The United Nations Is Launching A Space Mission
The U.N. is planning to send its first spacecraft into orbit, packed with scientific experiments from countries that can't afford their own space programs.
Technology
Rosetta Crashes Into Comet, Bringing Historic Mission To End
The Rosetta spacecraft has been orbiting the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet for two years. Now scientists have ended the mission, and the spacecraft has lost contact with Earth forever.
Crisis Mapping Pioneer Focuses On Humanitarian Uses For Drones
Patrick Meier pioneered the field of crisis mapping during the 2010 Haiti earthquake, compiling information to create a real time map of damage. Now he's focusing on humanitarian uses of drones.
Scientists To Bid A Bittersweet Farewell To Rosetta, The Comet Chaser
To cap its 12-year scientific voyage, the Rosetta spacecraft will take a final plunge Friday. Scientists will signal Rosetta to crash into the surface of a comet — and gather data all the way down.
Americans Unconvinced Of Potential Good Of Self-Driving Cars, Study Finds
Most Americans say they should always have the option to drive themselves. That's despite the fact the average driver is excited by driverless technology.
Phone Emergency Alerts Will Begin Including Links, Phone Numbers
Regulators have voted to expand cellphone alerts to 360 characters from the previous cutoff at 90 and to begin including clickable URLs and phone numbers over the next year or so. But no photos yet.
Our Robot Overlords Are Now Delivering Pizza, And Cooking It On The Go
A Silicon Valley start-up wants to use technology to solve the pizza paradox. It's a food that's meant to be delivered, but never tastes quite as good upon arrival.
Tech Group To Set Industry Standards For Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of everyday life: think Apple's Siri. Major tech firms formed a group to help the public understand AI and develop standards so it isn't misused.
Tech Giants Team Up To Tackle The Ethics Of Artificial Intelligence
Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and IBM form a group to set the first industrywide best practices for the technology already powering many applications, such as voice and image recognition.
When Phones Went Mobile: Revisiting NPR's 1983 Story On 'Cellular'
The report titled "Cellular Phones Are Completely Mobile" features a man who was "among the first 1,500 customers to use a new mobile phone system called cellular."