Robotic suits that change lives

Steven Sanchez grew up just outside of San Francisco. One summer day before his senior year of high school, everything changed. During a BMX bike jump, Steve landed on his back and broke his spine, making him a paraplegic at 17. 

Crypto crime: Challenges with Web 3.0 security

Is crypto one giant Ponzi scheme that empowers criminals around the globe or is it the future of money, technology, and the internet? Maybe it's a little of both.

How augmented reality is used in hip replacement surgery

Marcin Samek is thought to be the first person in the New York area to undergo a total hip replacement operation that used augmented reality technology.

What is Web 3.0? | The Big Idea

In the Web 3.0 future, millions (perhaps billions) of personal computers around the world combine to create blockchain networks that allow us to move information — pictures, videos, stocks, bonds, titles, songs, etc. — free from the control of any central authority.

'Ghost tracks' show humans were in North America 23,000 years ago | The Big Idea

A discovery beneath layers of the glistening desert at White Sands National Park in New Mexico indicates that human beings have been in North America longer than previously thought and that they lived among mammoths.

Researchers hope mRNA technology used to make COVID vaccines can treat cancer, HIV, more

The mRNA technology used to create the vaccines helping beat back the coronavirus pandemic may offer additional breakthroughs in fighting other illnesses like HIV, Multiple Sclerosis, and even certain kinds of cancers.

The quantum internet | The Big Idea

The foundation for the nation's quantum internet infrastructure (and what could one day become an unhackable internet) is located on Long Island.

Concerns about masks and facial-recognition software

With facemasks now a part of our lives, tech companies are tackling the challenge of updating facial-recognition software to handle them.

What is sleeping beauty syndrome? | The Big Idea

Kleine Levin syndrome is often called "sleeping beauty syndrome." But it is anything but beautiful.

Are floating cities a solution for rising oceans?

Marc Collins Chen and his company, Oceanix, have come up with a new type of floating city.

The Big Idea: Examining the waves in the brain network to boost short-term memory

​​​​​​​Researchers from Boston University believe that by electro-stimulating the brain, they can re-sync decoupled brain networks to boost short term memory for people in their 60’s and 70’s to levels consistent with the memory of a 20-year-old.

School serves students' emotional needs with the help of animals | The Big Idea

The lesson plan for Emma Volper, a 10th grader at Green Chimneys in Brewster, New York, includes mindfulness. As part of her education plan, she spends several hours a week practicing focus and being in the moment with the help of counselors and some less traditional therapists, of sorts. In this case, Zipper, a Norwegian fjord horse.

How an AI can be your online dating coach and help you find love | The Big Idea

Dating these days isn't easy, so many people seeing love or companionship turn to dating apps, which don't always make things easier. Searching through profiles, they swipe left or right, sometimes in vain. So what if you had some help? The online dating sector is turning to artificial intelligence—programming computers to think and make decisions just like humans.

Lab-produced protein could solve world hunger

Mildred Vargas enjoys a hot meal at the non-profit soup kitchen Neighbors Together.  The agency serves the needy who live in Ocean Hill, Brownsville and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods in Brooklyn.

Taryn Southern's artificial intelligence-produced music

A singer and YouTube creator is making music history. Taryn Southern's video for the song "Break Free" has racked up more than 2 million views. She used artificial intelligence software to co-write and co-produce the song, which features passionate vocals and a pulsating beat.

Bot navigates sexual harassment case law for you | The Big Idea

A brand-new tool called Botler AI is helping people understand their legal rights through artificial intelligence. Botler AI is the brainchild of Montreal-based founders Amir Moravej and Ritika Dutt.

Modifying cancer cell genomes | The Big Idea

On the quaint campus of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, Dr. Jason Sheltzer hopes to find a treatment for cancer.