Topic: Science and Technology

Top galleries, list articles, quizzes

All Content

Gilad Shalit: Why does he matter so much?

Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas fighters more than five years ago, sparking outrage across Israel. Now he's set to be freed in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The tragedy of Solyndra

The firm got $537 million from the Obama administration to further goals of energy independence, a cleaner environment, and domestic jobs. What went wrong?
Clean energy falls short so far

Clean energy companies have made money for some investors, but that doesn't mean they're successful businesses. Clean energy – or clean tech – will create winners eventually, but maybe not in the United States.
Social media drive Occupy Wall Street. Do they also divulge its secrets?

Burgeoning cyberchatter about 'Occupy Wall Street' is creating an evolving database of raw information about the leaderless protest movement, a potential tool for those seeking to anticipate its next steps.
Kraken monster ruled ancient seas? Scientists wary of new theory.

Kraken skeptics say a new theory proposing the existence of a real-life 200-million-year-old Kraken sea monster involves too much inference and guesswork to be serious science.
“We are what we read”: 4 lessons from David McCullough

David McCullough, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and author – most recently – of “The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris,” imparted words of wisdom to a sold-out crowd at Boston’s Symphony Hall last week. Here are four pieces of advice from McCullough.
Post oil: Microloans and cooking oil green-up 'jeepneys'

An engineer says microloans and cooking oil can make over a fleet of old jeepney buses, and a city in the Philippines is ready to jump on board.
Texas cattle ranchers adapt to climate change

Cattle farmers in Texas are moving their herds north, to greener pastures.
Amazon Kindle Fire preorders reach 50K per day: report

The Amazon Kindle Fire, due out in November, is already selling extremely well, according to a new report.
Can governments change the economy? American economists share Nobel.

American economists Thomas Sargent of New York University and Christopher Sims of Princeton were awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for developing analytical methods used by governments today.
Christopher Columbus: Five things you thought you knew about the explorer

It’s Columbus Day – a time when faulty lore about the “discoverer of America” abounds. The myths surrounding the epic voyages of Christopher Columbus are as plentiful as the riches he supposedly discovered. Here are some commonly held beliefs that have endured since, well, 1492.
Difference Maker Tri Mumpuni Iskandar builds small hydro plants to bring electricity to Indonesian villages

A petite entrepreneur wants to bring hydropower to the 90 million Indonesians without electricity.
Post oil: Pentagon "Green Hawks" see energy security in biofuel (VIDEO)

"Green Hawks" at Pentagon see energy security in biofuel alternatives for a post-oil world.
Homeownership: biggest fall since Depression

Homeownership rate falls from 66.2 percent to 65.1 percent in the past decade. Homeownership gap between whites and blacks is biggest since 1960.
Post oil: Boom in electric car sales fuel gas-free dreams (VIDEO)

More than a dozen new plug-in electric car models will hit the market by 2012, offering drivers a true post oil experience.
Steve Jobs another Thomas Edison or Henry Ford? Maybe not.

Apple's innovations made personal computers fun and easier to use. But it's unlikely the company's products have had the socially far-reaching effects of automobiles, light bulbs, and aircraft.
Fat tax: Denmark's answer for unhealthy foods

Fat tax – imposed on butter, oil, other fatty foods – could be world's first. Denmark's fat tax would raise price of a hamburger by 15 cents; small package of butter, 40 cents.
The philanthropy of Steve Jobs

Philanthropy isn't just giving to charity; it's improving society through business
Draconid meteor shower: Don't let daylight or nearly full moon stop you

Draconid meteor shower viewing is potentially much more exciting this year, as Earth is expected to hit some tendrils of comet dust head-on. But the peak is Saturday afternoon.
iPhone 4S pre-order: What to know before you buy

The iPhone 4S pre-order line starts now. But before you pull out that credit card, there are a few questions that you need to ask yourself.
Post oil: Glimpses of life after fossil fuel

Contentious debates about "peak oil" aside, imagining how the world looks post oil is increasingly easy as alternatives to fossil fuel develop rapidly.
In Pictures: Top ten highest paid American CEOs
Is the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement being hijacked by newcomers?

More people and organizations are joining Occupy Wall Street or expressing solidarity every day. Whether it's an infusion of vital energy or a force that tears at cohesion is up to the movement.
Cloud computing: Oracle joins in to catch rivals

Cloud computing services include task management and database software. Oracle's cloud computing programs compatible with rival Amazon, but not Salesforce.com.
Steve Jobs: what we can learn from how he lived

Steve Jobs had vision and focus from an early age, and he took courses that piqued his interest – even if they seemed offbeat. Steve Jobs also had an innate sense of a new emerging generation.