Science

The Allen Institute for Brain Science hosted its first BigNeuron Hackathon in Beijing earlier this month. Similar events are planned for the U.S. and U.K. Courtesy of Allen Institute for Brain Science hide caption

About twice a year, statistics suggest, a pilot somewhere in the world — usually flying alone — deliberately crashes a plane. The Germanwing flight downed last week may be one such case. But most people who fit the psychological profile of the pilots in these very rare events never have problems while flying. Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Not many students have the cutting-edge cybersecurity skills the NSA needs, recruiters say. And these days industry is paying top dollar for talent. Brooks Kraft/Corbis hide caption

Hawaii ranks 49th in the nation for use of home health care services during the last six months of someone's life. Videos from ACP Decisions show patients what their options are at the end of life. ACP Decisions hide caption

Saturn has a rocky surface, but it's deep beneath the clouds. That makes it hard to tell exactly how long the day is. NASA hide caption

Needle exchange programs, like this one in Portland, Maine, offer free, sterile syringes and needles to drug users. The programs save money and lives, health officials say, by curtailing the spread of bloodborne infections, such as hepatitis and HIV. Robert F. Bukaty/AP hide caption

Smart phones contain a silicon chip inside the camera that might be used to detect rare, high energy particles from outer space. J. Yang/Courtesy of WIPAC hide caption

Game designer Jane McGonigal says we need to harness the beneficial aspects of video games. James Duncan Davidson/Courtesy of TED hide caption

Research finds playing a collaborative video game like Rock Band makes you more comfortable with strangers. Paul Sakuma/AP hide caption

Primatologist Isabel Behncke Izquierdo says play helps to foster creativity, trust, and cooperation. James Duncan Davidson/Courtesy of TED hide caption