Magazine

The Innovation Issue

January/February 2023

Our annual look at 10 Breakthrough Technologies—including CRISPR for high cholesterol, battery recycling, AI that makes images, and the James Webb Space Telescope—that will have a profound effect on our lives. Plus care robots, 3-D printing pioneers, and chasing bugs on the blockchain.

Read the issue

Letter from the editor

The constant is change

Matthijs Herzberg

Features

Categorized in Humans and technology
10 Breakthrough Technologies 2023
Categorized in Space
How the James Webb Space Telescope broke the universe
Scientists were in awe of the flood of data that arrived when the new space observatory booted up.
Categorized in Climate change
How old batteries will help power tomorrow’s EVs
Recycling lithium-ion batteries is taking off thanks to companies like Redwood Materials and could help the transition to renewable energy.
Categorized in Biotechnology
The entrepreneur dreaming of a factory of unlimited organs
Martine Rothblatt sees a day when transplantable organs and 3D-printed ones will be readily available, saving countless lives—including her daughter’s.
Categorized in Tech policy
2022’s seismic shift in US tech policy will change how we innovate
Three bills investing hundreds of billions into technological development could change the way we think about government’s role in growing prosperity.
Categorized in Artificial intelligence
Generative AI is changing everything. But what’s left when the hype is gone?
No one knew how popular OpenAI’s DALL-E would be in 2022, and no one knows where its rise will leave us.

Also in this issue
- Here’s what didn’t make the list for 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2023
  This year our editors considered more than 50 nominees. Here are a few we didn’t pick and why.
  
  Categorized in TR 10
- AI is bringing the internet to submerged Roman ruins
  The technology is making it easier to monitor underwater archaeological sites.
  
  Categorized in Artificial intelligence
- This tiny Dutch vehicle for people with disabilities is taking off
  The Canta is a compact four-wheeled, two-seat microcar that's unlocking micromobility in the Netherlands.
  
  Categorized in Humans and technology
- What would true diversity sound like?
  A participatory project explores the linguistic landscape of the US.
  
  Categorized in Humans and technology
- The newest crop found on the farm? Solar panels.
  A little shade could be helpful for some crops and reduce carbon emissions.
  
  Categorized in Climate change
- Inside Japan’s long experiment in automating elder care
  The country wanted robots to help care for the elderly. What happened?
  
  Categorized in Humans and technology
- Meet the designers printing houses out of salt and clay
  Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello are rethinking the way we build and make things.
  
  Categorized in Demo
- The computer scientist who hunts for costly bugs in crypto code
  Programming errors on the blockchain can mean $100 million lost in the blink of an eye. Ronghui Gu and his company CertiK are trying to help.
  
  Categorized in Profile
- NASA’s return to the moon is off to a rocky start
  Artemis aims to deliver astronauts back to the lunar surface by 2025, but it’s riding on an old congressional pet project.
  
  Categorized in Space

Updated

Magazine

The Innovation Issue

Letter from the editor

Features

10 Breakthrough Technologies 2023

How the James Webb Space Telescope broke the universe

How old batteries will help power tomorrow’s EVs

The entrepreneur dreaming of a factory of unlimited organs

2022’s seismic shift in US tech policy will change how we innovate

Generative AI is changing everything. But what’s left when the hype is gone?

Here’s what didn’t make the list for 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2023

AI is bringing the internet to submerged Roman ruins

This tiny Dutch vehicle for people with disabilities is taking off

What would true diversity sound like?

The newest crop found on the farm? Solar panels.

Inside Japan’s long experiment in automating elder care

Meet the designers printing houses out of salt and clay

The computer scientist who hunts for costly bugs in crypto code

NASA’s return to the moon is off to a rocky start

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