The technology is still in its infancy. But its trajectory suggests that ethical conversations may become pressing far sooner than expected. These “biocomputers” are still in their early days. They ...

Generative AI is biology’s new playground. The technology powering popular chatbots can also dream up new, entirely novel versions of life’s most basic molecules, from DNA to proteins. Once the domain ...

Waking up, hopping out of the bed, and stumbling to the kitchen for a cup of coffee: It’s an everyday routine most people don’t think twice about. But for children with spinal muscular atrophy, simply ...

Andromeda and the Milky Way merge. NASA; ESA; Z. Levay and R. van der Marel, STScI; T. Hallas; and A. Mellinger Share Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d ...

The treatment reprograms T cells to hunt down a patient's cancer. The approach could speed treatment and cut costs, but needs more study. With just a single injection, a new treatment transforms ...

Autonomous drones could revolutionize a wide range of industries. Now, scientists have designed a drone that can weave through dense forests, dodge thin power lines in dim lighting, and even track a ...

Our cells are like the ultimate soft robots. Made mostly of a liquid interior wrapped inside a fatty shell, they split, stretch, roam, and squeeze into every nook and cranny of the body. Actual robots ...

Our hands are works of art. A rigid skeleton provides structure. Muscles adjust to different weights. Our skin, embedded with touch, pressure, and temperature sensors, provides immediate feedback on ...

Watch Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot doing training routines, or the latest humanoids from Figure loading a washing machine, and it’s easy to believe the robot revolution is here. From the outside, it ...

The price tag is orders of magnitude cheaper than most robots in its class, which can run into tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now China’s Unitree Robotics, best known for its nimble ...

Ever since Hugh Herr lost both his legs to a rock-climbing accident, he’s been on a quest to design replacement limbs that feel like the real thing. It’s now possible to engineer light-weight custom ...

It’s easy to take safe drinking water for granted. In most developed countries, access to safe water takes a simple flip of a kitchen tap or a run to the grocery store. But over two billion people ...