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April 26, 2024
For her new book, Aarathi Prasad spent years researching the past and future of silk—and even grew her own silkworms. Plus, an array of new products monitors users’ brain waves using caps or headbands. That neural data has few privacy protections. And, bonobo males may not live up to their reputation as calmer, more peaceful great apes.
11:55
Honey, I Shrunk the Lab: Testing for STDs on a Smartphone
A new, inexpensive smartphone dongle tests for HIV and syphilis in 15 minutes.
7:46
Hitting the Sack: Sleep Cycles Can Affect Athletes’ Performance
An athlete’s performance can vary by up to 26 percent, depending on the time of day.
17:14
Modernizing Money: ‘Chip-and-PIN’ Credit Cards and Mobile Payments
Sorting through the changing technology of credit cards and mobile payments.
12:09
Small Drones Raise Big Legal Questions
Law professor Ryan Calo discusses how to regulate personal drones and other potentially invasive technologies.
17:14
The True Story Behind ‘Spare Parts’
In “Spare Parts,” four teenage MacGyvers beat MIT with a smelly robot built with PVC pipe.
29:31
Scientists and the Public Disagree on Key Issues
Is it possible to shift public opinion on controversial scientific issues?
16:22
Put Down Your Phone, Give Your Brain a Break
Some studies suggest letting the mind wander spurs creativity and contemplation. Is it time to rethink our relationship with our phones and bring back boredom?
17:18
Journeying to the Building Blocks of the Solar System
What can comets, asteroids, and protoplanets tell us about the formation of the solar system?
12:05
Scientists Engineer Bacteria With Genetic ‘Kill Switch’
Genetic engineers have designed strains of E. coli that can survive only in the presence of a compound that doesn’t exist in nature.