The TV show Heroes didn’t win an Emmy this weekend, but that’s okay. Awards of a different kind have just been handed out to real heroes: people who are using technology to help those in need. The Tech Museum in San Jose recently announced its annual Tech Award Laureates, a group of 25 organizations doing innovative work in the areas of health, the environment, education, economic development and equality. Check out these photos of some of the most intriguing honorees in action, everywhere from a rice field in China to a medical clinic in Sierra Leone. 
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Science is reinventing play, from extreme sports to gamification to ridiculous roller coasters to the playgrounds of tomorrow, and this issue is chock full of fun. Also, on a less fun note: Did global warming destroy my hometown?