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Smart News / Smart News Ideas & Innovations

The inside of a newly assembled Ikea temporary home.

Ikea’s Getting Into the Refugee Shelter Business

Ikea’s latest installments are popping up in Lebanon, where around one million Syrians have sought refuge from the violence plaguing their own country

Some Olympic Athletes Have To Crowd-Source Money to Get to Russia

While Olympic athletes may be our heroes, they aren’t getting rich off their work, and some have to crowd-source funding for their trips to Sochi

This Computer Algorithm Can Tell If You’re a Hipster

One day, they could help flash ads for single-speed bikes when you walk by

Hey Guys, What You Eat Affects Baby’s Health, Too

Men’s habits and diets leading up to pregnancy can also affect the health of their babies

You Can Be Really Good at Certain Skills Without Having Any Idea How They Work

How well do you know the tools you use every day?

Can Crowds Predict the Future?

You probably shouldn’t rely on crowd wisdom to make personal decisions, but when it comes to global outcomes, the crowd might be smarter than you think

All turnips, all the time.

The Moon: The Only Place in the Universe Anyone’s Excited About Turnips

Someone at NASA has a real thing for turnips

This Group Knows You’ve Committed a Crime And Wants to Hear All About It

Have you ever committed a crime? Stop lying, you definitely have

(A to L) 3D estimates of front views and lateral views rendered as point clouds overlaid with reflectivity data.

This Camera Capture Images in the Dark, Using Just a Few Particles of Light

The most obvious application for this camera is for spying and surveillance, but it may also be used for remote sensing or to study microscopic structures

Smaller Hands Need Smarter Designs for Smart Phones

No more thumb cramps or having to use your other fingers to press buttons!

Pregnant Silhouette

Can Babies Be Born Addicted to Junk Food?

The tastes you grew up with, tend to stick with you

Many public schools currently serve lunch on one-use-only foam trays.

Six Public School Systems Are Trying to Replace Foam Lunch Trays With Compostable Ones

Healthier food and less wasteful utensils and packaging are next on the school lunch reform list

Would you murder this robot?

Should Robots Have Rights?

Would you murder a robot? If you did, should you be charged for it?

The Pictures in Your Home Goods Catalogs Are Probably Computer Rendered

Some materials are harder to render than others, but soon those catalogs will be full of space that never existed in the real world

Paralyzed patient Jason Disanto navigates through a room full of obstacles by guiding the wheelchair with his tongue.

This Wheelchair Is Controlled By a Paralyzed Patient’s Tongue

The next step, the researchers say, is to move the system outside of the lab and hospital and into the real-world environment for testing

Apple’s Working on a New Camera That Will End Blurry Photos Forever

Apple’s new patent for a light field camera could bring refocuseable photos to a camera near you

Cracking the Code of the Human Genome

Here’s Why the FDA Is More Than a Little Freaked Out by Personal Genetic Testing

Really, this debate isn’t about 23andMe, but about a broader question of how to deliver and interpret personal genetic data

Can’t Make a Conference? Send a Robot Instead

Now, even if you can’t swing the trip to the First Annual Catholic Conference on Geocentrism, you can send a robot instead

Get Ready for America’s First Mass Market Hydrogen-Powered Car

Hyundai aims to have a hydrogen fuel cell-powered SUV on the road by 2014

Online Courses Aren’t Actually Democratizing Education

Eighty percent of those who enrolled in online learning classes already have bachelor’s degrees. Forty four percent have some graduate education

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