innovation

What do turkey vultures, bullet trains, cockroaches and robots have in common? They've all served as inspiration for human innovation.

A new Asian power rises, fueling awe and anxiety. Its economic rise seems inevitable, until it doesn't. We've seen this movie before, with Japan in the '80s. Now it's China's turn, and while history rarely repeats itself, it can rhyme, and it's rhyming now as China's economic growth slows and challenges, some similar to those Japan faced, mount. So what might China learn from Japan's experience? And how is Japan shaping a new role for itself, so it will continue to matter in this century?

What if you never had to worry about your clothes fitting you in the future? What if your clothes were tailored exactly to your body.

A New York-based nonprofit has launched a Kickstarter campaign to build open source software that will make it easier to create video dictionaries on the fly — a tool they hope will facilitate the teaching and preservation of endangered languages.

The next iPhone is expected to hit the market this fall — and it may come with a new headphone jack that throws out years of prior technology.

Can Denver continue to redesign itself to create an economy of young creatives that avoids the pitfalls seen in other rapidly gentrifying cities like San Francisco and New York?

Wind and solar power have the potential to reduce the growth of greenhouse gases and slow the progression of climate change. But since the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow, the big hurdle in expanding the use of renewables is the lack of cheap and efficient storage of that energy. That could be about to change.

There's been a surge in interest in hard cider in recent years. One New York cidery is showing just how versatile the old school drink can be.

Researchers are trying to tap into the zeitgeist in an effort to get more information faster about emerging outbreaks. They're calling their effort HealthMap.

One aspect of being a genius is the ability to view things in a unique way. Twenty years ago, environmental health advocate Gary Cohen looked at the health care sector and saw a big problem with pollution. He also saw a way to fix it and he set out to do so. So far his success has been phenomenal. And now he is a recognized MacArthur Foundation 'genius.'