Smart News Ideas & Innovations

Ralph Samuelson on water skiis

The Man Who Invented Water Skiing

One hundred years ago, Ralph Samuelson successfully skied across the waters of Lake Pepin

About 3.8 million concussions from sports-related injuries occur every year in the U.S.

Innovation for Good

This Wearable Sensor May Help Detect Concussions Early in Athletes

Researchers developed a small, flexible patch that sticks on the back of an athlete’s neck and can identify whiplash

Researchers analyzed flint tools found at the Evron Quarry in Israel.

Cool Finds

When Did Early Humans Start Using Fire? To Find Answers, Scientists Enlist Artificial Intelligence

By analyzing flint tools, researchers find new evidence of an 800,000-year-old fire in northern Israel

ElliQ can make small talk, answer questions, remind users to take medication, help contact friends and family, initiate conversation and help with other daily activities.

Innovation for Good

New York State Purchases Robot Companions for the Elderly

The state has bought more than 800 ElliQ robots to combat loneliness in older adults

Los Angeles recently appointed its first-ever chief heat officer.

Los Angeles Becomes Latest City to Hire 'Chief Heat Officer'

As temperatures rise, these new leaders in L.A., Miami and Phoenix are trying to reduce heat-related deaths and hospitalizations

A polar bear on glacial ice in southeast Greenland. 

A Clever Population of Polar Bears Survives on Glacial Ice in Greenland

The genetically distinct group of predators uses calved ice to hunt seals when the sea ice has melted

A screenshot from Google's new tool, Dynamic World

A New Satellite Tool Shows You How the Planet’s Landscape Changes Day by Day

From forests and wetlands to urban development, color-coded maps explore Earth’s evolution in great detail

Margaret Atwood tried burning the new, fireproof version of her novel The Handmaid's Tale with a flamethrower.

Margaret Atwood Tried—and Failed—to Burn a Copy of 'The Handmaid’s Tale.' Here's Why

A fireproof version of her bestseller is a weapon in an ongoing fight against literary censorship

Researchers at Cambridge University, Oxford University and Boston College will study how the four-day workweek affects workplace productivity, employee wellbeing, gender equality and the environment.   

The U.K. Is Launching the World’s Largest Four-Day Workweek Experiment

More than 3,300 employees at 70 companies get an extra day off each week for the next six months—without a reduction in pay

Macintosh computers—and the company that created them—changed the PC world.

New Polish Museum Bytes Into the History of Apple Products

Over 1,000 artifacts get to the core of the iconic brand’s popularity

A Cruise car goes for a ride in San Francisco.

Innovation for Good

Driverless Taxis Are Coming to San Francisco

The California Public Utilities Commission is allowing Cruise to charge for rides in its autonomous vehicles, without a safety driver

Asian elephants

Scientists Are Using YouTube to Understand How Elephants Mourn Their Dead

The research is part of a growing trend of using crowdsourced videos to learn about elusive or hard-to-study animals

Grotto Geyser in Yellowstone National Park

Innovation for Good

Scientists Map Yellowstone’s Underground ‘Plumbing’

The new survey could be useful for everything from microbiology to thermal energy

Visitors looking at sculpture by Skellon Studio in “Cancer Revolution” at the Science Museum.

Exhibition Explores the Art and Science of Cancer—and the Hope of a Future Without It

The Science Museum in London explores the past and future of the disease, and the resilience of its survivors

InSight's final selfie, taken in April 2022.

Trending Today

Dusty InSight Mars Lander Takes Its Final Selfie

The Red Planet probe will likely stop operating sometime later this year

The cyanobacteria system runs using sunlight and water.

Innovation for Good

Researchers Use Algae to Power a Computer for Months

The experiment suggests that cyanobacteria 'batteries' could run small devices

Artle involves guessing who created a work of art using images from collections housed at the National Gallery of Art. 

This New Daily Game Is Like Wordle for Art

The National Gallery invented the guessing game to help users access its vast collections

This device can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 30 feet per second. 

Robot Jumps a Record-Breaking 100 Feet in the Air

The device can launch three times higher than the current record for a robotic leap

Oreo cookies helped inspire a new field of study coined "Oreology" by researchers at MIT.

Innovation for Good

Why MIT Researchers Are Studying Oreos

Fluid dynamics experts find that it’s nearly impossible to split the black-and-white cookie’s sweet filling evenly in half

Biotech firm Oxitec is genetically modifying mosquitoes in the hopes of curbing the overall population. The company completed its first open-air release of the bugs in Florida.

Innovation for Good

First U.S. Open-Air Test of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Deemed a Success

Biotech firm Oxitec engineered the bugs in an effort to curb their numbers and help stop the spread of disease

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