Features

Machine learning algorithms are algorithms that recognize patterns. One algorithm, the deep neural network, has been particularly successful. It identifies faces, drives cars, and even beats human players at...

Using DNA Nets to Capture Organisms Why don’t you ever get sick from the same bug twice? The answer lies in the elaborate network of defenses that make up your immune system. The intimate relationship...

Machines, motors, mechanization — what comes to mind when you hear these terms? Maybe something big and clunky; maybe something powerful and sleek. But my guess would be that your mind doesn’t jump to a...

Designing a Liquid That Can Swallow Gas Have you ever driven by an oil refinery or a really large power plant and wondered, “Gee, there’s a lot of carbon dioxide and other bad stuff entering the air?”...

When we think of the dangers that space flight poses to humans, we tend to worry about macro problems. What if the shuttle’s engine fails? What if an asteroid hits the shuttle? What if the shuttle hits a...

Flaying, burning, boiling, crushing, beating, ripping, and stabbing—the horror of physical torture throughout history is still cringe-worthy centuries later. But what about the effects of such torture on the...

The Ultimate Game Changers In an art gallery, the lighting in which a piece of art is shown is incredibly important to the viewer’s experience. Dial up the light provided by a spotlight overhead, and the...

Mirror Molecules and Medications If someone asked you to explain the difference between your left and right hand, what would you say? On the surface, your hands aren’t so different: they are both made...

How is it that humans are able to turn milk into so many different foods, from butter and ice cream to yogurt and cheese? In the case of yogurt and cheese, we actually have a fair amount of help. These foods...

There are more than 5 million automobile accidents every year in the United States, resulting in over 40,000 deaths. Worldwide, there are over 1 million deaths. Because over 90% of accidents are caused by...