Science and Tech

Science and Tech

A medical entomologist points to metabolism, body odor, and mindset.
biomass
Since our arrival, humans have driven a seven-fold drop in the mass of wild land mammals.
The new agency wants to push the boundaries of science and technology.
The James Webb Space Telescope viewed Neptune, our Solar System's final planet, for the first time. Here's what we saw, and what it means.
Gamification, minimalist design, using AI to track behavior — this article dives into these and other key ways to optimize an eLearning strategy.
synthetic biology
Synthetic biology has the power to cure and kill. Have we learned from our past mistakes?
Just as human beings diversified so that people in Asia look different from people in Europe, so too did their microbiomes.
I Have Seen the Future
Our inaugural special issue is focused on progress — the search for, the study of, and the project towards a better world.
Or why I’m coming out as an impatient optimist.
8mins
The futurist behind Minority Report explains 3 steps for predicting what comes next.
Progress got derailed somewhere between indoor plumbing and the flying car. Why?
We asked 11 experts about the future of progress for humanity.
We asked our experts where they see the biggest blockers right now for more progress. Essentially, from their various areas of focus, what did they see as the largest impediments to driving progress forward around the world and how they would prioritize the necessary interventions? The answers were appropriately varied from the philosophical to the political to the technological.
About the project The goal of driving more progress across the world—scientifically, politically, economically, socially, etc—is one shared by many. And yet, debates about the best way to maximize progress […]
About the project The goal of driving more progress across the world—scientifically, politically, economically, socially, etc—is one shared by many. And yet, debates about the best way to maximize progress […]
About the project The goal of driving more progress across the world—scientifically, politically, economically, socially, etc—is one shared by many. And yet, debates about the best way to maximize progress […]
If our goal is to effect the greatest possible progress, what would it look like to approach this holistically? What might need to dispositionaly in how we approach solving our most important problems—at an individual level, a community level, or at a civilizational or global one? We asked our experts to think big picture about how what new thinking would be required to create a larger pro-progress framework.
One of the fundamental questions for those studying and advocating progress is around understanding what variables can move the needle for the type of progress that you might want to see in the world. It's a key focus of the "progress studies" discipline and a question that has received increased attention from academics and public intellectuals in recent years.
As with any "big idea" progress means a lot of different things to different people and not everyone comes into the discussion with the same priors. Some experts are primarily focused on material progress while others emphasize the importance of moral progress. So to start the discussion, we asked each expert to define the term as they see it from their specific vantage point.
An interview with filmmaker Jason Sussberg about his new film about Stewart Brand and the importance of culture in achieving progress.
The world isn’t ending! But we are likely at the beginning of a profound transformation.
5mins
An interview with economist Tyler Cowen on why American progress has seemed to stall and how we can get it back on track.
6mins
WIRED founder Kevin Kelly explains why progress often looks like dystopia to the untrained eye.
Recent research suggests that Earth’s magnetic field bounced back just as complex life was starting to emerge on our planet.
A white virtual reality headset on a white background.
The Metaverse could be the most dangerous tool of persuasion humanity has ever created.
Yes, NASA's Perseverance rover found organics on Mars. So did Curiosity. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean anything in the search for life.