Brain wave-reading earbuds are being used by companies to study workplace performance

Brain implants are restoring movement and communication in early human trials

Several companies developing brain-computer interfaces have begun testing on humans with promising results. These implants have helped reanimate paralyzed limbs and enable communication, though ethical concerns remain about data privacy.

Elon Musk's Neuralink's N1 chip can wirelessly read brain signals from over 2,000 electrodes

The device is a battery-powered brain implant that transmits data via Bluetooth. Neuralink's near-term objectives for the device focus on unlocking new treatments for paralysis, neurological disorders, and some psychiatric conditions.

Some employers are using new technology to surveil remote workers

'Bossware' tools help employers make sure their remote workers aren't slacking off on the job, using surveillance technology to monitor employee computer activity and more.

Colorado legislates neural and biological data generated by the nervous system

The law expands personal privacy protections to include data from brain activity, marking the first legal step of its kind in the US. It targets companies involved in consumer neurotechnologies, which were previously not required to restrict user data access.

Scientists are learning to guide your dreams using sound and touch

Researchers are using a technique called "targeted dream incubation"—where stimuli like sounds or vibrations are introduced as you drift off—to influence dream content and potentially improve creativity, memory consolidation, and PTSD treatment. With the same mechanism, companies could theoretically target sleeping consumers with brand suggestions while they're unaware and neurologically susceptible, or assist in reducing nightmares.

How do brain scans work?

There’s only one thing in our solar system sophisticated enough to study itself: the human brain. But this self-investigation is challenging because a living brain is shielded by skull, swaddled in tissue, and made up of billions of tiny cells. How do we study living brains without harming their owners? Two experts explain how the various techniques like EEGs, fMRIs, and PETs work in this TedEd talk.

Neural rhythms shape how we move, focus, remember, and interact with the world

Millions of neurons in the brain produce rhythmic electrical signals, or brain waves, that guide physical movement and help form and store memories. Researchers also use these rhythms to create brain-computer interfaces, letting people control devices using only their thoughts.

The history of brainwashing in America

"Brainwashing" refers to a coerced shift in worldview, often associated with cults or oppressive totalitarian governments. Though such processes are not well understood on a neurological level, they hold an outsized role in public imagination, particularly in science fiction and dystopias. This article reviews the history of the term, first popularized by Edward Hunter in 1950, and the subsequent use of the approach in pop psychology, the CIA, and more.

Listen to Palantir CEO Alex Karp discuss the threat of a surveillance state

Palantir has been criticized for providing the US government with software tools that give government agencies access to data about citizens and could be used for surveillance. Karp often counters those claims by asserting that empowering the work of the American government is absolutely essential for maintaining Western democratic leadership and that private surveillance is a larger threat than government surveillance.

People are experiencing AI 'brain fry' at work

Workers, particularly in marketing, are experiencing mental fatigue in the workplace due to expectations—often unspoken—that they should use AI to multitask beyond their comfort levels. Many feel they are underperforming if they don't embrace this technology. This situation differs from typical burnout. This podcast discussion suggests that this "brain fry" tends to intensify when employees are required to use more than three AI tools.

Despite privacy risks, scientists are using DNA in the air to assess ecosystem health

While DNA in soil and water samples has long been used for such analyses, airborne DNA is being incorporated into such efforts to monitor individual species abundance, detect invasive species, measure biodiversity, and determine the success of conservation actions. Future work may include detecting attacks from biological weapons.

Alternatives to polygraphs, which correctly identify innocent people only 57% of the time

Lie detector polygraphs have been standard in law enforcement for a century despite being based in unproven science. Researchers are exploring brain-scanning and eye-tracking alternatives, though some suggest there's no reliable lie-detection process at all.

US federal researchers are blocked from putting certain human cells in animals

In 2015, US policymakers put a halt to any government-funded work that would insert human stem cells into animals. The reasoning was that human cells might spread through the animal's body and perhaps to its brain, blurring the line between humans and nonhumans. The ban remains in place today even as gene-edited pig parts are being placed in humans.

Privacy advocates warn menstrual cycle apps could put women at legal risk in certain states

Smartphone apps that women may use to track their menstrual cycle and identify times of peak ovulation are not covered by data privacy laws. Included data could potentially be used against women during prosecution in states with abortion restrictions.

Contactless credit cards descend from a batteryless Cold War listening device

The same physics that let Soviet spies eavesdrop on the US ambassador in 1945 underlie contactless payment methods today. The device is a passive chip powered wirelessly by incoming radio waves.

NFL Draft decisions are shaped by brain science, data, and office culture

Carnegie Mellon researchers say Draft-room choices are influenced by the "jackpot effect"—where higher stakes can impair performance—as well as by groupthink, the limits of data, and whether scouts feel safe speaking up.

