An electric air taxi passes its hardest test. When can passengers fly?
A British start-up recently pulled off a key maneuver for electric vertical flight—but certification, infrastructure and demand will decide whether air taxis fill our skies
Why ships in the Strait of Hormuz can’t trust their navigation screens
GPS spoofing is distorting vessel positions and deepening the risk in one of the world’s most important shipping lanes
The next AI revolution could start with world models
Why today’s AI systems struggle with consistency and how emerging world models aim to give machines a steady grasp of space and time
What FAA’s Flight Reduction Plan Means for Safety and Cancellations
“I have no problems flying,” says one expert about the FAA’s plan to reduce flights by 10 percent at 40 airports nationwide. “I would get on an airplane tomorrow”
Can AI Replace Air Traffic Controllers?
Tests in London and Singapore could reveal whether AI can improve the safety of air travel
Can Tesla’s Cybercab Share the Road with America’s Myth of the Highway?
For more than a century, cars have meant freedom, escape and self-reinvention to Americans. Now Tesla’s forthcoming Cybercab makes us ask whether we can have the romance of the open road without actually driving it
Thermal Runaway Explains Why Waymo Cars Burned So Completely in the Recent Los Angeles Protests
During recent protests in Los Angeles, fires triggered “thermal runaway” in several Waymo robotaxis’ lithium-ion battery packs. The phenomenon sent temperatures past 1,000 degrees Celsius, vaporized much of the cars and spewed lung-searing hydrogen fluoride
SpaceX’s Starbase Is Officially a City. Some Neighbors Aren’t Thrilled
Starbase, SpaceX’s launch site turned company town in South Texas, faces local opposition from residents outside the city limits
Lawmakers Push to Legalize Emissions-Heavy ‘Supersonic’ Planes
A bill to repeal the ban on supersonic flights over the U.S. could increase the demand for the gas-guzzling jets from around a dozen to as many as 240
‘Chaos’ Angle Explains Why Pedestrian Traffic Snarls to a Stop
In general, crowds like to form lanes to get across—until too many people go in too many different directions
These Charts Explain Why Public Transit Is Safer Than Driving
The rates of fatal crashes and crime are both lower on public transportation than on roadways
These States Have the Most Climate-Friendly Transportation
A report from the Natural Resources Defense Council looked at how states balanced transportation needs with climate and equity efforts