Popular Science December 2013

WHEN I'M ASKED what the standards are for our annual Best of What's New Awards, I tend to rely on a catchphrase: “It should be revolutionary, not evolutionary.” But this year, I'm having to rethink that. Every 12 months, as we assemble the 100 greatest innovations of the year, revealing patterns emerge. We created the Green category several years ago to honor the extraordinary leaps in environmentally responsible design, a reflection of the burgeoning efforts to build sustainability into everything from clothes-dyeing to tree-raising. This year, we considered phasing out the category, because we're almost at the point where all great innovations take the environment into account (almost, but not quite—we're keeping Green separate for the moment). Last year, we began to honor software in its own category, because for…

When it comes to automotive preferences, speak for yourself. More than a few of us millennials love cars and love driving. I would advise automakers not to forget about us. Alfred, N.Y. Dave Mosher responds: Since my essay went to press, an insurance group asked Americans for their opinions on driverless cars. Only 19 percent of those surveyed between the ages of 18 and 34 said they'd buy one, putting me in the minority. But 19 percent of the about 90 million Americans in that age bracket equates to 17 million potential buyers. Read an updated look at the subject at popsci.com/millennialcars.…

This fall, faced with bad behavior in our comment sections and little means to moderate it, we decided to disable reader comments on most stories. As we hoped, people turned to social media and email to respond instead. Here's some of the feedback we received. There must be a better solution than shooting the exchange of ideas in the head just to avoid letting the tools of the Internet do what they do. Would you send your kid to school with a bag over his head to protect him from bullies? Joel Sassonevia Facebook Just because everyone has a voice on the Internet doesn't necessarily mean they should. I have no problem with the decision. David Swaldovia Facebook Interaction with the readers is important. This isn't the best solution. Make…

Two hundred fifty million people worldwide require treatment for schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, a disease that ravages internal organs. Schistosomiasis is caused by parasitic flatworms that cycle between two hosts: freshwater snails and humans. Seeking ways to stop the transmission, biologists at the university of Illinois are studying the worm's reproduction. This summer, they dyed and sectioned snail muscle tissue. Inside, they saw flatworm stem cells, which develop into thousands of larvae about 300 micrometers long. This image is color-coded to show relative depth; closer objects glow orange and more distant objects, green. Now, the scientists are studying how the stem cells develop, which could lead to ways to halt the parasite's growth.…

ROADSIDE BOMBS, childhood abuse, car accidents—they form memories that can shape (and damage) us for a lifetime. Now, a handful of studies have shown that we're on the verge of erasing and even rewriting memories. The hope is that this research will lead to medical treatments, especially for addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers have known for decades that memories are unreliable. They're particularly adjustable when actively recalled because at that point they're pulled out of a stable molecular state. Last spring, scientists published a study performed at the University of Washington in which adult volunteers completed a survey about their eating and drinking habits before age 16. A week later, they were given personalized analyses of their answers that stated—falsely—that they had gotten sick from rum or vodka…

If U.S. Special Forces agents need to scale a wall, traverse a canal, or cross between rooftops, they typically use an everyday 40-pound aluminum ladder. That means one of them has to carry it in addition to the standard 150 pounds of gear and body armor. It's heavy and requires both hands—hands that may have to fire a gun at any moment. There has to be a better way. The BAMBI (Break-Apart Mobile Bridging and Infiltration) device is a modular bridge that weighs 27 pounds and can be strapped to a backpack. The prototype, created by engineering students at Utah State University, has six sections composed of carbon-fiber tubes and a foam platform. Together, they create a 22-foot-long structure that can hold 350 pounds. A sandy finish provides enough traction…