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Innovation

The production of knives flourished in Sakai due to the rich history of traditional metal processing techniques.

The Japanese City Known for Making Knives That Are a Cut Above

Ninety percent of professional chefs in Japan buy their knives in Sakai. TikTok users are spreading the word, and demand is skyrocketing, as international tourists want in on the action

Researchers are studying pollen grains for applications across medicine and engineering.

For the Allergy-Ridden, Pollen Can Be a Nuisance. But Scientists Are Using the Powdery Stuff to Make Paper, Sponges and More

Re-engineered into a microgel, pollen could become a critical material for eco-friendly products

Only a small fraction of the world’s fisheries—roughly 2 percent—are currently monitored by observers, meaning the vast majority of fishing activity, including the bycatch of protected species, happens without oversight.

Could Artificial Intelligence Make It Easier and Safer to Monitor Fisheries?

New A.I. analysis systems aim to count fish and identify species, streamlining the time-intensive process of recording commercial fishing activity

Danielle Boyer wears a Skobot on her shoulder.

Can A.I. Help Revitalize Indigenous Languages?

Indigenous researchers and roboticists are crafting innovative tools to help save endangered dialects

Until recently, jokes were thought to be beyond the reach of A.I.

Can Artificial Intelligence Learn the Nuances of Human Humor?

As people turn to A.I. for therapy and companionship, some say the models still leave something to be desired

Breakthroughs in tagging technology are opening a window into the lives of smelt and other small swimmers—a shift some scientists say could transform our understanding of the underwater world’s more minute creatures.

A New Generation of Tiny Tracking Tags Offers a Fresh Look at the Lives of Little Fish

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed a tag the size of a grain of rice that can also work underwater

The Smithsonian’s own Etch A Sketch, acquired in 2011, is displayed as a cultural artifact—a symbol of a toy that has shaped generations.

How the Etch A Sketch Etched Itself Into Pop Culture

Sixty-five years after it first hit store shelves, the iconic, red-framed drawing toy continues to enchant kids, artists, and collectors alike

The patient looks through measuring goggles at a series of markers on a grid. 

Can a Medical Device Restore Your Balance?

Nearly two million people worldwide have lost the simple ability to feel steady. Now researchers have developed an experimental medical implant that promises to restore the sensory machinery responsible for balance

The vision is to use the gate to create extended elephant migration routes that cut across South Africa, connecting green areas with navigation corridors that bypass cities and the rehabilitated gold mine dumps that ring Johannesburg.

In South Africa, a Smart Gate Could Help Connect Elephants’ Fragmented Habitat

An unlikely quartet’s clever contraption may allow the pachyderms to make better use of their range

A selection of Spalding balls from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the Dimple (second row, third ball), patented in 1905 and one of the first balls to be dotted with aerodynamic dimples.

Over 600 Years, the Golf Ball Has Evolved From a Primitive Wood Sphere to a Smart Ball With Cutting-Edge Sensors

Tracing the centuries of innovation that sent the golf ball on a wild ride through history

No winners are declared. No medals are handed out. There is no podium. The only aim for riders of the Vätternrundan is to complete the challenge, and doing so is a rite of passage. 

How Sweden’s Vätternrundan Became One of the Biggest Recreational Bike Rides on the Planet

For 60 years, cyclists have descended on the city of Motala in June to ride 196 miles around Lake Vättern and promote healthy living

Seltzer is the little black dress of drinks—suitable for any occasion.

The Effervescent History of Seltzer, From the Early Days of Home Delivery to Today’s Trendy Cans

A century before LaCroix or Spindrift were refrigerator staples, factories in New York City were carbonating gallons and gallons of tap water each day

A flamingo peeks from behind its feathers at the North Carolina Zoo.

Engineers Are Racing to Harness the Dazzling Magic of Feathers. They Haven’t Solved the Mystery Just Yet

The natural marvels, which do everything from enabling acrobatic flight to insulating against Antarctic cold, continue to inspire new designs and technologies

Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally, according to the World Health Organization.

This 14-Year-Old Built an App That Detects Heart Diseases in Seconds

Siddarth Nandyala wants to put his tool in the hands of medical professionals so that they can catch cardiovascular abnormalities in their early stages

During its first year of service, Freedom House Amublance Service transported more than 4,600 patients across 5,800 calls, saving 200 lives.

These Trailblazing Black Paramedics Are the Reason You Don’t Have to Ride a Hearse or a Police Van to the Hospital

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Freedom House Ambulance Service set the standard for emergency medical care, laying the groundwork for the services available today

A parachute belonging to Broadwick is on display in the Early Flight gallery at the Smithsonian’s newly updated National Air and Space Museum. 

Pioneering Teenage Parachuter Georgia ‘Tiny’ Broadwick Showed That Courage Isn’t Counted in Pounds

The first woman to parachute from an airplane, she will be recognized in an exhibit when part of the newly renovated National Air and Space Museum reopens this year

Vanilla producer Bertrand Côme displays bound and dried vanilla beans for sale at his Réunion farm. The beans generally grow as long as 6 to 11 inches.

The Bittersweet Beginnings of Vanilla Cultivation Can Be Traced Back to the Far-Flung Isle of Réunion

A journey to the remote Indian Ocean island reveals the story behind the fragrant, delicious, ubiquitous spice—and the enslaved youth who made it a commercial success

This volleyball-looking device is one of the glass flasks that Charles D. Keeling and others used to transport samples of atmosphere from Mauna Loa and beyond to a laboratory for precise analysis.

This Simple but Ingenious Instrument Helped the World Measure Carbon Dioxide Levels in the Atmosphere

Scientist Charles Keeling’s invention had a profound effect on scientists’ understanding of the severity of the climate change crisis

Made of wood and leather, this artificial toe, found in an ancient Egyptian tomb affixed to a noblewoman, is the oldest known prosthetic appendage.

The Innovative History of the Artificial Limb Stretches as Far Back as Ancient Egypt

Today, the technology has come so far that anyone with a 3D printer can create highly engineered and artful prostheses

An ancient vase depicting the death of Talos, the bronze automaton created by the god Hephaestus to guard the island of Crete

History of Now

Was Talos, the Bronze Automaton Who Guarded the Island of Crete in Greek Myth, an Early Example of Artificial Intelligence?

The mythical sentry was depicted as thinking like a human and showing some human-like tendencies

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