All Stories by Kathryn Hulick
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Tech
These flying robots protect endangered wildlife
Flying drones make conservation work much easier. Around the world, drones and artificial intelligence help scientists study or protect endangered animals.
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Ecosystems
Secret forest fungi partner with plants — and help the climate
Forest fungi are far more than mere mushrooms. They explore. They move nutrients and messages between plants. They can even help fight climate change.
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Tech
Easy for you, tough for a robot
Robots still can’t do many things that we find easy. Can engineers reduce how klutzy robots are and boost their common sense?
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Psychology
A growing share of teens feels lonely at school
Data from kids in 37 nations links this to use of cell phones and the internet.
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Animals
Cloning boosts endangered black-footed ferrets
A cloned ferret named Elizabeth Ann brings genetic diversity to a species that nearly went extinct in the 1980s.
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Animals
Will the woolly mammoth return?
Scientists are using genetic engineering and cloning to try to bring back extinct species or save endangered ones. Here’s how and why.
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Health & Medicine
Discovering the power of placebos
If you take a fake pill and expect to feel better, you may. Researchers are learning how this placebo effect works and how to use it to help patients.
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Tech
New robots can clean virus-laden surfaces so people won’t have to
Smart and nimble cleaning robots will soon help disinfect spaces. They twist and bend to hit hard-to-reach spaces with UV light or cleansing sprays.
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Materials Science
New device gets power from 5G signals grabbed from the air
A new way to harvest electricity relies on a tiny array of antennas and a lens. Together, they collect and focus 5G signals coming from any direction.
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Physics
Light levitation might help explore Earth’s ‘ignorosphere’
A toy called a light mill inspired researchers to invent a new way to fly. They’re using light to levitate small nanotube-coated discs.
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Tech
5G promises new energy savings for digital tech
A new way to transmit wireless communications promises time and energy savings by using networks of smaller cells.
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Tech
Greening your digital life
The less electricity you use while playing video games or using your devices, the less impact you’ll have on climate change.