Rae Redford Beyer 100 posts 0 comments

I’m a Trekkie (not a “Trekker,” thank you), so I’m tickled every time I see one of these “Star Trek inspires tech” stories. If you’ve watched TNG (The Next Generation) with the venerable Sir Patrick Stewart serving as captain, the crew…

Despite experts' warnings, the threat of the collapse of our social order, and invective-throwing chatbots, AI use continues at a breakneck pace. It has so many beneficial uses, from extreme weather forecasting to predicting prejudice,…

AI and smart algorithms could allow drones to pilot themselves using visual landmarks to navigate. That's the aim of researchers at the University of Missouri, who received a $3.3 million grant from the US Army Engineer Research and…

AI and machine learning can do so much for the good of humanity. Scientists are using it to improve the taste of our beer and help people find their next best friend. And, more seriously, all of this cool stuff. Scientists at MIT have…

Beer drinkers already have a wide plethora of brews to choose. From Hefeweizens to IPAs to Stouts, it seems we have a beer for every taste. And, with the upswing in microbreweries and home brewers, our choices are even more broad.  With…

We've all heard that the blue light from our smartphones and tablets could affect our circadian rhythm. Health professionals warn us about eye damage and worse. Screen filters and blue light dimmers are available to reduce our exposure to…

NASA and Lockheed launched the Juno space probe in 2011 as part of the New Frontiers program. It entered Jupiter's orbit on July 4th, 2016, to peek beneath the planet's dense clouds. Now, in its extended mission, the probe is taking a…

The list of items that contain PFAS - "forever chemicals" - is long and frightening: our clothing, food packaging, firefighting foams, nonstick cookware, building products, and makeup, among many others. (Even our dental floss has "forever…

We're using AI and Machine Learning to predict everything from disasters to superbugs to pandemics, among many other things. What if we could predict prejudice and hate crimes like we do the weather? We soon may be able to. Researchers…

AI is ubiquitous. From chatbots to virtual assistants to self-driving cars, AI is transformative. It does, however, raise pressing ethical and equity questions. How can we ensure that this powerful tool is accessible to all?…

Researchers at the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST have achieved a significant milestone in solar energy by creating the world's most efficient quantum dot (QD) solar cell. The team utilized an innovative ligand exchange…

An RMIT University team of researchers and industry collaborators has invented a recyclable battery that won't catch fire or explode. Traditional lithium-ion batteries are currently the norm, but they come with some issues, including…

Insect brains aren't big. In fact, they're about the size of a pinhead. Could studying insect navigation and behavior help us get to energy-efficient computing by way of robots? It's not really a straight line, is it? But it is... and it…

Are you ready for some footballllll... -shaped bioplastic cages used to 3D print cartilage? Please forgive that objectively horrible lead. But, with the Superbowl behind us, I knew many of you would be missing football. But what does…

Ammonia. Plants need it and can even absorb it in the air through their leaves. We use it in fertilizer, which fuels leafy growth and stem development. Can we use it to fuel our vehicles? Carmakers like Toyota are certainly giving it a try.…