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Diamonds 101

If you're planning on popping the question this year, you're probably in the market for some jewelry. And we realize you might be too busy...

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Kinkajou Projector Brings Literacy to Mali

Teaching adults to read is a difficult enough task in and of itself, but in rural Mali, teachers also face classrooms without electricity and books weathered by the punishing desert climate. Enter the Kinkajou Projector, a fusion of high and low technology that makes teaching night literacy classes as..

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Attack of the Giant Jellyfish!

Giant jellyfish have invaded the northern coasts of the Japanese islands and they're causing problems. Frustrated local fishermen are hauling...

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Emergency in Mumbai? Dial 1298!

Americans take 911 for granted, but in many developing nations a centralized emergency telephone number is unheard of. In Mumbai, a private ambulance company has stepped up to fill the void in emergency medical service. In a city where "ambulance" used to be synonymous with "hearse," Mumbai residents..

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Mister Trash Can

\r\n\r\nWhile carbon emissions may be the current cause célèbre of the environmental movement, let's not forget the more tangible waste products we...

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Opium Economics

Heroin makes Lou Reed feel like Jesus, and it won't leave Guns N' Roses alone, but how does it end up here in the United States? We take a...

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Cornography

The United States is the number one per capita consumer of corn in the world. Don't recall stuffing your face with thousands of ears of corn...

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The State of the Planet

As we head into the last year of the two thousand aughts, we take a look at some of the numbers that shaped our lives this past year.  Thanks for the memories, 2008..\r\n

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Animal Superpowers

From cicadas who hibernate for 17 years to checkerboard-camouflaged cuttlefish, some animals have powers that border on the super. Artists Kenichi Okada and Chris Woebken have created three devices designed to give children a chance to experience heightened animal senses. For example, their Bird Device..

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Jailbirds

There are currently more than 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States. What does that look like, exactly? That's equivalent to...

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Hippo Rollers

In rural Africa, women spend 26% of their time fetching water, often walking for miles with heavy buckets balanced on their heads. That's time...

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Part 1: The ABCs of War Bots

Technological developments have enabled the evolution of warfare from cavemen bludgeoning each other with blunt objects to career soldiers...

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Part 2: Soldiers and Their Bots

Unlike soldiers, robots can take the worst of a bomb blast and survive to see another battle. So when an explosive needs to...

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Part 3: The Overcrowded Skies

There's a problem brewing over the skies of Iraq, and it's not weather related. Thanks to a new generation of cheaper,...

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Part 4: Rescue Bots of the Future

Not only are robots being used for military offensives, but they are also being deployed to rescue wounded soldiers. These robot medics can evacuate downed servicemen from situations too dangerous for normal reconnaissance missions. Rescue bots, most of which are still in the development phase, ensure..

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Part 5: Legs With Brains

Robots are assisting soldiers both on the battlefield and off. Some 30,000 men and women have lost limbs over the course of the conflict in Iraq, and the latest in prosthetic technology is helping them readjust to normal life. These cutting edge prostheses are equipped with robotic joints and computer..

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Part 6: A God's Eye View

The capture of the U2 spy plane pilot Gary Powers was one of the tensest incidents of the Cold War. In modern warfare, high-flying surveillance planes are now totally unmanned, taking espionage literally to new heights. While these robotic drones are good news for the military, they have civil rights..

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