There’s often a big gap between a good idea and getting a product to market. One program, started in Washington University in St. Louis, is bridging that gap and spreading to other cities.

Universal Robotics is developing collaborative robotics technology to make automation more accessible.

Science filmmaker Emily Driscoll joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss how eating invasive species may help the environment.

Invasive exotic species can be more than just unwelcome guests - they can also be a source of food. Eating exotic species like the venomous lion fish might seem a bit extreme, but it also may just be the key to protecting the oceanic ecosystem.

We head to Tokyo, where a hand-programmed robot could provide the basis for driverless cars and battlefield droids. Financial Times reporter Leo Lewis takes us into the lab, where this innovative robotic technology is developing.

Mobile apps have taken off in the past decade and one company is focused on using apps to improving American lives. Reporter Andrea Vasquez talks to Jimmy Chen via Google Hangout, to find out how his team at Propel is designing software for the 45 million Americans who benefit from food stamps.

Scientist, author, and self-proclaimed science evangelist, Ainissa Ramirez, joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss how engineers and scientists are using origami as a design solution.

Like the ancient Amazonians of centuries past, farming companies today are using a carbon-rich material to enhance soils or purify polluted waste water. It’s called “biochar.” We take you to Florida, where farmers and geochemists are creating biochar through an age-old practice.

How can technology help people with quardriplegia regain mobility and independence? A team of engineering students at the University of Central Florida are working with a non-profit tech organization to design and create an new wheelchair for people with mobility loss.

Artiphon is a consumer electronics company that designs musical hardware and software for everyday music making.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a prototype for edible electronics--battery-powered pills programmed to deliver medication where and when it’s needed within the body. Professor Christopher Bettinger joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss how these smart pills work.

In New York City, music meets technology at “The Monthly Music Hackathon,” where engineers and musicians join forces to confront a different theme or music genre. We go inside their first event exploring the intersection of hip hop, technology and education.

With their pungent aromas and vibrant blooms, orchids lure insects, green thumbs and romantics alike. In this Science Friday story, the curator of orchids at the New York Botanical Garden describes how the plants manipulate insects into pollinating them.

Dams can fundamentally change large swaths of river ecosystems. But age, disuse and advances in technology have made many dams obsolete. Our environmental news partner, Earthfix, takes a look at the complicated physics behind removing these iconic structures.

Metamason creates personalized, 3-D printed silicon medical devices to treat sleep apnea.

For years, distant stars were thought to be planet-free, but we now know they have rings of exoplanets. Sara Seager is a pioneer in the field of exoplanet characterization. In a Google Hangout with reporter Andrea Vasquez, Seager discusses the importance of not only charting these exoplanets, but also naming them.

What do STEM and hip hop have in common? For Christopher Emdin, a science educator at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College, the answer is: a lot. Emdin has teamed up with rappers to co-design a hip hop inspired science curriculum.

It’s hard to believe that the cell phones that fit in our hands are more powerful than the early computers that once occupied entire rooms. A New York-Historical Society exhibition highlights these and other advancements, from early innovations at the 1964 World’s Fair to modern day tech.

As small children, we learn the importance of brushing and flossing our teeth. But as it turns out, a little tartar may be a good thing, at least for anthropologists studying early modern humans. Plaque contains genetic information that offers clues about how early humans lived millions of years ago. Professor Christina Warriner joins Hari Sreenivasan to talk plaque.

According to the Association of Medical Colleges, or AAMC, blacks and African Americans comprise 13 percent of the nation, but only 4 percent of the physician workforce. In order to improve percentages of underrepresented minorities in the healthcare field, AAMC has partnered with Rutgers University on an innovative solution.