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
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

Military spending around the world reached record highs last year, new data shows
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
Colleagues gather at a cafeteria in the offices of Picsart, in Yerevan, Armenia.

Russia's war turns Armenia into a booming tech sector

Thousands of Russian tech workers have fled to Armenia, helping the country’s tech sector double in size and fueling dramatic economic growth over the last year.

Russia's war turns Armenia into a booming tech sector
A coal-fired power station in Witbank, South Africa , Monday, Oct. 11, 2021.

Scheduled blackouts roll South Africa into electricity crisis

The lights may be off, but "crisis mode" is definitely switched on in South Africa. Despite a national state of disaster and a new minister of electricity, scheduled power outages, known as load-shedding, continue to heavily impact citizens.

Scheduled blackouts roll South Africa into electricity crisis
To get certified by the Starlight Foundation, Villa de Leyva, Colombia, plans to change its streetlights so they only point downward and use light bulbs with warmer colored temperatures.

This Colombian town is dimming its lights to attract more tourists to view the night sky

Thousands of people gather every year in Villa de Leyva, Colombia, for the annual Astronomy Festival. Now, event organizers are working with the local government to implement lasting improvements for the town to draw more tourists to see the stars.

This Colombian town is dimming its lights to attract more tourists to view the night sky
Graphic of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China’s tech weapons roll in to quell demonstrations, identify protesters

The latest demonstrations across China ended when the central government unleashed a digital arsenal that was less deadly than the tanks used to quell the 1989 protests, but just as effective. China managed to use the internet to defuse national outrage over President Xi Jinping’s strict COVID-19 policies without firing a single shot.

China’s tech weapons roll in to quell demonstrations, identify protesters
People carrying lanterns watch the sky at night during the annual Perseid meteor shower in El Escorial, outside Madrid, Aug. 13, 2015.

This Senegalese astronomer is helping NASA measure asteroids in space

NASA is working with Senegalese astronomers to measure the dimensions of asteroids in outer space. Astronomer Maram Kaire speaks with The World's host Marco Werman about the work of "chasing after the shadow cast by the asteroids."

This Senegalese astronomer is helping NASA measure asteroids in space
In this June 19, 2017, file photo, a person types on a laptop keyboard in North Andover, Massachusetts. 

'Ransomware Diaries:' Going undercover with the leader of LockBit

Jon DiMaggio, chief security analyst at Analyst1, spent more than a year inside LockBit private channels interacting with LockBitSupp and other members. He recently released a report called "Ransomware Diaries: Volume 1," that revealed how he infiltrated the group and what he learned while he was on the inside.

'Ransomware Diaries:' Going undercover with the leader of LockBit
Rescuers scour the crash site in the wreckage of a passenger plane in Pokhara, Nepal, Jan.16, 2023.

Flight data, voice recorders retrieved from Nepal crash site

Rescuers are still searching the debris of a passenger plane that crashed in Nepal's Himalayan foothills for three missing people, who are believed to be dead.

Flight data, voice recorders retrieved from Nepal crash site
The hydroponic tomato plants at Ráječek Farm rely on manufactured fertilizer to grow.

War in Ukraine sparks fertilizer crisis that may impact the future of global food production

Russia is the world’s largest fertilizer producer, but fewer Russian agricultural products are entering the global market due to the war in Ukraine. It’s changing how farmers and fertilizer suppliers are thinking about agriculture.

War in Ukraine sparks fertilizer crisis that may impact the future of global food production
An iceberg melts in Kulusuk, Greenland near the Arctic Circle, Aug, 16, 2005. A new report finds permafrost in the Arctic is thawing faster than ever before.

Critical permafrost research in Russia disrupted by war in Ukraine

Most of the world’s permafrost lies in Russia. Critical research looks at how melting permafrost contributes to global warming. But sanctions against Russia this year have disrupted field work and threatened collaborations among scientists.

Critical permafrost research in Russia disrupted by war in Ukraine