How to clean and sterilize your homemade face mask
Homemade face masks are now being recommended to help keep people from spreading disease to others. How can you keep yours clean if you're wearing it daily?
How to buy groceries online: Tips for shopping in quarantine
Shelter-at-home orders are making competition for grocery delivery and pickup options fierce. Here are some tips to get the food you need.
How do ventilators work?
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, hospitals are needing ventilators in greater numbers. Here's how the life-saving machines work, and why they're needed.
Need something from Amazon? Here’s how shipping delays will affect your package
Amazon stopped receiving nonessential items at its U.S. and U.K. warehouses last week, and now people are seeing longer wait times for all kinds of products.
From the Arctic to Antarctica, Erika Bergman pilots submarines to the seafloor
Erika Bergman has been piloting submarines for a decade, and she's also been getting girls excited about engineering so she has some company in the ocean.
Why the coronavirus could remake school as we know it
School districts are closing down for weeks at a time, and parents, students, and teachers aren't ready to go online. That all could change, post-coronavirus.
If you think you have the coronavirus, don’t go to the doctor. Call one
There are many benefits to telemedicine, doing a virtual visit with your doctor when you're sick, especially during a potential outbreak, like the coronavirus.
Minority Report for poachers: Can predictive algorithms prevent wildlife crime?
Dr. Meredith Gore is a conservation criminologist who uses data to stop wildlife trafficking before species are poached, taking techniques from criminology.
How a puzzle game could help scientists find a coronavirus cure
Foldit is a puzzle game anyone can play to try and help find a cure for the coronavirus. Citizen scientists have used it to help solve other tricky problems.
SXSW 2020’s fate uncertain after Twitter, Facebook pull out amid coronavirus fears
Both Facebook and Twitter have cancelled appearances at SXSW 2020, and it's likely only the first couple companies to do so over coronavirus fears.
Climate change is killing coffee farms, so Atomo is brewing it without beans
Atomo Coffee doesn't use beans. Instead, it upcycles seeds and husks, while still keep the flavor and aroma of coffee, thanks to similar volatile compounds.
Amazon’s first grocery store is hassle-free and surprisingly affordable
Amazon opened its first cashier-free grocery store in Seattle. Like smaller Amazon Go stores, it's filled with tech that lets you grab your groceries and go.
MIT Technology Review predicts the 10 breakthrough technologies of 2020
From tiny A.I. to satellite mega-constellations, the MIT Technology Review predicts the biggest breakthrough technologies of 2020 and why they matter.
What does it take to make a social media network that doesn’t exploit users?
Social media sites can be fun and silly but also grab all your data to keep you hooked. Some sites want to be a refuge from harassment but haven't caught on the way Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok have. Is there a way to be both popular and good?
How CNN made its Election Center your primary (and caucus) destination
Ahead of the 2020 election, CNN's election center has data-driven modules for following the primaries and caucuses, including today's New Hampshire primary.
Historians at the Movies mixes fun and fact-checking for your favorite films
Ever wonder what historical scholars think of movies like 300 or The Irishman? They'll gladly tell you with the Historians at the Movies hashtag #HATM.
The red planet looks almost Earth-like in the detailed maps of the Mars Atlas
If Mars seems mysterious and foreboding to you, the Mars Atlas might make the Red Planet a little more accessible, though there's still much more to discover.
How SETI@home accelerated alien hunting with an army of armchair astronomers
The SETI@home project uses citizen scientists to help look for extraterrestrial intelligence. Data from telescopes is sent to their computers for processing.
XPRIZE founder says the future is coming faster than we realize. Here’s why
In Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler's new book, The Future Is Faster Than You Think, the futurist and science writer talk about converge and how a host of technologies, including VR, quantum computing, and A.I., are speeding up development of flying cars and changing new and old industries.
Seattle’s vote-by-phone system could be a game changer, but only if it’s secure
For the King Conservation District Board of Supervisors, Seattle and other cities will allow residents to vote by phone using technology created by Democracy Live, in a pilot funded by Tusk Philanthropy, that hopes to increase mobile voting. Security issues are obvious, but some say it will increase turnout.
In St. Noire, Alexa plays a detective helping you solve a Clue-like mystery
Amazon's Alexa can play tons of games, but it doesn't play too many board games. St. Noire is one of the first that uses the voice assistant to great effect. Voice actors play suspects, and you're the detective trying to solve a murder. It's a light, cooperative board game with great sound effects.
Personalized beauty tech will shake the very foundation of the skincare industry
At CES 2020, traditional makeup and beauty brands were right at home on the show floor. Long-established beauty brands now have to be able to customize products for every individual's skin, which requires high-tech tools, easy-to-use apps, and a treasure trove of data, all on display at CES.
Amateur astronomy is easy with Celestron’s smartphone-compatible $189 telescope
Newbie astronomers can find the sky overwhelming and telescopes complicated. Celestron's StarSense telescopes are meant to be extremely user-friendly and harness the power of smartphone cameras to tell viewers what they're seeing in the night sky. Best of all, they start at just $189.
The OxiCool chills your house with water instead of refrigerant
The OxiCool is an air conditioner that uses water as a refrigerant. Regular air conditioners use chemical refrigerants that cause greenhouse gas emissions. It's supposed to be more energy-efficient than air conditioners that run solely on electricity.
Ivanka Trump spoke at CES, but she didn’t say very much
Ivanka Trump, daughter and adviser to President Donald Trump, delivered a keynote at CES 2020 on Tuesday, January 7 -- but she said little that was new or enlightening before a crowd of tech journalists, largely using the time to hype herself and promote her father's administration.
CES has never been great for women. Is 2020 the year that changes?
For CES 2020, the CTA has made some changes that are meant to make women attendees feel more comfortable. Its keynotes are more diverse than some past years, and there are new dress code restrictions. But some say CES needs to focus more on women-founded startups to really change the conversation.
Mistakes were made: Hilarious internet mess-ups from the 2010s
Making a mistake is bad enough, but what about when that mistake goes viral? Sometimes, though, these mishaps are more charming than dark and disturbing. We rounded up some of the funniest internet mistakes of the 2010s.
The best new podcasts for the week of November 30, 2019: Catch and Kill and more
Everyone and their cousin seemingly have a podcast, but not all podcasts are created equal. With new and returning podcasts coming on the scene every week, it can be hard to figure out what to listen to. This week: restaurants, melanization, and Ronan Farrow.