This fascinating Web site explores many new technologies that seem like they came from a science fiction movie. All of the features are real, and, while they are not all guaranteed successes, they are certainly interesting to read about. One of the innovations that is generating the most attention is wearable computing. The detailed article defines the characteristics of wearable computers and...

AlphaGalileo is designed for science journalists, but anyone with an itch for breaking academic news will enjoy this research-rich site. Readers may browse by region, including Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America, Oceania, and this Scout Editor’s favorite: Extraterrestrial. Next, try trawling the site by Science, Health, Society, Humanities, Arts, Applied...

The AT&T Labs organization constitutes one of the most celebrated research groups in the world. The group is willing to share some of its findings through this fine website and visitors with a penchant for technological innovation will find much to enjoy here. The site includes a variety of featured stories, videos, projects, and papers. Of note is “Tech View: Technology for Making TV Viewing...

The Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University is a unique research institution "that combines technology and fine arts to create new processes, tools, and vision for storytelling and entertainment." Most visitors to the center's homepage will be mainly interested in the diverse array of current and past projects investigated by students and faculty. The Biohazard project is...

The OpenCourseWare movement continues to gain steam and the addition of more and more online courses piques the interest of the general public. This particular course from MIT, originally taught and developed by Professor Heather Paxson, deals with cross-cultural investigations into the world of technology and development. The course materials include a syllabus, readings, assignments, and a host...

For those users interested in the history of a wide variety of notable inventions and discoveries, the US Department of Engery's (DOE) Research and Development Accomplishments Web site should provide unique insight into topics like the video game, CAT/ MRI scans, and the Human Genome, among others. The site's primary focus is its accomplishments database, which contains "searchable full-text and...

The Department of Energies DOE Pulse bimonthly publication highlights work being done at the Department of Energy's national laboratories, which "house world-class facilities where more than 30,000 scientists and engineers perform cutting-edge research spanning DOE's science, energy, National security and environmental quality missions." Pulse provides insight into current research highlights,...

The presence of cell phones has become ubiquitous in many corners of the world. While smartphones might be rare in most places, mobile technology in the form of basic cell phones are prominently used to send texts, take photos, and make phone calls. This report from the Pew Research Global Attitudes center looks at ownership and usage of cell phones in 24 emerging and developing economies, such as...

More and more governmental agencies and bodies are having sustained conversations about the ethical concerns raised by new technologies and scientific discoveries. One such governmental body interested in these questions is the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies. Convened by the European Commission, the group is composed of fifteen experts who examine various ethical...

Foresight is a UK government supported program aimed "to increase UK exploitation of science." The Foresight program highlights either a key issue where science holds promise, or an area "where the potential applications and technologies have yet to be considered and/or articulated more broadly." The current projects are: Brain Science, Addiction and Drugs, Cyber Trust and Crime Prevention,...