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Smart News / Smart News Ideas & Innovations

Cool Finds

These Adorable Robot Toys Teach Kids How to Code

The two bots using a basic visual language, and they are just one way to introduce children to computer programming

Sergeant Tanzanika Carter of the BART police force wears a body camera in San Francisco, CA

Trending Today

Body Cameras Help Police

An in-depth investigation of five cities using police body cameras highlights what the technology addresses and what it doesn’t

Trending Today

Goodbye CAPTCHA: Just Click a Box to Prove You’re Not a Robot

Google is getting rid of spam bots and annoying squiggly text at the same time

New Research

A Worm’s Gut Could Help Dispose of Plastic Trash

Microbes found in the guts of waxworms like to feast on polyethylene

A natural gas storage tank at the Cenex oil refinery in Montana.

New Research

The Fracking Boom Could Burn Out Decades Before It’s Supposed To

Overenthusiastic shale gas estimates may be setting the world up for a fracking crash

Cool Finds

MIT Is Giving Its Students Bitcoin

Researchers interested in studying how people use Bitcoin are handing out $100 worth of the currency to whoever wants it

Cool Finds

The White House Is Going Digital With Its Holiday Decorations

Robot dogs, an interactive holiday card and crowd-sourced light shows are a few of the new additions

Trending Today

Girl Scouts Can Now Sell Cookies Online

But you’ll still need to interact with a real, live Girl Scout to gain digital access to their cookies

Cool Finds

There’s an Airbnb for Fields in England

In the U.K., you can rent a field for weddings, concerts, sports matches or simply your own enjoyment

Trending Today

Just in Time for Black Friday, San Francisco Passed the First Ever Retail Worker Bill of Rights

San Francisco’s retail staff will have more stable hours and the possibility to work overtime

Cool Finds

A Dutch Actress Is Journeying to the South Pole on a Tractor

She pays tribute to great polar expeditions of the past and carries the dreams of thousands with her

New Research

A Simple Way to Reduce Car Crashes: Start the High School Day Later

A later roll-call time for teens also means improved health, mood, and grades

Cool Finds

One Idea to Get to Mars: Fill the Walls of a Spaceship With Water

The insulation from radiation would also be drinkable

Cool Finds

How to Fold a World Record-Setting Paper Airplane

The secret lies in the design, but having a football quarterback on hand to throw the plane might help you break records

New Research

Now a Person Can Scramble Up a Wall Just Like a Gecko

Or use the same material to catch wayward space trash

Trending Today

This Company Is Crowdfunding a Mission to the Moon

Your reward: a spot in a digital time capsule buried beneath the lunar surface

Cool Finds

Outfitting Football Helmets With Magnets Could Reduce Concussions

Strong magnets can repel at least 300 lbs of force, preventing heads from colliding

Cool Finds

How to Heat Your House With a Cloud Computer Server

A German company is installing servers in homes and offices to recycle heat

Cool Finds

How to Live With Hallucinatory “Voices” Without Drugs

A European-centered movement is trying to change the perception that hearing voices is bad

Cool Finds

Look How 30 Years of Automation Changed How Crayons Are Made

“Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” showed how people made crayons. Today, crayon-making is a robot’s job

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