Lessons from 'Star Trek: Picard' – a cybersecurity expert explains how a sci-fi series illuminates today's threats

‘Star Trek: Picard’ is set 400 years in the future, but, like most science fiction, it deals with issues in the here and now. The show’s third and final season provides a lens on cybersecurity.

Richard Forno, Principal Lecturer in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County • conversation
May 12, 2023 ~9 min

William Shatner oldest astronaut at 90 – here's how space tourism could affect older people

With commercial spaceflight companies now taking older people to space, it’s timely to consider the potential physical impact space flight might have on them.

Christopher Newman, Professor of Space Law and Policy, Northumbria University, Newcastle • conversation
Oct. 12, 2021 ~6 min


William Shatner to be oldest astronaut at 90 – here's how space tourism could affect older people

With commercial spaceflight companies now taking older people to space, it’s timely to consider the potential physical impact space flight might have on them.

Christopher Newman, Professor of Space Law and Policy, Northumbria University, Newcastle • conversation
Oct. 12, 2021 ~6 min

We created holograms you can touch – you could soon shake a virtual colleague's hand

It could be the first steps towards a Star Trek-style holodeck.

Ravinder Dahiya, Professor of Electronics and Nanoengineering, University of Glasgow • conversation
Sept. 17, 2021 ~6 min

Warp drives: Physicists give chances of faster–than–light space travel a boost

If humanity wants to travel between stars, people are going to need to travel faster than light. New research suggests that it might be possible to build warp drives and beat the galactic speed limit.

Mario Borunda, Associate Professor of Physics, Oklahoma State University • conversation
April 23, 2021 ~8 min

Space Force sounds like a joke thanks to pop culture – that could be a problem for an important military branch

Science fiction has often had an inspirational and positive relationship with space endeavors. But the new US Space Force is struggling with a pop culture public relations problem.

Wendy Whitman Cobb, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies • conversation
Feb. 19, 2021 ~7 min

If a robot is conscious, is it OK to turn it off? The moral implications of building true AIs

Philosophers say now is the time to mull over what qualities should grant an artificially intelligent machine moral standing.

Anand Vaidya, Associate Professor of Philosophy, San José State University • conversation
Oct. 27, 2020 ~10 min

The COVID-19 virus can spread through the air – here's what it'll take to detect the airborne particles

Miniaturized laboratory equipment is making it easier to identify airborne pathogens in the field, but there's still work ahead to be able to instantly determine if a room is safe or contaminated.

Shantanu Sur, Associate Professor of Biology, Clarkson University • conversation
Aug. 14, 2020 ~9 min


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