Smart News Ideas & Innovations

Spent shell casings pile up as a soldier fires his weapon during a U.S. Army weapons qualification.

Cool Finds

Department of Defense Calls for Biodegradable, Seed-Planting Ammo

These seed bombs could make Army training easier on the environment

Manu Prakesh spins his Paperfuge

New Research

How a Children's Toy Could Help Fight Malaria

A 20-cent whirligig-like centrifuge could help doctors in remote regions diagnose disease

Essento mealworm burger, with all the fixins'

Trending Today

This Swiss Grocery Will Soon Sell Mealworm Burgers

In the continued quest for sustainable proteins, another company is wriggling into the market

The warning label on cartons of duty-free cigarettes in Munich, Germany circa 2006.

People Have Tried to Make U.S. Cigarette Warning Labels More Graphic for Decades

On this day in 1964, the surgeon general officially said that smoking causes cancer. But warning labels in America still don't show its effects

A hot toddy isn't actually medicine, but it can feel like it is.

The Hot Toddy: A “Medicinal” Drink That Might Actually Work

On National Hot Toddy Day, warm up with this tasty drink, whether you're sick or not

Inventor Sir Clive Sinclair demonstrates his battery-assisted pedal powered tricycle at Alexandra Palace, London.

This Three-Wheeled, Battery-Powered Plastic Car-Bike Was a Giant Flop in 1985

But today, some have asked if Sir Clive Sinclair was just ahead of his time

A portrait of John D. Rockefeller circa 1900, after he had built Standard Oil into the largest oil company in the United States.

John D. Rockefeller Was the Richest Person To Ever Live. Period

Standard Oil, his company, is one of the biggest reasons we have anti-monopoly laws

People lined up to buy the first iPhone in New York, June 29,2007

Trending Today

What Tech Writers Said About the iPhone When It Debuted Ten Years Ago

Not everyone thought the sleek phone/browser/music player would have mainstream appeal

A daguerreotype portrait of Samuel Morse by his student, Mathew Brady, circa 1844-1860.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

The Inventor of the Telegraph Was Also America’s First Photographer

The daguerreotype craze took over New York in the mid-nineteenth century

For 2,000 Finns, free money is now a thing.

Trending Today

Finland Has a New Social Experiment: Giving People Free Money

Two thousand unemployed Finns will now get around $594 a month—whether they get jobs or not

This six-shooter, in the collection of the National Museum of American History, is not the very first Colt six-shooter, but an updated, slightly lighter version Colt produced between 1848 and 1861.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

On This Day in 1847, a Texas Ranger Walked Into Samuel Colt’s Shop and Said, Make Me a Six-Shooter

Samuel Colt was a clever marketer as well as a talented inventor

Isaac Asimov at age 70.

If Isaac Asimov Had Named The Smartphone, He Might Have Called It The “Pocket Computer Mark II”

The sci-fi author correctly predicted a number of innovations that have come to pass

Yosemite National Park

Trending Today

The Year in National Parks

From people stealing baby bison and Yosemite trademarks to epic blooms in Death Valley, 2016 has been an eventful centennial year for the NPS

Throw one back in honor of Robert Leo Hulseman, the inventor of America's most iconic cup.

Trending Today

How a Red Party Cup Became an American Icon

There's just something about Solo cups

Street in Apia, the capital of Samoa, when that country was still on American time.

Five Years Ago, This Island Nation Lost an Entire Day

On this day in 2011, Samoa switched sides of the international date line for the second time, losing December 30 in the process. Here's why

An interior shot of Hagia Sophia. Its name means "Holy Wisdom" or "Sacred Wisdom."

You Can Hear Hagia Sophia’s Sublime Acoustics Without a Trip to Istanbul

Stanford scientists have digitally created the building’s unique sound, taking listeners back to the Middle Ages

New Research

France Is Paving More Than 600 Miles of Road With Solar Panels

In five years, France hopes the panels will supply power to 5 million people

Crossword puzzles have been around for over one hundred years. In that time, they've gone through fads.

Why Crossword Puzzles Are Still Mostly Written By Humans

Computers can write sports articles, replace stock brokers and help diagnose patients. But they can’t write good crosswords

A photo of Bill Clinton taken in 1993, the first year of his presidency.

Presidents Can Be Impeached Because Benjamin Franklin Thought It Was Better Than Assassination

The founding fathers struggled with the idea of whether the top leader should be impeachable

A modern flight data recorder, a.k.a. a "black box." Despite the name, these recorders are typically painted orange.

On This Day, The Black Box Proved Its Worth

The Park Slope plane crash was a tragedy, but it proved the importance of the flight data recorder

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