In the series “A Modest Proposal,” my colleagues and I will propose inventions and projects that I think are eminently doable and would love made real. Imagine an iPhone that is watertight — one with no power or audio sockets. A future iPhone 5 could be one you can play while showering or in the [...]

Scientific illustration has a long and noble history, from ancient depictions of celestial forms to Leonardo Da Vinci’s extraordinary drawings of anatomy and invention, to the latest computer-generated animation splashed across CNN or – perhaps with more reflective thought – the cinematic screens of the world’s great science museums. In English the word ‘illustrate’ has [...]

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Smart phones, tablets and video game systems are often seen as distractions to school children in developed countries, which tend to adhere to a strict teacher-student educational model. At Technology Review‘s Emerging Technologies (EmTech) conference here on October 25, a panel of technologists and educators posited that it’s time to embrace students’ use of [...]

The sheer number of reports indicating Apple plans to launch a mini version of its iPad would lead one to believe that a 7-inch (18-centimeter) Apple tablet is a foregone conclusion. It’s less clear, however, that the company has much to gain in taking on the likes of Samsung and Amazon head-on by shrinking the [...]

(Note: Updated below with my decision.) My birthday comes a few weeks before the holidays. This year my wife got me an iPad. I love it. (Related: her, too.) I’ve downloaded dozens of apps and have spent most of the intervening weeks playing with it. I don’t like to be without it. And yet I [...]

This is what the post-Jobs generation thinks of print magazines: On that note, stay tuned for more digital offerings from Scientific American in the coming weeks and months. (Until then, please enjoy our apps Journey to the Exoplanets and Origins and Endings, which we’re quite proud of.) (via @laughingsquid)

On-the-go doctors can already see your latest MRI or CT scan via a smart phone or tablet. But would you want them to be able to download an app that essentially turns an iPad into an EKG to determine if you are having a heart attack? Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [...]

A medical smart phone app that allows doctors to view and assess medical images has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the first time. The program, called Mobile MIM, pops CT, PET, MRI and other scans directly to portable screens with sufficient quality to enable clinical decisions, the agency concluded in [...]

Most people, even those who pre-ordered the new Apple iPad, have yet to get their hands on one, but game developers have already put the wheels in motion to take advantage of the new platform. Say what you will about the iPad potentially turning the e-book reader market on its ear. Games are big business [...]

In North Carolina, as you well know, we like our science with a side of crazy. The old Flying Burrito Brothers tune says, “The scientists say it’ll all wash away, but we don’t believe them anymore,” and we love our country music here, so we made quite a splash with the legislative nuh-unhs about sea [...]

Soon, Carin and I will be attending Science Online 2012 in Raleigh, NC. We will both be running workshops with co-hosts on creating videos. We will also be your emcees for the Science Online Film Festival featuring some amazing pieces. Keep your eyes pealed here for entrants and winners! I’m cohosting a workshop, Basic Videomaking 101, [...]

Ever since I downloaded the Brushes app onto my iPhone, I’ve been coveting a larger screen to sketch on. Now, at long last, I have an iPad in hand and am exploring the world of styluses. Ian McQue, one of my favorite concept artists, put out this great timelapse video of him sketching on an [...]