humans of the year
Motherboard Presents: Humans 2020
We are honoring 20 scientists, engineers, and visionaries who helped make this dark year a little brighter.
Jason Scott Is Archiving CD-ROMs and Floppy Discs From Closets Around the World
Game patches, spreadsheet software, FTP sites, software update files—the digital preservationist is saving rare bits of computer history that would otherwise be lost forever.
Aubrie O’Rourke Trained Dolphins, Researched HIV, and Is Helping NASA Get to Mars
And she's just getting started.
Kendra Kuhl Is Building a Device That Turns Pollution Into Products
The CTO of Opus 12 has been trying to help the environment since she was a grad student.
Christopher Emdin Is Teaching Public School Kids Science Through Hip-Hop
“The liquid soluble that made up the chemistry. A gaseous element, that burned down your ministry.”—GZA on 'Liquid Swords.'
Startup Founder Thuy Truong’s Latest Venture Is Giving People the Will to Fight Cancer
After several of her promising business ventures ended, the 32-year-old received a shocking diagnosis. Now she’s using her experiences to help others.
Angelica Ross Wants to Use Tech to Help People in Transition
The founder of TransTech went through a long journey to get to where she is today, and now she wants to help others with their own turning points in life.
If We Colonize a Neighboring Solar System, Thank Guillem Anglada-Escudé
The man who discovered Proxima Centauri b says he was inspired by sci-fi to search for other worlds for humans to colonize.
Christine Curry Is Helping Expecting Mothers With Zika Prepare For an Uncertain Future
The Florida doctor is one of the leaders in the fight against the debilitating disease.
Ellen Stofan Left NASA But She’s Still Trying to Push Humanity Forward
NASA's former chief scientist says when it comes to getting more women in science and tech, the progress is "too slow, I won’t lie to you."
Physicist Mary Gaillard Has Spent Over Three Decades Fighting For Women in Science
She was Berkeley's first tenured female physics professor, and she's still fighting for equality.