Hot-Air Balloons Are Useless
When they were invented, the vessels promised to revolutionize travel and industry. But they soon settled into life as an entertaining diversion. An Object Lesson.
AI Could Make Detecting Autism Easier
Machine learning might speed up screening, but it also risks missing nuances a human clinician could catch.
Unidentified Plane-Bae Woman’s Statement Confirms the Worst
This is “not a romance” but “a digital-age cautionary tale about privacy, identity, ethics and consent.”
How Twitter Became The Number One Social Network For Nudists
As platforms like Facebook and Instagram crack down on explicit content, Twitter has allowed nudity to thrive.
Why Some of Instagram's Biggest Memers Are Locking Their Accounts
More meme accounts are going private. Their owners say it’s a new way to gain followers on a crowded platform.
Soccer Has No Interest in Fairness
The sport is finally embracing video-replay technology—but that doesn’t mean it’s going to change.
Why It’s Hard to Protect Domestic-Violence Survivors Online
Restraining orders have evolved to prohibit digital communication, but what happens when they fail?
The Linguist Who Helps Police Catch Child Predators
To pose as kids, British cops are learning how to talk like them online.
Driving Without a Smartphone
A new law in Georgia discourages drivers from even touching a screen. Whether or not it improves safety, it could help break people’s phone habits.
Stop Live-Tweeting Strangers Flirting
#PlaneBae is just the most recent example of an obnoxious trend.
The Hurricane in My Backyard
An environmental philosopher reflects on his experience enduring Hurricane Harvey, and what it teaches cities and their citizens about living with global warming.
Raising the American Flag Made in China
Is the banner’s patriotism undermined when it’s manufactured abroad? An Object Lesson.
How Twitter Became Home to the Teen Status Update
“Local Twitter” is a booming network of basic, young suburbanites across the country.
A Game-Changing AI Tool for Tracking Animal Movements
Scientists are already using it to study octopuses, electric fish, surgical robots, and racehorses.
Could Quantum Computing Be the End of Free Will?
On the fear that too much processing power will make us cease to be human
Code Now. Pay Tuition Later.
Coding schools are offering free classes in exchange for a percentage of future income. But at what cost?
Can Sacrificing Privacy Stomp Out Disinformation Online?
One way to ward off bad actors could be more information sharing between social-media platforms, researchers, and governments.
The Way Police Identified the Capital Gazette Shooter Was Totally Normal
… and a reminder that your photo is probably stored in a government database.
A Web Tool That Lets People Choose Their Own ‘Sources of Truth’
Two 21-year-olds believe they have a way to bring consumers of unreliable news closer to objectivity.
Is Colonizing Mars the Most Important Project in Human History?
The Red Planet is a freezing, faraway, uninhabitable desert. But protecting the human species from the end of life on Earth could save trillions of lives.