stanford

Scientists Manipulate Electrons Into Material Never Seen on Earth

Stanford scientists have created designer electrons that behave as if they were exposed to a magnetic field of 60 Tesla—a force 30 percent stronger than anything ever sustained on Earth. The work could lead to a revolution in the materials that make everything from video displays to airplanes to mobile phones. “The behavior of electrons…

Physics & Chemistry Kristen Philipkoski Mar 14

What on Earth Is This?

No, this isn’t a closeup of a Cosby Sweater. Nor is it the result of those shrooms you ingested twenty minutes ago. It’s actually science’s newest means of mapping one of the Earth’s wildest and most remote regions. Mapping the Amazonian Rainforest is a daunting endeavor given the region’s huge expanse, lack of development, and…

Commerce Andrew Tarantola Feb 9

Why are women more likely to use public transportation than men?

Stanford has a fascinating new study of gender disparities in public transportation use. In a nutshell, women are way likelier than men to use public transportation — and this disparity is greater among Asians and African Americans than other groups. What’s going on here? There seem to be a few things — including the fact…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Jan 27

Ex-Stanford Prof Starts a Totally Free Online School

Remember when Stanford offered those college-level Computer Science courses for free? Now the professor who ran them is leaving Stanford to start a project that will offer nothing but free CS online classes. Sebastian Thrun is leaving his post as a researcher and professor at Stanford to start Udacity, which will teach Computer Science college…

Tech News Kyle Wagner Jan 24

Stanford Is Building the World’s Biggest Digital Camera

So just how much can a digital camera the size of a Hyundai see? Hopefully, if you’re the Stanford team building it, enough to answer some fundamental questions about our galaxy. It will be the world’s largest digital camera by a good margin, built by the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center for the Large Synoptic Survey…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola Nov 10

Conjoined Twin Girls Who Share a Liver, Diaphragm and Sternum To Be Separated Today at Stanford

Surgeons will spend about nine hours today separating two-year-old conjoined twins at Stanford. The first hour is preparation. Then the doctors will sever Angelica and Angelina’s shared sternum, but luckily their ribs are not attached. Their hearts are also separate which makes the surgery less complicated than one performed (successfully) by some of the same…

Tech News Kristen Philipkoski Nov 1

Stanford Develops Nanotube-Infused Artificial Skin for Robots and People Alike

Man and machine might not be that different in the future—especially if they share the same synthetic skin being developed at Stanford University. The skin utilizes spray-on carbon nanotubes—in a liquid suspension—applied to a layer of silicon, which is then stretched to align some of the nanotubes into bundles that resemble tiny springs. These bundles,…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Oct 25

This App Could Make Tablets Accessible to the Blind

The Braille system has allowed blind people to read the written word since 1825. Unfortunately, Braille doesn’t translate well to the glossy smooth surfaces of modern touch screen tablets and phones. A new app thinks it can change that. Each character in the Braille system—developed by Louis Braille for the French military—consists of a series…

Gadgets Andrew Tarantola Oct 10

Light-Controlled Cells: The Sub-Dermal Dance Party That Keeps Your Dead Heart Beating

Heart cells created by Stanford researchers could lead to a better pacemaker: The beat of the cells is paced by light rather than electricity. Pacemakers save up to half a million lives every year by zapping and normalizing out-of-control heartbeats. Surgeons implant 200,000 every month. But they are still relatively low tech: a hunk of…

Tech News Kristen Philipkoski Sep 20

An objective way to measure pain? It’s closer than you think.

Many doctors rely on patients to indicate levels of pain and discomfort, and while these self-reports are certainly subjective, they can still provide physicians with valuable clinical information. But what happens when patients are unable to talk with their doctors, like in cases of severe cognitive or communicative impairment? For years, researchers have searched for…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Sep 13

Enroll in a free course on artificial intelligence, taught by two world-renowned AI experts

If you’ve ever wanted a world-class introduction to the basics of artificial intelligence, here’s your chance. Every fall, engineering students at Stanford University can enroll in a class titled “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence.” And now you can, too. The class is taught by world-renowned AI experts Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig, and while the course…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Aug 26

Steve Jobs Sings His Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish Song

Steve Jobs’ legacy will live forever. This auto-tuned song will not. Even if it’s so stupidly bad that it’s awesomely good. [Thanks David!]

