Today’s theme is mad scientists. In covering tech, we tend to focus on the products, the problems and the money. But arguably the most important parts of the story are the people themselves. It’s their personal obsessions that take dreamy ideas and make them real.
Here are a few science and tech stories focused on fascinating people.
Richard Dawkins has leveled some interesting criticisms of renowned biologist E.O. Wilson, whose new book tries to rewrite the story of natural selection. (via 3quarksdaily)
Sixteen-year-old Shouryya Ray has solved a 350-year-old math and physics problem. (via 3quarksdaily)
Richard Resnick’s 11-minute TED talk might convince you that his work on fast genomic sequencing is about to revolutionize health care.
Elizabeth Norton has written up the work of neuroscientist Johan Lundström, who is trying to understand the distinctive scent of older people.
FastCompany has a great interview with Steve Lee, the product lead for Google’s Project Glass cyborg goggles.
Are tractor beams technologically feasible? Haifeng Wang thinks so.
Image via Shutterstock.
