Drones

Drones, also called unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have no human pilot onboard, and instead are either controlled by a person on the ground or autonomously via a computer program. These stealth craft are becoming increasingly popular, not just for war and military purposes, but also for everything from wildlife and atmospheric research to disaster relief and sports photography. Drones are becoming the eyes and ears of scientists by surveying the ground for archaeological sites, signs of illegal hunting and crop damage, and even zipping inside hurricanes to study the wild storms. You can even rent a personal drone to soar above the horizon and snap a photo or video. Our news and features will cover developments in drone technologies, innovative uses for drones and how drone use will impact society.
Latest about drones

DARPA is funding AI to help make battlefield decisions
By Joe Phelan published
The U.S. military research agency DARPA is spending millions to develop artificial intelligence that can help make strategic battlefield decisions.

Drones equipped with lasers uncover secrets of bloody WWII battle
By Kiley Price published
Artifacts from the Battle of the Bulge are helping researchers reconstruct this bloody conflict.

Taxidermy birds are being turned into drones
By Jennifer Nalewicki published
Scientists are turning dead birds into drones to study aerodynamics.

Watch sheep flow like water in mesmerizing time-lapse drone footage
By Mindy Weisberger published
A photographer created an astonishing time-lapse video from aerial footage of sheep as they traveled between pastures over seven months.

Drones are flying straight into volcanoes, for life-saving science
By Clare Watson published
Researchers have designed specially-adapted drones to fly straight into volcanoes and help gather data from an active volcano in Papua New Guinea.

Drone warns surfer of very close encounter with 5-foot shark in Australia
By Stephanie Pappas published
A program that uses drones to warn surfers of nearby sharks recorded a very close encounter off the coast in New South Wales.

Watch Rare Footage of Whales Blowing 'Bubble Nets' to Capture Prey in a Vortex of Doom
By Mindy Weisberger published
Underwater and airborne cameras recently captured an astounding sight: feeding whales producing bubble nets to trap their prey.

Drones Find Unexpected Radiation 'Hotspots' in Forest Near Chernobyl
By Mindy Weisberger published
This is the first time that fixed-wing drones were used for radiation mapping.
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