Inventions
Is Light Pollution Really Pollution?
As countries grow richer, light pollution gets worse–but some are fighting to change that
Tweaking the Tiny Electrical Charges Inside Cells Can Fight Infection
It works in tadpoles. Could it work in humans?
Seeing in the Dark: The History of Night Vision
In honor of Military Invention Day, a look at night vision technology throughout the years
One Man Invented Two of the Deadliest Substances of the 20th Century
Thomas Midgley Jr.'s inventions have had an outsize impact—not all of it good—on humankind
This Invention Makes a Gardener Out of Anyone
Seedsheets founder and CEO Cameron MacKugler designs the garden. You just have to water it.
Patents (Only) a Mother Could Love
For Mother's Day, we've pulled some of history's wackiest patented ideas for mothers and children
This Device Translates Text To Braille in Real Time
Team Tactile hopes to create an inexpensive and portable device that can raise text right off the page
To Protect Allied WWI Soldiers, This Researcher Tested an Early Gas Mask on Himself
John Haldane developed a rudimentary respirator that protected wearers against chlorine gas—at least for a few minutes
This Prolific Inventor Helped Give Us The Phrase “The Real McCoy”
There are many stories about how we got this phrase. But there was only one Elijah McCoy
Times Square's Glitzy Look was One Man's Bright Idea
Douglas Leigh's ability to imagine new kinds of advertising shaped the signs of the city
In an Emergency, You'll Want This Hi-Tech First Aid Kit
Ram Fish, founder and CEO of 19Labs, talks about developing his clinic-in-a-box
A New Museum in Sweden Is All About Failure
Visit the many examples of products that were short-sighted, short-lived or just silly
Fire Poles Saved Time, But They Also Injured Firefighters
Many fire departments across the country have phased out the pole
A New Sensor That Looks and Acts Like Fruit Could Reduce In-Transit Produce Waste
Swiss scientists have developed a temperature sensor that provides important data while packed with fruit in transport and storage
The Patents and Trademarks Behind Jelly Beans
Inventors have been improving the techniques and technologies used to make jelly beans for more than 150 years
Before Velcro’s Patent Expired, It Was a Niche Product Most People Hadn’t Heard Of
The hook-and-loop tape's moment in the sun came after others were free to copy it
This Innovator Thought Elevators Should Be Round
Peter Cooper thought that round would be the most efficient shape for elevators, and requested an elevator shaft designed accordingly
The Patents and Trademarks Behind Lucky Charms Cereal
There's a lot of food science that goes into those marshmallow clovers
How Humans Invented Numbers—And How Numbers Reshaped Our World
Anthropologist Caleb Everett explores the subject in his new book, <em>Numbers and the Making Of Us</em>
This Eighteenth-Century Robot Actually Used Breathing to Play the Flute
It was one of a trio of automata that had functions like living creatures
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