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.

WSJ The Future of Everything

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

Viruses are ubiquitous, found in every crevice on earth. Some, like SARS CoV 2, can end up killing their hosts. But researchers credit ancient viruses with helping us form long term memories. As parts of the world reopen for business, we consider how these little packets of genetic material are not just our enemy, but helped us to evolve. Viruses, it turns out, shaped our genome, and will like be part of our evolutionary future.

Dead or Alive, Viruses are Everywhere, and Here to Stay

Artificial Intelligence can speed up research and improve accuracy. Those qualities are also key to suppressing the spread of Covid-19. With the globe clamoring for solutions to the pandemic, institutions, governments, universities and startups are turning to AI to shave precious time off the quest for a Covid-19 cure.

Covid-19 and AI: Tracking a Virus, Finding a Treatment

The market for hemp-based CBD products is exploding. And China wants in on the potential profits. But CBD is highly regulated in China, and THC is illegal. Will China make room for this lucrative product?

ChIna Is Ready for CBD. But Regulators Might Not Be.

The nature of work is evolving. Technology is already an integral part of most jobs, but new developments are changing the way we navigate the workplace. From hiring managers using artificial intelligence and virtual reality, to apps that help workers find their way through maze-like mega offices, the office of tomorrow is already being tested. And lots of people are wondering if technological advancements will keep them working forever.

AI Hiring, Never Retiring: Working in the 21st Century

The clues to heredity hidden in our DNA have long been the purview of scientists. But in recent years, commercial DNA tests have made unlocking those secrets cheaper and easily accessible for millions of people. While most just find out about their ancestry, for some, the tests have opened Pandora's box. WSJ's Amy Dockser Marcus introduces us to three different stories of DNA tests with unexpected consequences.

Family Secrets: DNA Tests and the Future of Family

For the past few decades, governments in earthquake-prone regions have built up early warning systems. Now, private tech companies are getting into the earthquake business. (Reporters Daniela Hernandez and Robbie Whelan)

On The Alert: The Next Generation Of Earthquake Early Warning Systems

The global videogame industry is estimated to be worth $150 billion dollar. And it's rapidly growing - and evolving. As part of the WSJ's Tech Live conference, Sports Columnist Jason Gay spoke with Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts - the makers of Apex Legends, Need for Speed, FIFA and The Sims - about how e-sports, mobile gaming on social networks and mixed reality games are changing the way people play.

WSJ Tech Live: The State of Play

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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