Tech News Jesus Diaz Aug 26

Stanford Researchers Totally Saw Those Sunspots Before You Did

We’ve studied sunspots for over 400 years but have never been able to reliably predict their appearances. That is, until three Stanford researchers developed a technique to find them days before they hit the Photosphere. Sunspots—planet-sized islands of magnetism in the solar plasma—appear as black spots on the solar disc and are visible with the…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola Aug 25

BART Idiots, Drunk Idiots, and Other Stories We Didn’t Post

So much news passes before our collective eyes every day that we couldn’t possibly cover it all. Mostly because much of it isn’t worth covering! But here are a some borderline tidbits we passed on, just in case. Annoying BART Protester Oh hey, look at me! I have assertive facial hair and a bowtie and…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 16

Robo-Hands Can Now Feel What They’re Crushing

People’s #1 fear when shaking the hand of a robot: having it mash their digits like Popsicle sticks. Two Stanford grad’s solution: coat the robo-hand in the same material used in touch-screen phones to give it a precision grip. Stanford University grad students, John Ulmen and Dan Aukes, have designed and built just such a…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 26

Orca Ears Inspire Researchers To Build Pea-Sized Underwater Microphones

If you want to make the best equipment to listen to underwater sounds, where should you look? Most people would point you to the sales department of a high-end audio company, but a group of Stanford researchers are looking to Orca whales for their inspiration. Orca whales have ears that can sense a wide range…

Tech News Kelly Jun 30

Morpho DJ Is the DJ App You Wouldn’t Expect

There are already plenty of apps that mimic old-school turntablism, but Morpho DJ is an app that lets you mix tracks with your iPhone or iPod touch while keeping the analog turntables at your fingertips. Very cool. Developed at Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Nick Bryan and Ge Wang took a…

Tech News Kwame Opam May 15

Your Brain Has More Connections Than Every Computer on Earth Combined

Just how complex is your noggin? Pretty damn complex, according to researchers at Stanford. Their new imaging technique discovered that synapses are actually more like individual microprocessors than simple on/off switches, and your brain has hundreds of trillions of them. Their findings, reported in the current issue of the journal Neuron, are based on a…

Tech News Kyle VanHemert Nov 19

Students Develop Fully Recyclable Laptop That Can Be Disassembled With No Tools

I’m dutiful about recycling cans and plastic and paper, but I wouldn’t have a clue where to start with my computer. But the Bloom laptop, developed by Stanford students, is made to be recycled—it comes apart without tools. The Bloom laptop, developed as a class project by a team of Stanford students, was designed to…

Tech News Kyle VanHemert Nov 4

Study Warns Private Browsing Modes Can Be Bypassed

In what will come as alarming news to porn lovers everywhere, a new study out of Stanford University shows that the private browsing modes now standard on most browsers can be circumvented. The culprits? Encrypted sites and your own extensions. In a paper to be presented at the upcoming Usenix security conference, computer scientist Dan…

Privacy & Security Sam Biddle Aug 6

Scientists Manipulate Electrons Into Material Never Seen on Earth

What on Earth Is This?

Why are women more likely to use public transportation than men?

Ex-Stanford Prof Starts a Totally Free Online School

Stanford Is Building the World’s Biggest Digital Camera

Conjoined Twin Girls Who Share a Liver, Diaphragm and Sternum To Be Separated Today at Stanford

Stanford Develops Nanotube-Infused Artificial Skin for Robots and People Alike

This App Could Make Tablets Accessible to the Blind

Light-Controlled Cells: The Sub-Dermal Dance Party That Keeps Your Dead Heart Beating

An objective way to measure pain? It’s closer than you think.

Enroll in a free course on artificial intelligence, taught by two world-renowned AI experts

Steve Jobs Sings His Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish Song

Stanford Researchers Totally Saw Those Sunspots Before You Did

BART Idiots, Drunk Idiots, and Other Stories We Didn’t Post

Robo-Hands Can Now Feel What They’re Crushing

Orca Ears Inspire Researchers To Build Pea-Sized Underwater Microphones

Morpho DJ Is the DJ App You Wouldn’t Expect

Your Brain Has More Connections Than Every Computer on Earth Combined

Students Develop Fully Recyclable Laptop That Can Be Disassembled With No Tools

Study Warns Private Browsing Modes Can Be Bypassed

Ryan Coogler Is Shifting ‘Animorphs’ Into a Disney+ Show

No Fooling, ‘Spaceballs 2’ Will Hit Theaters April 2027

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Lost Warship From Battle of Copenhagen Found After 225 Years

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