How 'Microcracks' Undermined San Francisco's New Bus Terminal

A cracked beam forced the $2.2 billion terminal’s closure after six weeks. Unraveling why required physics, metallurgy, and engineers with nerves of steel.

Hackers Take on Darpa's $10 Million Voting Machine

At this year's Defcon hacking conference, Darpa brought the beginnings of what it hopes will be impervious hardware.

space photos 2019-08-10

Free Bus Rides in Salt Lake City Might Not Be So Far-Fetched

A leading mayoral candidate proposes eliminating fares on buses and light rail. Free rides are unusual in the US, but more common overseas.

The End of Cheap Ride-Hail, a Teen Hacker, and More News

Catch up on the most important news from today in two minutes or less.

A Teen Hacker Found Bugs in School Software That Affects Millions

Some kids play in a band after school. Bill Demirkapi hacked two education software giants.

Why These Praying Mantises Are Wearing Itty-Bitty 3D Glasses

How do mantises see in 3D? Researchers find out by gluing tiny 3D glasses to a mantis' face and showing the insect movies.

Huawei's HarmonyOS Is No Android Replacement

HarmonyOS is the very model of a modern operating system. It's also nowhere near ready for smartphones.

Trump’s Intel Vacancies Put Americans in Danger

Sue Gordon's departure is the latest sign that US national security might be stretching its leaders too thin—and risks putting the wrong people into roles that American lives depend upon.

The Physics of Falling Magnets in *Stranger Things* Season 3

Can magnets really just demagnetize suddenly and fall off a fridge? Yes—sort of, though the show doesn't quite nail it.

Sorry, But We Can’t Just Hack Our Way Out of Climate Doom

We have to suck carbon out of the atmosphere. That alone won’t fix the mess we’ve made.

Gadget Lab Podcast: Amazon’s Prime Mission

Jason Del Rey, host of Land of the Giants, a new podcast all about Amazon, joins the Gadget Lab to talk about the company’s quest for world domination.

How Apple Pay Buttons Can Make Websites Less Safe

Apple Pay itself is safe. But the way websites implement it can cause serious problems.

Uber and Lyft Suggest the Days of Cheap Rides Could Be Over

Both continue to record big losses, but executives at the companies hinted in recent calls that they are trying to cut back on discounts, and subtly raise prices.

A Devastating Climate Change Report, a Phone Bug Returns, and More News

Catch up on the most important news from today in two minutes or less.

Apple Gives Hackers a Special iPhone—and a $1.5 Million Bug Bounty

The company’s sometimes rocky relationship with security researchers just got a whole lot smoother.

The Gyrocopter Could Be the Future's Flying Car

Companies like Jaunt and Skyworks say with a few modern tweaks, the helicopter's predecessor could make a return to the sky.

How a 10-Year-Old Desk Phone Bug Came Back From the Dead

Avaya patched a problem hackers could exploit in phones. But the bad code never went away.

'Elsinore' Smartly Reimagines 'Hamlet' with Ophelia as the Hero

The adventure game gives one of Shakespeare's most tragic characters the story she deserves.

Hidden Algorithm Flaws Expose Websites to DoS Attacks

Why throw a bunch of junk traffic at a service when all it takes to stall it out is just a few bytes?

Crispr Can Help Solve Our Looming Food Crisis—Here's How

There's not enough land to feed everyone on Earth without ruining the climate, a new IPCC report shows. Gene-edited crops could help reduce agriculture's footprint.