The price of a drug should be based on its therapeutic benefits – not just what the market will bear
'Orphan drugs' with high price points are being tested as treatments for COVID-19. There's a better way to spur low-cost innovation for new drugs.
Jan. 13, 2021 • ~9 min
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How explainable artificial intelligence can help humans innovate
AI algorithms can solve hard problems and learn incredible tasks, but they can't explain how they do these things. If researchers can build explainable AI, it could lead to a flood of new knowledge.
Jan. 13, 2021 • ~7 min
machine-learning innovation artificial-intelligence computer-science innovation-and-invention process-of-innovation black-box reinforcement-learning
Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther gives a boost to diversity in STEM – a Black engineer's take on personal and professional inspiration
The late Hollywood star celebrated being young, Black and gifted, both on screen and off.
Jan. 8, 2021 • ~8 min
hollywood stem diversity innovation-and-invention chadwick-boseman process-of-innovation role-models black-panther inclusion exoskeletons
Taking fish out of fish feed can make aquaculture a more sustainable food source
Fish farms feed millions of people around the world, but they also consume a lot of fish that are dried or ground up to make aquafeed. Researchers are developing more sustainable alternatives.
Dec. 14, 2020 • ~7 min
sustainability fish seafood aquaculture nutrition water-pollution food-security microalgae omega-3-fatty-acids salmon innovation-and-invention sustainable-seafood sardines
The iconic American inventor is still a white male – and that's an obstacle to race and gender inclusion
The story of the invention in America typically features larger-than-life caricatures of white men like Thomas Edison while largely ignoring the contributions of women and people of color.
Dec. 8, 2020 • ~9 min
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Curved origami offers a creative route to making robots and other mechanical devices
Curved origami isn't just elegant art. It's also a versatile way to vary the amount of force applied by robots and other machines.
Nov. 18, 2020 • ~5 min
robotics engineering innovation stem quick-reads research-brief invention mechanical-engineering origami manipulation flexibility new-research
Smart concrete could pave the way for high-tech, cost-effective roads
What if roads and bridges could signal structural problems that need repair?
Nov. 12, 2020 • ~8 min
innovation infrastructure civil-engineering transportation invention concrete innovation-and-invention
Most plastic recycling produces low-value materials – but we've found a way to turn a common plastic into high-value molecules
Plastic waste is a global problem. Now a chemist has developed a new strategy for breaking down the most common plastic so it can be not just recycled, but upcycled into desirable goods.
Oct. 23, 2020 • ~6 min
environment pollution recycling plastic plastic-recycling plastic-waste innovation-and-invention plastic-bags
NASA's OSIRIS-REx will land on an asteroid to bring home rocks and dust – if it can avoid Mt. Doom
OSIRIS-REx will touch down on asteroid Bennu, collect a sample of the dust and begin its journey back to Earth, where scientists will study it, hoping to learn secrets of the solar system's origin.
Oct. 19, 2020 • ~8 min
space astronomy solar-system nasa asteroid astrobiology innovation-and-invention bennu near-earth-asteroids sample-return-mission
How a government-linked foundation could speed the spread of new clean-energy technologies
Similar arrangements already support the National Park Service, the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies.
Oct. 7, 2020 • ~9 min
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