10 breakthrough technologies to expect in 2026
Short Wave
NPR
4.7 • 6.5K Ratings
🗓️ 16 January 2026
⏱️ 13 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Check out the full list from MIT Technology Review.
Interested in more science? Check out our episode on last year’s top 10 technologies to watch and our episode on building structures in space.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Shortwavers, I know every podcast everywhere asks you to follow them, and it's for a good reason. |
| 0:06.9 | For us, as a show on a public media budget, one of the best ways you can help us grow and thrive is to follow us from wherever you're listening. |
| 0:16.6 | Thank you. We appreciate you. |
| 0:19.0 | You're listening to Shortwave from NPR. |
| 0:23.5 | Hey, J.R. Wavers, Regina Barbara here with a list. |
| 0:29.8 | Made from our friends over at MIT Technology Review. |
| 0:33.2 | This is the 25th year, actually, that our newsroom has put out a list of 10 breakthrough technologies. |
| 0:39.0 | This is Amy Nordrum, executive editor of that newsroom, and she says that this list describes which technologies they think matter most each year. |
| 0:47.3 | We're really looking for high-impact advances that we think will change the way we live and work in the future. |
| 0:52.6 | For better, like potentially help us solve major problems like climate change or improve |
| 0:57.3 | our well-being and our health as humans. |
| 1:00.2 | And for worse. |
| 1:01.9 | We also include advances that we think are equally as significant, but might have very |
| 1:06.7 | negative consequences. |
| 1:08.1 | We had military drones on the list a few years ago. This year, Amy says a large |
| 1:13.1 | chunk of the list is on AI technology, because that area has taken off. But they've also included |
| 1:19.3 | other important advances that may not have risen above the noise for people not paying close attention. |
| 1:24.9 | You know, what's going on in biotech or the latest climate progress, |
| 1:28.1 | especially at a moment where it can feel like there's not as much being made generally, |
| 1:31.6 | especially here in the U.S. |
| 1:32.7 | So today on the show, we go through some of the top 10 breakthrough technologies of 26 |
| 1:37.8 | by MIT technology review, including Amy's favorite on the list. |
... |
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