Innovation
MANDARIN PROJECT
Is It a Video Game—or a New Way to Learn Foreign Languages?
A New York college is using artificial intelligence to give students an immersion experience without leaving campus.
GOOD HAIR DAY
Can a 3-D Printer Replace Toupees and Comb-Overs?
Researchers at Columbia University grew a robust crop of hair follicles in a special mold.
ISN’T IT IRONIC?
Scientists Made an Ironic Robot. Not Everyone Loved It.
It’s not enough for robots to be functional. Now they need a sense of humor.
SERVICE WITH A BEEP
In the Future Your Room Service Will Be Delivered by a Robot
Meet Alina. She fetches towels, shampoo, and keys for guests. She takes the elevator by herself. She’s a robot.
SALUBRIOUS SLUDGE
Scientists Are Looking for Medical Cures in Toxic Waste
Superfund sites are the most polluted places in the United States, but scientists think they could provide the answer to antibiotic resistance.
BRILLIANT
How to Convert Earth’s Plastic Pandemic Into Fuel
Our world is drowning in plastic waste—but these scientists think they have a way to turn all those empty water bottles into a fuel source.
DISRUPTIVE
Why Driverless Cars Are a Threat to the Airline Industry
Most people would choose to fly instead of driving themselves. But if they could have a fully driverless car take them to their destination, the picture changes.