Best of the Week

Shrunken Servers Aim for a Greener Internet

Intel teams up with a startup to create a server twice as efficient as those that power websites and apps today.

Surveillance Video Becomes a Tool for Studying Customers

Software mines security footage to help business owners see what people do once they're inside the store.

In the Developing World, Solar Is Cheaper than Fossil Fuels

Advances are opening solar to the 1.3 billion people who don't have access to grid electricity.

Tough Times for U.S. EV Battery Makers

Companies need more consumer demand for electric vehicles to grow rapidly.

Why Viewers Could Soon Control Super Bowl Ads

Tweets and other social media comments are about to drive real-time changes in programming.

Business Impact

February | The Youth Effect

Too Young to Fail

17-year-old Laura Deming doesn't drive and can't vote. Is now her chance to change the world?

Innovation without Age Limits

Young stars dominate the technology headlines. But outside the Internet, research shows, innovators are actually getting older as complexity rises.

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Concentrated Solar Startup Sets a New Efficiency Record

Semprius makes solar modules using tiny cells that need less cooling.

Startup Turns Data Crunching into a High-Stakes Sport

Kaggle organizes contests for organizations looking to make valuable predictions from mountains of data.

Device Could Drive Down Solar's Cost

ArrayPower says its "sequenced inverter" will cut the cost of solar by more than 10 percent.

Printed Stickers Designed to Monitor Food Temperatures

Effort aims to merge technology from four companies to create the first sticker with all-printed electronics.

Graphene Competitor Used to Make Circuits

Molybdenite could have a crucial advantage over graphene for making smaller, faster electronics.

New Virtual Helper Challenges Siri

An app named Evi uses semantic data to provide a wider range of answers.

Smallest-Ever Nanotube Transistors Outperform Silicon

A nine-nanometer device shows that nanotubes could be a viable alternative to silicon as electronics get even tinier.

Eye Study Is a Small but Crucial Advance for Stem-Cell Therapy

The results show that the treatment can be safe, but whether it can be effective is another question.

Drive-by Gun Scans Prompt Privacy Questions

Police hope terahertz-scanning devices can be more effective than patting people down, but civil rights groups are wary.

Startup Makes Peel-Off Solar Cells

Astrowatt's wafer-making method could mean cheaper solar power.

Twitter Bots Create Surprising New Social Connections

Researchers show how simple programs posing as real people can shape interactions on Twitter.

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Special Report

Clean Energy

A Technology Review Special Report focusing on innovations in alternative energy sources and the technologies driving them.

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Technology Review Archives

October 1974

Electronic Materials of the Future: Predicting the Unpredictable

By Robert A. Laudise and Kurt Nassau
Thirty years ago, a decision-maker might have invested heavily in the further development of vacuum-tube technology. Three years later, the transistor was invented. Where is the future of electronic materials now?

Nominate a TR35

Who are the best young innovators from around the world? We're taking nominations for the 2012 edition of the TR35.

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Technology Review Lists

TR50

Our list of the 50 most innovative companies, including the following:

Joule Unlimited

Lyric Semiconductor

SpaceX

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