Standards make the world. Techno-cooperation is one of the great forces for civilizational progress, and the process of designing, setting, and implementing technical standards is a powerful and creative act. The story of global standards setting has been largely overlooked and underrated. Luckily, JoAnne Yates and Craig Murphy have written a book on this important history, Engineering Rules, and are kickstarting a better conversation about the topic.

Venkatesh Rao is a pioneer of the independent life. After leaving academia and industry, he carved a singular path for himself as a blogger and consultant. His research and ideas have been popular and influential, but Rao remains experimental. He's bored of ideas without action. His latest project is the Yak Collective and Yak Rover, an effort to explore the full technology stack and push the boundaries of what's possible from humble back-office laboratory.

Cryptoeconomics is poised to reshape how we fund ideas and curiosity at the earliest stages, but only if we creatively explore that potential. Matt Stephenson is helping to make that future. Through his writing and experimentation, he's showing us all a better way to think about NFTs for science.

Sam Arbesman’s latest project is the The Overedge Catalog, a clearinghouse for new types of research organizations. Arbesman has lived at the frontier of metascience for decades now. It's fitting that he decided to make a map-themed guide to what could happen next.

Meet the #SciComm generation. Bucking fears of "Saganization," scientists now assume responsibility, even excitement, to effectively communicate the work they're doing, whether that's through YouTube, Twitter, or giving TED talks.

Rob Carlson wrote the book on our biotech future more than ten years ago. He matches his deep involvement in biotechnology research and development with a broad understanding of innovation history. While no one can precisely predict the future, Carlson draws the best map.

Annalee Newitz has a broad view of how science works. As a science journalist and science fiction author, their perspective goes far beyond the usual suspects and traditional ideas about contribution. Newitz' "Scientific Project" is a bold vision and an inspiring goal.