Trains that run from New York to California in a few hours, laptops that never overheat, and rockets that fly to Jupiter: These are some of the possibilities of superconductivity. After decades of failed experiments, a new discovery may have just gotten us a step closer.

WSJ The Future of Everything

Metals That Work Like Magic

When Chinese researchers published the draft genome of the virus that causes Covid-19 early last January, it altered the course of the pandemic--and possibly changed science forever. Will this spirit of information-sharing and collaboration persist beyond the current crisis?

How the Pandemic Fueled Scientific Discovery and Collaboration

In this episode, we feature a short documentary by Wall Street Journal senior personal technology columnist Joanna Stern that explores how we can use technology to tell our stories long after we die.

E-Ternal: New Technology and the Quest to 'Live' Forever

For the vast majority of humans, earth is our home. But that could soon change. Global efforts are underway to build sustainable habitats on the moon within the next decade or two. But beyond covering the necessities in an otherwise uninhabitable environment, we'll also need to consider the psychological effects of living in space, and what it will take to make the moon feel more like home.

Making a Home on the Moon

Schools around the world are slowly adopting artificial intelligence to better tailor teaching to individual kids. One program maps a student's mastery of math; another assesses literacy and screens for dyslexia. Critics are skeptical that this technology is as effective as promised. Could surveilling students in this way do more harm than good?

Teacher's New Assistant: Artificial Intelligence

The U.S. is holding the general election during a pandemic. Many voters are eager to vote by mail, while others remain wary of mail-in ballots. Just about everyone longs for a faster, more secure method to cast their vote without exposing themselves to SARS CoV 2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Many wonder why, if we do everything else on our phones, including banking, we can't vote with them. Some communities already tried blockchain assisted mobile voting but with mixed results. Many academics are stridently opposed to mobile voting. This episode will consider whether new technologies can help us find a more secure way to vote. We report on some options to in-person voting and review the security threats inherent in mobile or blockchain assisted voting. In a previous version of this podcast released on October 2nd, we said that Bradley Tusk was funding mobile voting apps, including the Voatz app. Tusk Philanthropies has given funding to voting precincts to launch mobile voting pilot programs - not to the apps themselves.

Mobile Voting's Future

The U.S. is holding the general election during a pandemic. Many voters are eager to vote by mail, while others remain wary of mail-in ballots. Just about everyone longs for a faster, more secure method to cast their vote without exposing themselves to SARS CoV 2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Many wonder why, if we do everything else on our phones, including banking, we can't vote with them. Some communities already tried blockchain assisted mobile voting but with mixed results. Many academics are stridently opposed to mobile voting. This episode will consider whether new technologies can help us find a more secure way to vote. We report on some options to in-person voting and review the security threats inherent in mobile or blockchain assisted voting.

The coronavirus pandemic led to blood-donation shortages across the world, outlining the fragility of the pipeline. That has brought fresh urgency to research that has been decades in the making but is only now starting to become a reality: The production of artificial blood. Last year, researchers began a pioneering clinical trial, and more are on the way, bringing us closer to a world where blood factories augment supplies.

The Blood of the Future Could be Made in a Lab

What if we could alert whales to stay away from oil spills? Or hear from dolphins directly when they want treats? Seamless conversation between animals and humans is still a far-off goal. But scientists think that machine-learning tools could open the door to communication with marine mammals. Listen to the first part of this two-part series, Google AI Tries to Save the Whales.

How to Talk to Animals (and Know What They're Saying Back)

In the Pacific Northwest, an increase in shipping traffic is further threatening the orca population, which has already seen its numbers drop in the face of food shortages and climate change. One of the biggest threats from the boats is noise pollution, which interferes with the whales' ability to communicate. Engineers at a unit of Google may have an answer: An alert system that relies on artificial intelligence.

Google AI Tries to Save the Whales

Whales and ships struggle to co-exist, with an increase in ship traffic, leading to strikes and noise pollution interfering with endangered species especially in the Pacific Northwest. Some solutions are in place, but the whales are still struggling. Technology may be able to help us listen and then learn from the orca. A new Google AI model is tracking and identifying orcas in real time through their echolocation calls. The data will alert regulators and the shipping industry to cetacean activity, helping the industry and the whales to coexist.

Google AI Helps Whales and Ships Coexist

The America's Cup, the world's oldest sailing competition, has a reputation for fostering innovation. In 2013, contestants began to use hydrofoils-underwater wings on the hull-to lift their boats out of the water during the race, allowing them to reach highway speeds and revolutionizing the sport. An Olympic sailor and a billionaire oil trader are now reimagining the technology to make passenger ferries faster and more eco-friendly.

Traveling With Tech Made for the World's Fastest Sailboats

In recent weeks, protests have erupted in response to police violence against citizens - specifically communities of color - forcing departments to reconsider how officers do their jobs. Police forces have been using tech - like Tasers and body cameras - to try and reduce the use of lethal force and improve accountability. In this episode, we'll explore how emerging technology - like virtual reality training - could improve police training by boosting empathy and tackling racial bias.

Technology Helps Train Police Officers

The tiny, flying creatures carry all sorts of viruses but don't get sick. How do they do that? We meet the researchers who are mapping bat genomes and studying the animal's ability to fend off inflammation. What they find could help humans better combat the next pandemic.

The Super Powers of Bats and the Fight to Stop Deadly Viruses

Research on a vaccine for the new coronavirus is progressing swiftly because of the legacy of scientists working on past diseases. Some of society's most devastating viruses ended up improving the way we study illness and search for cures. We explore the thread that connects research on polio and the new virus, SARS-CoV-2, and consider whether the pandemic will inform future generations of virologists.

How Polio Research is Helping in the Hunt for a Vaccine

Know what comes next with this in-depth look at how science and technology are revolutionizing the way we live, work and play.

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WSJ The Future of Everything

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