Rapid advances in technology have made autonomous vehicles (AVs)—once the realm of science-fiction—into an emerging reality. Auto industry newcomers such as Waymo and Tesla now compete with incumbent car manufacturing giants in a race to be the first to produc... More »
Approximately 40 percent of all carbon emissions in the U.S. are produced by buildings, with most coming from commercial and residential buildings. These buildings are significant contributors to total electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in th... More »
Information and communications technology (ICT) previously enabled advancements from wireless phone calls to social networking. Recent breakthroughs have connected cars to the ICT network, allowing them to be controlled from a distance and to transmit data to ... More »
Genetically modified (GM) crops have been marketed and sold to the public since 1994. As an entire generation has grown up surrounded by genetically modified organisms (GMOs), attitudes towards modified foods have gradually trended towards a more favorable out... More »
When Amazon started looking for a home for its second headquarters (“HQ2”), cities across North America vied to be selected. They offered tax breaks and other incentives, seeking the prestige of a high-profile corporate headquarters and the promise of economic... More »
Artificial light may be devastating populations of insects, including species that provide crucial support for human agricultural systems. In a recent article published in the Annals of Applied Biology, researchers examined the effects of light pollution on in... More »
Less than a month after the 2016 elections, a lame duck session of Congress passed the bipartisan Citizen Science and Crowdsourcing Act of 2016, granting federal agencies explicit authority to advance their missions in partnership with individuals, private and... More »
In 1938, Alvin Hansen—the “American Keynes”—introduced a phrase that would form the basis of worry for policymakers in developed nations the world over. In the face of plunging birth rates and ever-increasing life expectancies, OECD nations were soon to face a... More »
When President Obama signed the SPACE Act on November 20, 2015, the U.S. government officially recognized a vision of the future that could previously only be found in the pages of science fiction. Section 51303 of the Act declared: “A United States citizen en... More »
In November 2011, a group of hackers called Guardians of Peace (GOP) attacked Sony Pictures networks in condemnation of The Interview, a satirical movie which targets Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea. Despite the GOP claiming itself to be unaffiliated wi... More »
Scientific innovation has positioned the United States as the global economic leader in the 21st century. However, a 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics report suggests a problem for the future of STEM in the U.S. The report found that after years of pushing young... More »
After years of rapid technological advances, autonomous vehicles are poised to revolutionize the motor vehicle industry. As society speeds toward a driverless future, policymakers are looking to implement regulatory mechanisms to maximize the public benefit. I... More »