Every research program is a commitment to the future. However, scientists rarely examine the assumptions behind those bets. Decisions about subsidies, infrastructure, contracting, regulation, and training often assume that certain technologies will mature, specific skills will be needed, the public will accept the resulting innovations, and few risks will materialize. However, these assumptions are rarely
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Receive the daily Popular Science newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries and DIY tips delivered six days a week. By registering, you confirm that you are 16 years of age or older, you will receive newsletters and promotional content, you agree to our Terms of Use, and you acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You can
Receive the daily Popular Science newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries and DIY tips delivered six days a week. By registering, you confirm that you are 16 years of age or older, you will receive newsletters and promotional content, you agree to our Terms of Use, and you acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You can
Whether a beam of light passes through an object often depends on the material of the object and the properties of the light, such as its frequency, color, and polarization. These properties can be assigned to individual photons, but some characteristics of light emerge only collectively, through quantum correlations between many photons. Developing materials that