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Innovation / Technology

Margaret Hamilton stands next to a stack of program listings from the Apollo Guidance Computer in a photograph taken in 1969.

Women Who Shaped History

Margaret Hamilton Led the NASA Software Team That Landed Astronauts on the Moon

Apollo’s successful computing software was optimized to deal with unknown problems and to interrupt one task to take on a more important one

Festivalgoers attend the Trade Show during the 2019 SXSW Conference and Festivals this week in Austin, Texas.

Seven Innovations That Made a Splash at This Year’s SXSW

The massive Austin event has become the place for unveiling cutting-edge tech, from educational apps to virtual reality art

In theory, all you’d need to do is give a blood sample and his test would indicate whether you have allergies to a certain substance or not.

Teen Inventor Designs Noninvasive Allergy Screen Using Genetics and Machine Learning

Seventeen-year-old Ayush Alag is one of 40 finalists in this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search

The Groclock aims to teach little kids to stay in bed until a predetermined time.

Five Technologies That Could Ease the Transition to Daylight Saving Time

Don’t forget, it’s nearly time to “Spring forward!” Here are some strategies to help you deal with the change

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station.

Future of Space Exploration

After a Successful Test Flight to the International Space Station, SpaceX Looks Ahead to Launching Astronauts

SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon spacecraft could launch the first astronauts from U.S. soil in almost a decade

It was during another experiment in his lab that Naohiro Kato realized that microalgae might be a good ingredient for bioplastic.

Made From Microalgae, These Mardi Gras Beads Are Biodegradable

Louisiana State University molecular biologist Naohiro Kato is confronting plastic pollution one necklace and doubloon at a time

The First African-American to Hold a Patent Invented ‘Dry Scouring’

In 1821, Thomas Jennings patented a method for removing dirt and grease from clothing that would lead to today’s dry cleaning

DeepASL's camera

Sign Language Translating Devices Are Cool. But Are They Useful?

Michigan State University researchers are developing a small tool, with a motion capture system, that translates ASL into English

American artist Georgia O'Keeffe poses outdoors beside an easel with a canvas from her series, 'Pelvis Series Red With Yellow,' Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1960.

Why Are Georgia O’Keeffe’s Paintings Breaking Out in Pimples?

A new handheld tool lets scientists diagnose the chemical reaction behind “art acne”—and learn how it can be prevented

An artist's concept of the Beresheet lunar lander on the moon.

Israel’s Private Lunar Lander Blasts Off for the Moon

The Israeli spacecraft Beresheet will gradually raise its orbit to reach the moon, landing after about a month and a half of flight

Will A.I. Ever Be Smarter Than a Four-Year-Old?

Looking at how children process information may give programmers useful hints about directions for computer learning

Ovie Smarterware alerts you when your food has hit half of its shelf life.

Seven Technologies That Could Help Fight Food Waste

From food-sharing apps to “smart” storage systems, these innovations might reduce the amount of food you toss

A mosaic of Mars images captured by the Viking Orbiter 1, which operated around the planet from 1976 to 1980. Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system, cuts across middle of the planet, stretching over 3,000 km long and up to 8 km deep.

With Opportunity Lost, NASA Confronts the Tenuous Future of Mars Exploration

Following decades of continuous flights to Mars, NASA is facing a shortage of missions

An artist's concept of the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity superimposed on a photo of Victoria Crater, taken by the rover.

How NASA’s Opportunity Rover Made Mars Part of Earth

After more than 15 years exploring the surface of Mars, the Opportunity rover has finally roved its last leg

The Patents Behind Your Box of Valentine’s Day Chocolates

Before you sample a truffle or a coconut cream, consider all of the innovation that has been poured into the sweets and their lovely presentation

The Necco candy factory used to produce piles of Sweethearts.

The Pharmacist Who Launched America’s Modern Candy Industry

Oliver Chase invented a lozenge-cutting machine that led to Necco wafers, Sweethearts and the mechanization of candy making

The complicated tree of human evolution could include extinct species that have not yet been discovered.

Artificial Intelligence Study of Human Genome Finds Unknown Human Ancestor

The genetic footprint of a “ghost population” may match that of a Neanderthal and Denisovan hybrid fossil found in Siberia

Lego's Duplo bricks have been in production for 50 years.

How Lego Patents Helped Build a Toy Empire, Brick by Brick

The Danish toy company invented its basic brick, then designed a toddler-friendly version, before adding mini figures to the mix

The Patents Behind Pasta Shapes

When you sit down to a bowl, be it gnocchi or Kraft macaroni, consider the design work and innovation that have gone into it

At the start of the 1960s, color television was still a relatively novel technology.

Color TV Transformed the Way Americans Saw the World, and the World Saw America

A historian of 20th century media argues that the technological innovation was the quintessential Cold War machine

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