Ethan Zuckerman on how to engineer serendipity online

A discussion with the Harvard Internet scholar on how to stumble upon the Web’s gems.

With black holes, astronomers learn to go with the flow

Column: They gain new insights on black holes and distant nebulas by tracking the path of stars and interstellar gases.

The future of search: Do you ask Google or the gaggle?

To improve results, new search engines rely on users instead of computers.

The GPS as dashboard snitch

Data from popular navigation aid helps police. What about privacy?

Will solar power ever be as cheap as coal?

Some predict that within five years, it could rival fossil-fuel energy.

Thanks to DTV, my television has ‘fallen off a cliff’

Column: Don’t assume the digital TV transition will improve reception.

Writers strike out on their own with a website

New online project gives writers greater control over their work.

Guilty verdict in MySpace suicide case could chill Internet speech

The jury convicted a Missouri mother on three counts, but not conspiracy.

Paleontology, without the fossils

Scientists look at ‘genetic footprints’ in yeast and study mineral development to learn more about Earth's primordial past.

The art and science of playing with your food

A dash of tech and a hint of fun keep the ‘hungry scientists’ satisfied.

Microblog while you work

E-mail only gets you so far. Now, some companies turn to a new tool: pithy online posts.

Space station to get ‘home makeover’

A shuttle, launching Friday, will bring a new bathroom, fridge, and water system.

Planet hunters snap first pictures of other solar systems

The breakthrough images include a three-planet system around a sun-like star.

How studying DNA from ancient animals helps humans

Column: Old bear genes may sound like a waste of time, but it’s a down payment on human research.

With new Web services, more companies are working in the ‘cloud’

Google, Apple, and now Microsoft turn the Internet into a portable filing cabinet for businesses.

Energy audits: A high-tech way to stay warm this winter

Inspectors turn to infrared cameras to spot air leaks that the eye cannot.

With videos, high art meets high-tech

Aging formats and rights agreements ensnarl the growing video art genre.

The novel by tweet

The microblogging site, Twitter, launches into serialized fiction for bored cubicle dwellers.

Brief history of Japan’s culture of techno-toilets

Hotels in Japan now advertise high-tech seats, the way wireless Internet is touted in the US.

Why frogs are croaking