Innovation Policy

Innovation Policy

Split image showing two scenes: on the left, workers operate construction equipment near a pile of gravel; on the right, a close-up of a concrete block being tested in a mechanical press.
5mins
This new recipe for clean cement works. The question is whether anyone can scale it. Cody Finke, founder and CEO of Brimstone, explains how the IMPACT Act could help make that happen.
ClearPath Action
Two tall, rectangular scientific instruments, including a NASA nuclear reactor prototype, stand on the rocky lunar surface with Earth visible in the background against the blackness of space.
There are real concerns with long-term power generation on the Moon; nuclear could be the answer. But for NASA, will the cost be too high?
A group of satellite dishes under a starry sky, capturing celestial signals from star birth.
New telescopes, radio dishes, and gravitational wave detectors are needed for next-generation science. Will the USA lead the way?
A digitally altered image blending the flags of China and the United States with pixelated and abstract effects, symbolizing a modern digital cold war.
“Technology has always been co-opted for war, but truly intelligent AI, let alone a superintelligence, is a different beast entirely.”
Collage of geopolitical symbols, featuring a close-up of a man's bald head, China's flag, a globe highlighting Taiwan, and circuit patterns.
Both nations made missteps, but China still has a chance to make up lost ground.
Three Masai men, dressed in traditional attire and adorned with beaded jewelry, gather around a smartphone in an outdoor setting.
And, more importantly, what’s being done to get them online?
A gavel on top of a green and black background, symbolizing the regulation of AI.
Big Think spoke with AI expert Nick Jennings about the future of regulating fast-evolving AI.
a 3d model of a structure with blue and red balls.
There may be more energy in methane hydrates than in all the world’s oil, coal, and gas combined. It could be the perfect "bridge fuel" to a clean energy future.
Some of them have survived the wilds of space for billions of years.
A 1974 concept of a vacuum train
Skepticism is appropriate when gazing into the futurist's crystal ball.
After cryptoassets, a wave of central bank digital currencies is set to revolutionize our ideas about what money is and how to manage it.
Microscopic image of cells with red and green outlines and blue nuclei on a black background.
5mins
CRISPR’s gene drive can defy evolution. Here’s how, explained by Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna.
John Templeton Foundation
EV charging stations are the most widespread alternative to gas and diesel pumps. Each alternative has its own hotspots and "deserts."
A next-generation LHC++ could cost $100 billion. Here's why such a machine could end up being a massive waste of money.
inventions
From textiles and transportation to chemicals and microchips, a group of researchers proposes a new way to measure the impact of innovation.
The problem is going to get a lot worse before it gets better, and the decision is all up to SpaceX whether they’ll fix it. On Wednesday morning, January 29, 2020, […]