Sick of Fluorescents? New Technology Provides Flicker-Free Light
A new advance in lighting could soon bring a silent, consistent glow that’s easy on the eyes to an office near you
UPDATE: Spidernaut Dies at Natural History Museum
After 99 days in space, the museum’s new jumping spider made it only five days before dying of natural causes
A Holiday Gift Guide for the Whole Human Family
An offering of books, bumper stickers, artwork and other knickknacks for the hominid enthusiast on your gift list
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
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
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
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
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
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
Why Oliver Sacks is One of the Great Modern Adventurers
The neurologist’s latest investigations of the mind explore the mystery of hallucinations – including his own
In Space, Flames Behave in Ways Nobody Thought Possible
Combustion experiments conducted in zero gravity yield surprising results
Fire Good. Make Human Inspiration Happen.
New evidence suggests that fire may have influenced the evolution of the human mind
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
Why Give an Award on Ingenuity?
Our editor-in-chief introduces the inaugural Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards
Why Does the Durian Fruit Smell So Terrible?
Scientists examine what chemicals make the Asian fruit smell like “turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock”
The Insane Amount of Biodiversity in One Cubic Foot
David Liittschwager travels to the world’s richest ecosystems, photographing all the critters that pass through his “biocube” in 24 hours
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
Gamblers Take Note: The Odds in a Coin Flip Aren’t Quite 50/50
And the odds of spinning a penny are even more skewed in one direction, but which way?
Confirmed: Both Antarctica and Greenland Are Losing Ice
After decades of uncertainty, a new study confirms that both polar ice sheets are melting
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