
Intelligent Robots Must Uphold Human Rights
The common fear is that intelligent machines will turn against humans. But who will save the robots from one another, and from us, one academic asks

Intelligent Robots Must Uphold Human Rights
The common fear is that intelligent machines will turn against humans. But who will save the robots from one another, and from us, one academic asks

First White House Data Chief Discusses His Top Priorities
DJ Patil talks about how to get more out of public and private information while protecting that data from abuse


The Science of Learning [Infographic]
Visual notes from the Science of Learning panel at South by Southwest EDU (SXSWedu)

Undersea Cable Network Operates in a State of Alarm [Excerpt]
The world’s undersea network of transoceanic cables serves as the cardiovascular system for data coursing through the Internet and other communications, but not without a lot of human help

After a Martian Marathon, NASA's Opportunity Rover Faces Uncertain Future
It's been a long time coming, but this week NASA's Mars Opportunity rover completed the first-ever Martian marathon. After landing on the Red Planet in January 2004 on a mission originally planned to only last 90 days, Opportunity has instead endured for more than a decade, and has taken eleven years and two months to [...]

Why Some of Google's Coolest Projects Flop Badly
A scientist known as the "Captain of Moonshots" talked at SXSW this week about Google X's biggest flops and lessons learned

What Computer Innovation and Fracking Have in Common [Excerpt]
In this excerpt from his new book, The Innovators, Walter Isaacson explores the origin of new technologies and the nature of new ideas

The Many Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies
Brainlike computer chips, smart pharmacology and other advances offer great promise but also raise serious questions that we must deal with now

The Amazing Art of Biologist Ernst Haeckel
If you’re like me, you’ve always wanted Ernst Haeckel in your house. Well, not literally Ernst Haeckel, the great 19th century biologist (although that would be cool, in alive form).

Launch Tomorrow for Satellites Set to Solve Earth's Magnetic Mysteries
The Magnetospheric Multiscale mission's four satellites are designed to study the phenomenon responsible for powerful bursts of powerful magnetic particles

Why Hillary Clinton’s E-Mail Server Is Less Odd Than You Think
There are more pragmatic than pernicious reasons why a government official would want to use personal e-mail and their own server

Under What Circumstances Do We Find Robots Trustworthy?
Each year it seems a little less like science fiction to ask your phone for advice about local chinese food or trust your car to get you to a new location.