially lays claim to quantum supremacy

The quantum computer Sycamore reportedly performed a calculation that even the most powerful supercomputers available can’t reproduce.

Science & Society

This year’s SN 10 enjoy the journey, not just the discovery

Meet 10 young researchers who combine persistence and passion to make headway on science’s big questions.

Neuroscience

Maryam Shanechi designs machines to read minds

Maryam Shanechi creates computer programs that link brain and machine to one day help patients with paralysis or psychiatric disorders.

Genetics

Stanley Qi gives CRISPR a makeover to redefine genetic engineering

By adapting CRISPR/Cas9, Stanley Qi has given genetic engineers a plethora of new tools.

Science & Society

Parag Pathak uses data and algorithms to make public education fairer

Economist Parag Pathak has overhauled school choice systems across the United States. Now he’s assessing what makes for a good education.

Science & Society

3-D printed ‘ghost guns’ pose new challenges for crime-scene investigators

Researchers are analyzing the ballistics of 3-D printed guns and the plastic they leave behind to help forensic scientists track these DIY weapons.

Tech

This device harnesses the cold night sky to generate electricity in the dark

A new thermoelectric generator uses the temperature difference between Earth and outer space to create electricity after the sun goes down.

Tech

A new prosthetic leg that senses touch reduces phantom pain

A prosthetic leg that can sense foot pressure and knee angle helped two men walk faster and reduced phantom leg pain.

Humans

Supercooling tripled the shelf life of donor livers

Cooling organs to subzero temperatures could help them last longer, making lifesaving transplants available to more people.