Nanotechnology could help revolutionize the energy industry, producing advances such as solar power cells made of plastics to environmentally friendly batteries that detoxify themselves

An odd-looking van sprouts 13 digital cameras that its builder wants to use to photograph 50 million buildings in the country while driving, taking pictures every 15 feet.

Antibiotic-induced bacteria death in the gut can affect how the immune system responds to common allergens and may offer an explanation for rapidly increasing rates of asthma.

“The future isn’t what it used to be,” to quote Paul Valéry. And, it seems, neither is the business of predicting the future.

The net is having a profound effect on medicine, as in all fields, not least because researchers in medical labs can share research with colleagues around the world.

With the economy finally perking up, newcomers are running the show: Three of the top five companies in this year’s Wired 40, their annual list of enterprises leading the charge toward a connected global economy, were founded in the past decade. One-third are less than 20 years old.