Science & Technology

cars on streets

90% of the cars on Ghana's roads are imported used cars. Many are polluting or unsafe.

US consumers have plenty of reasons to snap up electric vehicles. They are helping the US meet its climate goals, and new owners may qualify for a tax credit. But some of their old cars end up on roads across Africa. These vehicles provide vital transportation in poor countries, but they also cause pollution and are unsafe.

90% of the cars on Ghana's roads are imported used cars. Many are polluting or unsafe.
Black, blue and grey illustration of man looking over small figures

The hacker Bassterlord in his own words: Portrait of an access broker as a young man

The hacker Bassterlord in his own words: Portrait of an access broker as a young man
In this Jan. 20, 2017, file photo, residents walk through the destruction of the once rebel-held Salaheddine neighborhood in the eastern Aleppo, Syria. 

Rebel reliance: Part II

Rebel reliance: Part II
Customers get out their smartphones and go silent as Shizuo Mori begins his pudding-fling serving technique that made him a viral sensation.

This 80-year-old pudding maker in Tokyo goes viral for his flan-flinging flair

This 80-year-old pudding maker in Tokyo goes viral for his flan-flinging flair
woman at computer

‘Out of reach’: Over 40 academic editors leave global publishing company they say overcharged to publish their work

‘Out of reach’: Over 40 academic editors leave global publishing company they say overcharged to publish their work
US Air Force fighter aircraft F-35 performs aerobatic maneuvers on the second day of the Aero India 2023 at Yelahanka air base in Bengaluru, India, Feb. 14, 2023.

Military spending around the world reached record highs last year, new data shows

New research shows that military spending grew for an eighth consecutive year in 2022 to an all-time high of $2,240 billion. Europe saw a sharp increase over the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, China has expanded its reach, while the US wants to maintain its military superiority as the world's largest military.

Military spending around the world reached record highs last year, new data shows
Left to right: Smoke from a wildfire over the Athens sky; a woman walks in a village during a period of drought; students hold up a banners; the Atlantic forest in Brazil.

VIDEO: 'The Big Fix' explores climate change solutions around the globe

In the ongoing series, “The Big Fix," The World reports on what communities, individuals, governments and businesses are doing to tackle the climate crisis.

VIDEO: 'The Big Fix' explores climate change solutions around the globe
Syed Sajjad Ali inspects tomatoes planted inside a Kheyti greenhouse.

This greenhouse innovation helps farmers in India cope with climate change

The “greenhouse-in-a-box” is part of a solution designed to help smallholder farmers cope with the vagaries of a changing climate. The design, essentially a low-cost, scaled-down version of a standard greenhouse, is the brainchild of an Indian startup called Kheyti.

This greenhouse innovation helps farmers in India cope with climate change
Elephants in the Chobe National Park in Botswana on March 3, 2013. 

An elephant never forgets, sometimes sheds insight

Critical State, a foreign policy newsletter by Inkstick Media, takes a deep dive this week into what the socialization patterns of elephants can teach us about human evolution.

An elephant never forgets, sometimes sheds insight
A woman walks outside of a COVID-19 testing center at the Incheon International Airport In Incheon, South Korea, on Feb. 10, 2023. 

'The pandemic is still with us': The bumpy road to the end of COVID

Pinpointing the “end” of the coronavirus pandemic depends on the vantage point. The World's host Marco Werman spoke with Dr. Michael Mina, a leading epidemiologist and the chief science officer at EMed, a digital health care company, along with Zeynep Tufekci, a sociologist and professor at Columbia University, to learn more about the "bumpy, difficult off-ramp" from COVID-19.

'The pandemic is still with us': The bumpy road to the end of COVID
An artistic depiction of a T-Rex eating a smaller dinosaur.

New research shows that T. rex had lips

Although we’re used to seeing lipless dinosaur carnivores, new data suggests they had lizard-like lips and probably couldn’t snarl.

New research shows that T. rex had lips
US Army recruits in assumed position, wearing black t-shirts that have "ARMY" written across in bold yellow letters

The US military faces challenges on the homefront as recruitment shortages continue

The US Army missed its target by 25% during the past fiscal year. Other branches of the military are also seeing a drop in recruiting.

The US military faces challenges on the homefront as recruitment shortages continue
scientists on lake

Geologists edge closer to defining the Anthropocene

The Anthropocene Working Group is voting on a so-called Golden Spike, a sedimentary layer somewhere on Earth that best exemplifies the global impact of humans on planet Earth. It's the last, big task in formally defining the Anthropocene, which is being proposed as a new age in geologic time.

Geologists edge closer to defining the Anthropocene
Two players from Boston bruins and Montreal Canadiens hockey teams talk to each other on the ice

Montreal Canadiens superfans brace for historic record to be smashed

The Boston Bruins are on the verge of making history — eclipsing the Montreal Canadiens' coveted record of most points scored in a regular season, set back in 1977.

Montreal Canadiens superfans brace for historic record to be smashed
A lab worker removes crane hoist from a load of rebar used to construct full-scale buildings and bridge spans that are then pushed to the limit in field tests.

This ‘earthquake lab’ is designing buildings to withstand natural disasters

At Spain’s Institute of Science and Concrete Technology, engineers are trying to find ways to keep buildings and bridges from falling down. The lab is getting attention after the deadly earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria in February.

This ‘earthquake lab’ is designing buildings to withstand natural disasters