Smart News Ideas & Innovations

Alexander Graham Bell used the money from his telephone patent to fund Volta Laboratories, which later became Bell Laboratories.

Telephones Were Silenced for One Minute After Alexander Graham Bell Died

By the time Bell died, he had moved on to other inventions. But the telephone made a huge mark on American society

Once the tablet-like tool is plugged into an individual’s cellphone, it can detect if the device was in use before a crash.

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Can the ‘Textalyzer’ Stop New Yorkers From Texting and Driving?

The device would allow police to check if phone usage could be to blame for a car crash, but critics have raised privacy concerns

This engraving from 1870 shows the cramped conditions when a train ran through the Tower Subway tunnel. Even once the train was removed, there wasn't much more space.

19th-Century Londoners Walked Under the Thames in This Creepy Tunnel

The Tower Subway tunnel was only seven feet in diameter

The actual first logo for the World Wide Web, created by the developer of its first web browser.

The World Wide Web Was Almost Known as “The Mesh”

The inventor of the World Wide Web had a few different name ideas

A thin film of DNA could work even better than sunscreen at protecting our skin

New Research

Why Salmon Sperm DNA Could Revolutionize Sunscreen

A thin layer of the genetic material seems to effectively block the sun's rays and becomes more effective over time

Candles were an important source of after-dark light in the early United States, so it makes sense that one of the first patents would be related to improving them.

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What the First Three Patents Say About Early America

Gunpowder, fertilizer, soap, candles and flour were all important to Americans

The WP-3D Orion "Hurricane Hunters" are a key part of NOAA's hurricane toolkit.

Why Does NOAA Still Send Pilots Into Hurricanes?

The first “Hurricane Hunter” flight was a bet, but today they’re an essential part of risk management

The United States's version of the Imperial system is based on an older British version.

America Has Been Struggling With the Metric System For More Than 200 Years

The United States is the one of the world's only holdouts at this point, but it could have been the first country outside of France to adopt the system

This iRobot 780 was one of the early Roomba models that randomly moved about the room. But the company's latest models (900 series) uses cameras and software to collect data and map out your home.

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Roomba Wants to Sell Maps of Your Home

Data from these robovacs could assist in the development of other 'smart home' devices

Jung's interest in the subconscious was a driving force in his work.

Five Fascinating Facts About Carl Jung

He thought he was two people (sort of) and more things you didn't know about the pioneering psychologist

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Meaty Secrets Behind the Record-Setting, 1,774-Pound Burger

The beefy behemoth was recently bestowed the title of world's largest commercially available burger

Frances Gabe's 1984 patent shows the floor plan of her self-cleaning home

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The First Self-Cleaning Home Was Essentially a 'Floor-to-Ceiling Dishwasher'

Frances Gabe, who died late last year, channeled her frustration with housework into a futuristic design to end the drudgery of cleaning

Yes, the Amazon service is named after this robotic guy.

Debunking the Mechanical Turk Helped Set Edgar Allan Poe on the Path to Mystery Writing

Like many others, Poe was certain the machine couldn't be playing chess under its own power

New Research

"Space Archaeologists" to Examine the International Space Station

Using millions of photos and documents, researchers will reconstruct life on the ISS to see how visitors interact with their tools and each other

Text an Emoji and the SFMOMA Will Respond with a Picture of Art

A new text messaging service lets users explore the museum’s vast collection

Engineer Mark Rober posing with his Super Soaker creation

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Ex-NASA Engineer Builds World's Largest Super Soaker

More than a mere toy, this water gun can slice through glass and watermelons

The July 14, 1868 patent for a tape measure included these two drawings.

How Hoop Skirts Led to Tape Measures

Eighteenth-century ladies would recognize some things about the modern contractor’s tool

It looks a bit like a blimp–unsurprising, since Fuller meant it to fly.

Buckminster Fuller Was Good at Ideas, Terrible at Car Design

Fuller held more than 30 patents during his life, but many of his ideas didn't make it off the page–or not for long

Josiah Wedgwood, of Wedgwood pottery fame, was also a staunch abolitionist and designed this medallion to further the cause.

This Anti-Slavery Jewelry Shows the Social Concerns (and the Technology) of Its Time

The 'Wedgwood Slave Medallion' was the first modern piece of protest jewelry

Police remove peaceful protestors from a sit-in at the U.S. Capitol in 1965.

Martin Luther King and Gandhi Weren’t the Only Ones Inspired By Thoreau’s ‘Civil Disobedience’

Thoreau's essay became a cornerstone of 20th-century protest

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