Technology
Computer Scientists Find a Key Research Algorithm's Limits
The most widely used technique for optimizing values of a math function turns out to be a fundamentally difficult computational problem.
Radioactive Rat Snakes Could Help Monitor Fukushima Fallout
Scientists have attached dosimeters to the reptiles so they can serve as living “bioindicators” to gauge contamination levels near...
Titan’s Strange Chemical World Gets Simulated in Tiny Tubes
A research chemist mixed nitrogen, methane, and other molecules to recreate the conditions that might harbor life on one of Saturn’s...
New Vaccine Decisions, an Influx of Mandates, and More...
Catch up on the most important updates from this week.
Why Florida’s Covid Surge Is Screwing With the Water Supply
More people in the hospital means more people need oxygen. But treatment plants also need the gas to purify water.
Would the Free Guy Inflatable Bubble Protect a Real Person?
In the movie’s video game world, a whole-body airbag protects Ryan Reynolds as he falls off of a building and onto a car. Would that...
Titan's Strange Chemical World Gets Simulated in Tiny Tubes
A research chemist mixed nitrogen, methane, and other molecules to recreate the conditions that might harbor life on one of Saturn’s...
Vaccine Mandates Work—but Only If They’re Done Right
Requiring people to get their shots can stop Covid-19, but those rules have to be doable and equitable.
Afghanistan Almost Beat Polio. Now the Future Is Uncertain
It’s a heart-stopping moment for health officials, who reported only a single case this year—and whose campaigns may end up paused.
This Barnacle-Inspired Glue Seals Bleeding Organs in Seconds
The paste sticks onto wet tissue firmly by repelling blood. Surgeons hope it can save time—and lives.
