Technology & Innovation

A recent study examining social networks’ influence on individual behavior found that online pressure from friends to vote inspires more people to go to the polls.

California-based Blue River Technology has raised over $3 million to commercialize its robot weedkiller, which works using a combination of machine learning and computer vision.

Using a special kind of ink that can only be seen in infrared light, invisible quick-response (QR) codes can now be printed onto regular documents, making them harder for counterfeiters to duplicate.

In a move that reflects the increasing popularity of large open online courses, the company is offering free lessons…on how to use Google.

Move over, Siri: Researchers at the University of Rochester have taken advantage of crowdsourcing technology to create a prototype of a personal assistant that’s comprised of quick opinions from actual people.

Google’s offer to provide Kansas City neighborhoods with super-fast Internet failed to fully penetrate poorer areas of the city. In response, citizens are getting the word out by foot and even by ice cream truck.

The burger chain will open two all-vegetarian restaurants in India next year in an attempt to appeal to pilgrims who abstain from eating meat.

While immigration and drug wars dominate US news about Mexico, some experts believe more focus should be placed on the increases in trade flow and business integration between the two countries.

A British psychology professor is working with European and American foundations to inspire young people toward a career, and lifestyle, in the physical and human sciences. 

What’s the Big Idea? As the K-12 school year starts up again in full force, it’s worth asking: are American public schools really failing? According to the measure set by […]

Several new apps represent the modern version of two cans connected by a tight string: Two (or more) smartphones, connected by the Internet.

A new site offers users the ability to create online flyers that they can post on their social networks, presumably saving paper, tacks, tape, and time.

Ethiopian Airlines is banking on the state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner to help it transform the nature of air travel across the African continent and beyond.

Unionization rates have been dropping in both countries, but unlike the US, where anti-union employers hold sway, Canada has instituted laws and guidelines designed to protect and preserve the right to unionize.

Government efforts to circumvent poaching by providing a range of financial incentives to local villagers is enjoying success in Rwanda.

People who work from home are more productive and more-productive people prefer to work from home. These conclusions will help continue the growing trend of at-home office space. 

Given the rising costs of fuel, new versions of wind-assisted cargo ships have drawn interest from the shipping industry. However, companies are very hesitant to invest.

Twitter is often asked to give up user information to government agencies and Twitter often complies. Not this time.

While online reviews help guide millions of consumers purchases each day, new information shows growing trend of fabricated reviews. 

Many municipal problems plague the newly founded government of Egypt, but the country’s trash problem may have a simple fix that has been used in the past: pigs.

Americans have long held the greatest share of the number of college graduates but China and India are well on their way towards overtaking the U.S.

Jobless with few prospects, many in Spain are looking at the invented currencies of time banks to help pay for goods and services with hours of labor.

It’s not the big party universities that order the most late-night takeout. A new study shows that smaller colleges in general and art schools in particular get the most grub.

The tanning industry, beset on several sides by mounting evidence showing the dangers of their services, isn’t going down without a fight.

In California, an almost 100-percent energy-efficient tomato greenhouse is about to go online, thanks to the addition of a plant that provides heat, electricity, and valuable carbon dioxide gas.

I’m not sure any of the reader suggestions to replace the deeply unpopular term “redistribution” will quite cut it as bumper sticker slogans for the fall election.  But leaving aside proposals from […]

What’s the Big Idea? At some point in our lives, most of us realize that we can no longer store our cash in a piggy bank or under the mattress – […]

A new report calls out electronics companies that are doing their part to ensure that the sourcing of materials they use in manufacturing isn’t fueling violence in war-torn areas.

The increase in digital technology penetration in Muslim-majority countries is creating revolutionary changes in many aspects, and not just when it comes to politics.

Evidence of plagiarism by students taking free noncredit online courses begs the question: Why cheat if the outcome doesn’t count for anything?