What pupils can reveal about a person’s thoughts and feelings

Eyes have long been said to be the window to the soul. In this article, a psychologist and pupillometrist explores research demonstrating pupils as a window into the mind. Pupils tell us how intensely someone is exerting mental effort, or even reveal what a person is imagining. Read this article for insight into the field of pupillometry and how it can offer insights into our psyches.

Obsessing over sleep metrics leads to worse sleep quality

Over one-third of Americans have used wearable technology to track their sleep, and the anxiety over having perfect sleep data, or orthosomnia, has made getting a good night's sleep more difficult. Experts agree that most devices cannot correctly assess sleep details, making the data unreliable.

The mathematics of quantum-based cryptography, and why existing data is already at risk

Seeing the potential of this technology, some governments and malicious actors are thought to have already started storing encrypted data, in the hopes that quantum computers within the next 10 to 20 years will be able to decrypt it. As of 2022, the National Institute of Standards and Technology had selected four algorithms for inclusion in a quantum-resistant encryption standard.

See why wearing earbuds—instead of over-the-ear headphones—can cause ear infections

Earbud headphones can heighten the risk of ear infections. They can lead to earwax buildup and create a dark, moist environment as you sweat—ideal conditions for germs to thrive. Wearing external over-the-ear headphones or ones that don't enter deep into the ear canal can help.

Worldcoin: the cryptocurrency collecting biometric data

An ambitious project launched by OpenAI's founder Sam Altman, Worldcoin aims to provide a global financial and identity network based on proof of personhood through biometric scanning of individuals' irises.

Study shows H-1B visas depress wages and reduce consumer tech costs

A paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that without H-1B workers, American computer scientists would earn 2.6% to 5.1% more and domestic employment could rise by 11%, but consumers would pay more for advanced technology, and output would decrease.

Unlike the models made by large AI companies, open-weight models can have their safeguards removed or weakened, a process that has become increasingly easy and may expose users to harmful information.

This removal is made possible by developers making the parameters behind their models publicly known. By adjusting these parameters, users can modify how the model processes and provides information. Many of these models can be downloaded locally, preventing developers from seeing how people are using them.

Watch a review of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses

Combining smartphone features with a luxury eyeglass brand, Meta's peripheral provides discreet recording, audio, and AI-powered functions. They represent an ongoing effort by the company to develop hardware for the augmented and mixed reality market.

A brief guide to espionage

Spies have one of the most challenging and dangerous jobs in the world, risking their lives and legacy to extract secrets in the interest of their country. This in-depth explainer breaks down one of the profession's oft-ignored aspects: The...

After 25 people used virtual reality headsets to practice flying with virtual wings—flapping their arms—their visual cortex responded to the wings almost as if they were real arms, treating them as body parts.

In 2025, four executives from large tech companies were given positions in the US Army Reserves—including Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar, which reinforced Palantir's ties with the US military and its role as a leading defense partner.

When you complete a CAPTCHA on a website to prove you are human, you may be unknowingly training algorithms for self-driving cars, whose systems require training data to help identify crosswalks, bicycles, and other outdoor objects.

Fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef have increased after installing waterproof speakers on the ocean floor that played recordings of sounds from healthy coral reefs.

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

Against his wishes, Albert Einstein's brain was removed before his cremation, and the pathologist responsible stored it for decades in mason jars within a beer cooler.

Astronauts have repaired genetic damage in space using CRISPR—a molecular tool that can make precise changes to DNA and is used in single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

In 2019, a laptop loaded with six of the worst malware in history and described as 'an exhibit of historical weaponry' sold for $1.3M.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

Watch how deep-sea mining equipment collects and processes polymetallic nodules—metal-rich, potato-shaped rocks—from the ocean floor and creates environmentally damaging plumes of sediments.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

Explore what it's like inside a patient isolation unit, used in situations such as treating a patient or suspected patient with Ebola.

Discover the catastrophic consequences of a failure of the US electrical grid—something that is more likely than many Americans think.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

Learn how to read a prospectus, the juicy document that any company must file with the SEC before going public.

The idea for the Federal Reserve was conceived in secret in 1910—with bankers donning duck hunt gear for disguise while traveling to a remote country club on Georgia's Jekyll Island

How Amazon operates a 'flywheel' business model, a self-reinforcing cycle that drives continuous growth

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

The first image of a black hole was captured by creating an Earth-sized virtual observatory from a network of eight radio telescopes.

One disco producer saw 'Star Wars' four times on its opening weekend and was so inspired that he recorded the album 'Star Wars and Other Intergalactic Funk,' which produced a chart-topping single.

Art theft is the third-largest source of criminal revenues worldwide, thanks in part to the subjective nature of valuing a work of art.

Some researchers have labeled nomophobia, the fear of being without your phone, as 'the phobia of the 21st century.'

In 2026, Finland was named the world's happiest country for the ninth consecutive year based on its wealth, social safety network, and high life expectancy, among other factors.

'Silent' fireworks have gained more interest in recent years as a quieter celebratory option.