A pair of mini satellites has boldly ventured where few spacecrafts have gone before. But the duo weren’t alone. The interstellar tag-alongs accompanied a NASA lander to Mars. Read More

If a tree falls in the Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary, it doesn’t matter if no one’s around. You can hear it anyway. That’s because researchers have hidden dozens of wireless sensors, microphones, and cameras amid the foliage of this Plymouth, Massachusetts, nature preserve. Read More

Hot, hotter, hottest. The Carolina Reaper is the world’s hottest pepper. But one Moroccan plant puts even the strongest pepper in its place. An extract from that scorching shrub could change how doctors handle pain relief. Read More

David Hertz and Laura Doss-Hertz are big winners. The couple won a $1.5 million XPrize for their water collection invention. David had learned that under the right conditions, it was possible to collect water directly from the air. Read More

Up, up, and away! Two glider pilots are riding high after smashing a world altitude record. The duo accomplished the high-flying feat using wind as their only engine. Read More

All summer, a small boat drifted steadily across the churning North Atlantic. It was sailing from Newfoundland to the Irish coast. Upon landing, the vessel made history. It was the first unmanned sailboat to cross the Atlantic. Read More

Aaaand they’re off! Horse racing is one of the world’s most ancient sports. Two or more equines sprint over a course—which is fastest? Racing has seen innovations before now: the photo-finish camera (1936), electric starting gates (1940), and closed-circuit television (1967). Read More

About 70% of Earth’s surface is covered in water. God made humans to live on land. He made fish to live in water. Amphibians do a bit of both. What if, some scientists and designers wondered, humans could don gills and draw oxygen from water? Read More

In 1903, the Wright Brothers’ first successful airplane stayed aloft for 12 seconds and reached a breakneck speed of 30 miles per hour. This summer, aerospace giant Boeing revealed plans for another aviation first—a hypersonic passenger plane. Read More

Did you know your own body produces usable energy through body heat? The makers of the PowerWatch by Matrix have figured out how to harness body heat—and turn it into electricity. That electricity then recharges the smart watch while you wear it. Read More