Cornell Tech: New York’s Big Bet on a Small Island
On Roosevelt Island, New York’s bid to build a technology powerhouse became an experiment in construction, energy efficiency, and the architecture of ambition.
Science
Magazine-style stories that explain the science behind buildings, infrastructure, technology, and everyday life.
Twelve Seconds That Changed Flight
The Wright Flyer’s first flight covered just 120 feet. Its lasting breakthrough was a control system that let a pilot manage a machine in three dimensions.
How Manhattan's Trash Leaves by Barge at East 91st Street
Inside the East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station, sealed containers and barges move Manhattan refuse without sending long-haul trucks across the city.
The Rockefeller Laboratory Suspended Above the FDR Drive
Rockefeller University's research building uses arches, trusses, and roadside supports to place laboratories above one of Manhattan's busiest highways.
Why a Rainstorm Can Make the Hudson Risky for Swimmers
New York’s combined sewers explain why Hudson River water quality can deteriorate after rain. A filtered pool on the East River offers one possible route back into the water, but its pilot remains unfinished.
The Times Square Tower Caught Between Bright Lights and a Greener Future
One Five One helped introduce solar walls and fuel-cell power to the Manhattan skyline. Its aging green technology now reveals how quickly the definition of a sustainable skyscraper can change.
The New York Clock Counting Down a Carbon Budget
Above Union Square, a familiar public artwork has become a deadline in lights and a measure of whether clean energy can move faster than the clock.
Jerome L. Greene Science Center: A Quiet Room Beside the 1 Train
Columbia placed an electron microscope 60 feet underground and isolated it from subway vibration and electromagnetic fields that could blur atomic-scale images.
The Bell Labs Genius Who Turned Everything Into Bits
Claude Shannon gave engineers a universal theory of communication, defined information in bits, and proved that messages could survive noise through mathematics.
The New Jersey Pole Field That Tested America's Telephone Network
Bell Labs planted treated telephone poles in a New Jersey field to learn which woods and preservatives could survive decades of weather, insects, and rot.
How Bell Labs Learned to Rebuild Invisible Signals
Bell Labs' great communications breakthroughs came from one hard problem: weak signals fade, distort, and disappear unless a network knows how to rebuild them.
Why Your Ears Usually Do Not Pop in a Skyscraper Elevator
High-speed elevators move fast enough to change air pressure, but engineers design the ride so your ears can usually keep up.