Innovation
New ideas and scientific and technological advancementsCat Brain Inspires Computer Design
A University of Michigan computer engineer, Wei Lu, has set out to develop a supercomputer the size of a 2-liter soda bottle that can mimic a cat brain. (Why a cat brain? It's a more realistic goal than a human brain, he says.)Mimicking the function of a cat brain is possible with current technolog...
April 26, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Beauty, and Usefulness, of Pollen
Spring may be beautiful, but all those blooming flowers and trees bring on pollen allergies, making eyes water and noses drip. But pollen can be both beautiful and useful (counterfeit malaria drugs were traced, in part, through pollen). In this TED Talk from February, Jonathan Drori of the BBC reve...
April 13, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Is Washington the Greenest City?
The Energy Star label can be found on products ranging from washing machines to televisions to ceiling fans. It can also be found on buildings, at least virtually. The Environmental Protection Agency rates commercial buildings and manufacturing plants based on energy performance. Those that rank in...
April 07, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Bacterial Evidence on Our Keyboards
Late last year, the television show Mythbusters showed that our computer keyboards are crawling with microorganisms. Now scientists from the University of Colorado have shown that those bacteria can be used to identify a computer's user.Germophobes don't want to know this, but our bodies are covere...
March 17, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Budding Aerospace Engineer Wins Intel Science Competition
Science has never been my strength (that kid on the TV sitcom who blows everything up in the lab? That was me). But whatever I lack in scientific ability I apparently make up for in intuition.One of the young scientists we featured here earlier today, Erika Debenedictis, just won Intel’s Science Ta...
March 16, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
Inside the Minds of America's Young Scientists
Forty high school seniors have traveled from across the country to Washington, D.C., this week for Intel’s Science Talent Search 2010, a program from the Society for Science & the Public. While here, the students have presented their projects to rounds of judges at the National Academy of Scie...
March 16, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
New & Improved Fugu: Now, Without Poison!
Aside from foraging wild mushrooms without a good guide book, or having tea with a former Russian spy, one of the most potentially dangerous meals you can have is fugu, the highly toxic puffer fish that can cause paralysis or death but is considered a delicacy in Japan. There, specialized restauran...
February 26, 2010 |
By Lisa Bramen
Science on my Phone
A few months after the purchase of my iPhone, I'll admit it: I'm an app addict. Luckily, there are plenty of great free apps out there. And here's some of my favorites in science:NASA App: Lots of pictures, a launch schedule, mission updates and plenty of videos to keep you up-to-date with the spac...
February 24, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Riled up About Geoengineering
One of the most contentious sessions at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting this past weekend in San Diego was on geoengineering, the study of ways to engineer the planet to manipulate climate. Intentional ways to do so, I should say—as many of the speakers pointed out, ...
February 23, 2010 |
By Laura Helmuth
The Science of the Olympics
I've always been a fan of the Winter Olympics, but a bout with the flu in 2002 that kept me at home watching TV for a week made me an addict. But it's not just about watching hours of skiing and skating. There's science, too, and it seems to be everywhere this year. Here are some good resources and...
February 17, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
A Few Gift Ideas for a Geeky Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is only days away, and if you've procrastinated shopping for the special geek in your life, you're probably panicking.Relax. Start with a card. For those tight on time or cash (or stuck in the East Coast snow storm), it might be wise to download one of these science valentines. It'...
February 11, 2010 |
By Erica R. Hendry
How Sleepy Are Sloths and Other Lessons Learned
Smithsonian scientists use radio technology to track animals in an island jungle in the middle of the Panama Canal
February 03, 2010 |
By Megan Gambino
Henrietta Lacks’ ‘Immortal’ Cells
Journalist Rebecca Skloot’s new book investigates how a poor black tobacco farmer had a groundbreaking impact on modern medicine
January 22, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Finding Art Fakes through Computer Analysis
Pieter Bruegel the Elder was a 16th-century painter from the Netherlands known for his landscape paintings populated by peasants (though you may also be familiar with his version of the Tower of Babel). He also produced dozens of drawings and prints. In the early 1990s, though, several Alpine drawi...
January 05, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
NASA's New Lunar Rover
The Smithsonian Institution pitches in to help NASA prepare for its next lunar mission with a new "home on wheels"
January 2010 |
By Megan Gambino
Inventing Your Way to a Better Champagne Experience
When tonight's clock strikes midnight, you'll probably raise your glass in a toast to the new year. And that glass will likely be filled with champagne (or sparkling wine, depending on where it was made).Despite the French region's claim on the name, champagne was not invented there. It was an Engl...
December 31, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Nine Science Stories You Should Have Read This Year
It's also been a good year for science stories in Smithsonian magazine, including our special issue, Exploring the Frontiers of Science. Here are nine you should read if you haven't already:Gene Therapy in a New Light: A husband-and-wife team's experimental genetic treatment for blindness is renewi...
December 30, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Christmas Dinner on the International Space Station
Ever wondered what astronauts might be eating for Christmas dinner? I found out recently when I had the chance to speak with NASA's Vickie Kloeris, who manages the food system for the International Space Station.Q: What goes into managing the space station's food system?A: We have a food lab here o...
December 24, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Five Things to Keep You Occupied Over the Holiday Weekend
One, the known universe, courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History (HT: Slog):Two, check out Geeks Are Sexy for 5 ways to geek it up over the holidays.Three, speaking of geeks, you can weigh in on whether or not we should ban the labels "geek" and "nerd".Four, GrrlScientist reprises her cl...
December 23, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Nine Gift Ideas for a Science-y Holiday
There are plenty of lists of ideas for what to give your geeky loved ones this holiday season. (Some of my favorites are Wired's Wish List, GeekDad's Holiday Gift Guide, the lists from Geeks are Sexy and the Ars Technica 2009 Holiday Gift Guide.) Here are nine suggestions:Theo Gray's Mad Science: T...
December 08, 2009 |
By Sarah Zielinski
