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Editors' Picks

How to Save a Dying Language

Geoffrey Khan is racing to document Aramaic, the language of Jesus, before its native speakers vanish

Most of What You Think You Know About Grammar is Wrong

And ending sentences with a preposition is nothing worth worrying about

Why Are Superachievers So Successful?

Two authors spoke to dozens of the highest-achieving people in the world. Here’s what they learned

Ideas & Innovations

Page 2 of 3

10 Gifts to Celebrate Innovation

From glasses that fight jet lag to a plant that waters itself to a rocking chair that fires up the iPad, here are presents no one will forget.
December 07, 2012 | By Randy Rieland

Take Two Pills and Charge Me in the Morning

Health and medical mobile apps are booming. But what happens when they shift from tracking data to diagnosing diseases?
December 04, 2012 | By Randy Rieland

Are You Smarter Than Your Grandfather? Probably Not.

Senility isn’t the answer; IQ scores are increasing with each generation. In a new book, political scientist James Flynn explains why
December 03, 2012 | By Megan Gambino

The 2012 Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards Liveblog

Follow along as we award the best innovators of the year
November 28, 2012 | By Brian Wolly

Pardis Sabeti

Pardis Sabeti, the Rollerblading Rock Star Scientist of Harvard

The recipient of the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for natural sciences blazed a new view of how to treat infectious diseases via genetics
December 2012 | By Seth Mnookin

8 Ways People Are Taking Twitter Seriously

Born in desperation and long mocked, the social media platform has become a popular research and intelligence-gathering tool.
November 30, 2012 | By Randy Rieland

Esperanza Spalding has brought new life to jazz.

Esperanza Spalding Took on Bieber, Now Takes on Jazz

The innovative bassist and winner of the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for performing arts is taking jazz to a whole new place
December 2012 | By dream hampton

Elon Musk, the Rocket Man With a Sweet Ride

The winner of the Smithsonian Ingenuity Award for technology hopes to launch a revolution with his spaceship and electric car
December 2012 | By Carl Hoffman

Shopping Gets Personal

Retailers are mining personal data to learn everything about you so they can help you help yourself to their products.
November 27, 2012 | By Randy Rieland

Jim Anderson

The Ozone Problem is Back – And Worse Than Ever

James Anderson, the winner of a Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award, has discovered the alarming link between climate change and ozone loss
December 2012 | By Sharon Begley

Jack Andraka, the Teen Prodigy of Pancreatic Cancer

A high school sophomore won the youth achievement Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for inventing a new method to detect a lethal cancer
December 2012 | By Abigail Tucker

Open-Fire Stoves Kill Millions. How Do We Fix it?

Pollutants from crude stoves are responsible for many deaths – a D.C.-based NGO has a solution
December 2012 | By Ingfei Chen

Sebastion Thrun

How Artificial Intelligence Can Change Higher Education

Sebastian Thrun, winner of the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for education takes is redefining the modern classroom
December 2012 | By Tom Vanderbilt

The innovative young filmmaker Benh Zeitlin is the winner of the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for the Visual Arts.

How Benh Zeitlin Made Beasts of the Southern Wild

The Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award winner for visual arts transformed filmmaking as he assembled a new myth out of Hurricane Katrina
December 2012 | By Franz Lidz

Looking at the Battle of Gettysburg Through Robert E. Lee’s Eyes

Anne Kelly Knowles, the winner of Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards, uses GIS technology to change our view of history
December 2012 | By Tony Horwitz

Why Mass Incarceration Defines Us As a Society

Bryan Stevenson, the winner of the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award in social justice, has taken his fight all the way to the Supreme Court
December 2012 | By Chris Hedges

10 Ways Travel Is Getting Better

Sure, it can get aggravating, but here are some innovations that are making it easier and more enjoyable to take a trip
November 20, 2012 | By Randy Rieland

Can We Ever Stop Worrying About Blackouts?

Only if utility companies are able to make their power grids smart enough to spot outages and "heal" themselves.
November 16, 2012 | By Randy Rieland

Dr. NakaMats

Dr. NakaMats, the Man With 3300 Patents to His Name

Meet the most famous inventor you’ve never heard of – whose greatest invention may be himself
December 2012 | By Franz Lidz

The Sharing of the Screens

Get ready for the day when your big screen and your small screens work together to connect you with shows and products.
November 09, 2012 | By Randy Rieland

We Can Bank Online. Why Can’t We Vote Online?

Voting experts David Becker and Thad Hall discuss the technologies that could forever change the way we register and cast our votes
November 06, 2012 | By Megan Gambino

Should Cities Prepare For the Worst?

Is the crippling of New York City enough to motivate other cities to protect themselves against extreme weather?
November 02, 2012 | By Randy Rieland

Tracking the Twists and Turns of Hurricanes

Incredibly powerful supercomputers and a willingness to acknowledge that they're not perfect has made weather scientists become much more effective in forecasting hurricanes.
October 29, 2012 | By Randy Rieland

Take That, Cancer!

The war on cancer has been going on for more than 40 years. Here are 10 small--and maybe not so small--victories scientists have had this year
October 22, 2012 | By Randy Rieland

Are Your Political Beliefs Hardwired?

Brain scans suggest Democrats and Republicans actually are different biologically. Welcome to the world of political neuroscience.
November 05, 2012 | By Randy Rieland

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