A class of wandering stars called OB runaways may have been thrown from home by competing binary star systems that got too close. John Matson reports

The Kinecthesia belt has sensors and a series of motors that send vibrations to the wearer to indicate the position of obstacles. Larry Greenemeier reports

New telescopes could spot aliens on planets around distant stars, if they like their cities really brightly lit. John Matson reports

Siri, the new iPhone 4S personal assistant, is a step closer to a keyboard-free future. Larry Greenemeier reports

The Phobos-Grunt mission, which could launch November 8th, will try to grab some Phobos soil and bring it back to Earth. John Matson reports

Better insulation for high-voltage cables could keep them dry during deluges and cut transmission loss. Larry Greenemeier reports

On November 8th an asteroid will pass Earth within the moon's orbit, offering a rare opportunity for study. John Matson reports

Subjects using a new software package were able to control the movement of a virtual helicopter through an obstacle course using their thoughts alone. Larry Greenemeier reports

A Soyuz rocket carried into space components for a European GPS system--but the bigger news was the launch site, the European Space Agency home in French Guiana. John Matson reports

M.I.T. professor Ely Sachs gave up his faculty position to go all-in on a company that he believes can make solar energy competitive with coal via smart photovoltaic manufacturing. Larry Greenemeier reports