Innovation
New ideas and scientific and technological advancements
TKO By Checkmate: Inside the World of Chessboxing
Demanding a combination of brains and brawn, this new sport has competitors floating like butterflies and stinging like kings
May 13, 2013 |
By Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
The World According to Twitter, in Maps
A new geographic analysis of millions of tweets provides a remarkably broad view of humanity, by language, location and other factors
May 10, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
10 New Things Science Says About Moms
Among then: They answer a lot of questions and their spit is good for us
May 10, 2013 |
By Randy Rieland
How Motherhood Makes You Smarter
New studies on rats show that being a mom does more than change her body, it may maximize her brainpower too
May 09, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
What Happens When a Keyboard Goes From Tactile to Touchscreen?
There's a word for that odd quirk of Apple iPads that hold on to design components of old keyboards
May 08, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
What Phone Companies Are Doing With All That Data From Your Phone
They're mining it and selling it. But don't worry, it's all anonymous. Maybe
May 08, 2013 |
By Randy Rieland
The Secret to a Long Life May Be Deep Inside Your Brain
Scientists have found a way to slow the aging process. Unluckily for us, they've only been able to do it in mice
May 03, 2013 |
By Randy Rieland
Fact of Fiction? The Legend of the QWERTY Keyboard
What came first: the typist or the keyboard? The answer may surprise you
May 03, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Five Innovative Technologies that Bring Energy to the Developing World
From soccer balls to cookstoves, engineers are working on a range of devices that provide cheap, clean energy
May 02, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Predictions for Privacy in the Age of Facebook (from 1985!)
Mark Zuckerberg wasn't even a year old when a graduate student foresaw the emergence of online personal profiles
May 02, 2013 |
By Matt Novak
PHOTOS: The Mind-Blowing, Floating, Unmanned Scientific Laboratory
Wave Gliders are about to make scientific exploration a lot cheaper and safer
May 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Life in the City Is Essentially One Giant Math Problem
Experts in the emerging field of quantitative urbanism believe that many aspects of modern cities can be reduced to mathematical formulas
May 2013 |
By Jerry Adler
How Lego Is Constructing the Next Generation of Engineers
With programmable robots and student competitions, Lego is making “tinkering with machines cool again”
May 2013 |
By Franz Lidz
The Revolutionary Effect of the Paperback Book
This simple innovation transformed the reading habits of an entire nation
May 2013 |
By Clive Thompson
What Lies Ahead for 3-D Printing?
The new technology promises a factory in every home—and a whole lot more
May 2013 |
By Elizabeth Royte
Never Underestimate the Power of a Paint Tube
Without this simple invention, impressionists such as Claude Monet wouldn’t have been able to create their works of genius
May 2013 |
By Perry Hurt
How the Smithsonian is Coming to You
Between smartphone apps and local exhibitions, the Institution is looking for great new ways to connect to our biggest fans
May 2013 |
By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
We Had No Idea What Alexander Graham Bell Sounded Like. Until Now
Smithsonian researchers used optical technology to play back the unplayable records
May 2013 |
By Charlotte Gray
Look Ma, No Fuel! Flying Cross Country on Sun Power
This week one of the strangest flying machines you've ever seen will start its journey across America--without a drop of fuel.
April 30, 2013 |
By Randy Rieland


