In its raw form, d3o looks like slime and molds like Play-Doh, but take a hammer to a clump and it changes to a stiff rubber. This curious substance introduced itself in the 2006 Olympics as a safety lining for the Spyder skiing suits, and that same year, d3o's protective ski hat won PopSci's Best of What's New Award.

In an unexpected move, the International Federation of Association Football, soccers governing body, this week pulled the plug on plans to implement a state-of-the-art scoring system. Instead of introducing the dual technologies—a sidelines camera and in-ball chip—officials have opted for a decidedly low-tech solution for better determining whether a goal was scored: two additional linesmen.