Every year, scientists make the arduous journey to the Tibetan Plateau to try to understand how organisms can live there.

How Earth's most extreme environs are key to humanity's future

Future Society

As the planet warms, scientists are looking to organisms living in Earth's extreme environments to engineer hardier crops.

How Earth's Most Extreme Environs Are Key to Humanity's Future

“In an evolutionary sense, we don’t have any time to adapt."

How Earth’s Most Extreme Environs Are Key to Humanity’s Future

This feels even more relevant during this bad flu season.

In 1918 we faced the flu pandemic. Today, we're still fighting the war.

A century ago, the flu killed millions. We're still not rid of our viral enemy. In the future, maybe the flu will truly be a thing of the past.

In 1918 We Faced the Flu Pandemic. Today, We’re Still Fighting the War.

In another century, maybe we'll be rid of the flu for good.

Celebrities need to stop spreading misinformation about the food we eat.

Is organic really better? 4 food myths debunked by science

Is eating organic really healthier? Four of the biggest misconceptions about organic food that need to be challenged.

Is Organic Really Better? 4 Food Myths Debunked By Science

GMOs aren't as scary as they seem. 

Reproductive medicine is already starting to look a lot like the future. But how can we get there when our discrimination laws are stuck in the past?

Advanced reproductive technology is here. But who decides who gets access?

Sci-Fi Visions

In the U.S., people seeking reproductive medicine can get anything they can pay for. But doctors can still discriminate against potential patients.

Advanced Reproductive Technology is Here. But Who Decides Who Gets Access?

"There is no question that in America you have no right to reproduce."

Tesla brought power to a hospital in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico. Could there be a downside?

When it comes to natural disasters, technology has an unavoidable dark side

After disasters like wildfires and hurricanes, the government doesn't always step in quickly enough. So companies have begun to fill the gap.

When It Comes To Natural Disasters, Technology Has An Unavoidable Dark Side

Companies arrive quicker at disaster sites, experimental technology in tow. That might not be great in the long run. 

More AI in the exam room means doctors can spend more time actually talking to patients.

Your future doctor may not be human. This is the rise of AI in medicine.

AI is integrating into medicine, from the exam room to the operating room. But instead of taking over, AI will give doctors more time to work with patients.

Your Future Doctor May Not be Human. This Is the Rise of AI in Medicine.

From mental health apps to robot surgeons, artificial intelligence is already changing the practice of medicine. 

“Has anyone else’s AI decided that it has a soul?"

AI chatbot wants to be your new best friend

Artificial Intelligence

A chatbot called Replika is providing a real benefit for some people. But does intimacy with AI increase social alienation over the long-term? 

Your New Best Friend: AI Chatbot

What if AI bots could be the ones to have meaningful conversations with humans?

Can anything do it better than diet and exercise?

Losing weight in the future will not be one size fits all

Health & Medicine

Obesity is a global epidemic, yet people struggle to lose weight. Drugs, surgeries, gadgets — could anything beat the drudgery of diet and exercise?

Losing Weight in the Future Will Not Be One Size Fits All

2.2 billion people worldwide are too heavy. How can we help them lose weight?

"The research is there — we know how to create models that are not black boxes."

We need to open the AI black box before it's too late

Many systems use sophisticated algorithms, but even their designers don't know how they work. Those algorithms may perpetuate undesirable biases.

We Need to Open Algorithms' Black Box Before It's Too Late

If we don't, the biases of our past could dictate our future.

We Need to Open the AI Black Box Before It’s Too Late

Over the past few years, a growing chorus has asked: Why shouldn't elections be digital?

Could digital voting create a society that is truly governed by the people?

The 2016 presidential election showed that our elections are even more vulnerable to hacking. Some say that voting digitally might fix that.

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