Innovation | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/innovation/RSS feed for InnovationenWed, 17 Jun 2026 16:36:51 +0000Scientists Are Using Nanomaterials to Heal Stubborn Wounds That Resist Antibiotic Treatmenthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/scientists-are-using-nanomaterials-to-heal-stubborn-wounds-that-resist-antibiotic-treatment-180988972/Light-activated therapies may offer a solution to slow-healing lesions common in diabetics and burn victimsWed, 17 Jun 2026 16:36:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/scientists-are-using-nanomaterials-to-heal-stubborn-wounds-that-resist-antibiotic-treatment-180988972/Cellphones Were Created to Untether Us. Then They Got Smart and Evolved Into an Omnipotent Appendagehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/cellphones-were-created-to-untether-us-then-they-got-smart-and-evolved-into-an-omnipotent-appendage-180988882/One device made it possible to hold a telephone, a watch, a calculator, the mailbox, credit cards, a meteorologist, a television, a detailed map of the globe, millions of songs and books … all in one hand.Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/cellphones-were-created-to-untether-us-then-they-got-smart-and-evolved-into-an-omnipotent-appendage-180988882/This Unsung Black Developer Unlocked the Code to Turning a Video Game Console Into a Virtual Living Room Arcadehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/unsung-black-developer-unlocked-code-turning-video-game-consolo-into-virtual-living-room-arcade-180988819/Jerry Lawson’s Channel F system was the first to put games on interchangeable cartridges, paving the way for Atari, Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStationTue, 16 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/unsung-black-developer-unlocked-code-turning-video-game-consolo-into-virtual-living-room-arcade-180988819/With a Few Tweaks, the Country’s Favorite Sports Went From Pastimes to Part of the Fabric of Our Culturehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/with-few-tweaks-countrys-favorite-sports-went-pastimes-part-fabric-culture-180988816/Can you imagine a football game where there was never a passing play? The forward pass is just one of the innovations that made these contests into eventsMon, 15 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/with-few-tweaks-countrys-favorite-sports-went-pastimes-part-fabric-culture-180988816/When Clarence Birdseye Tasted the Trout That Had Been Frozen by Inuit Fishermen, It Changed the Way We Buy Foodhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/when-clarence-birdseye-tasted-trout-had-been-frozen-inuit-fisherman-changed-way-buy-food-180988815/The inventive entrepreneur concluded that the faster things were frozen, the less damage was done to the structure of the food. Once thawed, they were “exactly like fresh”Mon, 15 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/when-clarence-birdseye-tasted-trout-had-been-frozen-inuit-fisherman-changed-way-buy-food-180988815/How the Hashtag Became the Way to Instantly Invite Literally Everyone Into the Conversationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-hashtag-became-way-instantly-invite-literally-everyone-into-conversation-180988813/In the nascent days of Twitter, users wanted a quick way to cluster posts about a single subject. Someone suggested using a pound sign, and #TheRestIsHistoryFri, 12 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-hashtag-became-way-instantly-invite-literally-everyone-into-conversation-180988813/A Moment of Divine Inspiration Helped Melvil Dewey Bring Obsessive Order to the Infinitely Disorganized Stacks in the Libraryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/moment-divine-inspiration-helped-melvil-dewey-bring-obsessive-order-infinitely-disorganized-stacks-library-180988856/The Massachusetts student let his mind wander during a Sunday sermon and created the decimal-based system that greatly simplified the search for any book you were looking for.Thu, 11 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/moment-divine-inspiration-helped-melvil-dewey-bring-obsessive-order-infinitely-disorganized-stacks-library-180988856/The Man Who Created a Written Language for the Cherokee Did It So Efficiently and Elegantly, His Peers Thought It Was Magichttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/man-created-written-language-cherokee-did-efficiently-elegantly-peers-thought-magic-180988850/Sequoyah’s syllabary faced suspicion initially, but after a demonstration, his version of “talking leaves” was widely embraced. And then the word spreadWed, 10 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/man-created-written-language-cherokee-did-efficiently-elegantly-peers-thought-magic-180988850/When Patent Protections Couldn’t Keep Pace With Ingenuity in the Colonies, One Inventive Woman Took Her Case to Britainhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/patent-protections-couldnt-keep-pace-with-ingenuity-colonies-one-inventive-woman-took-case-britain-180988827/Sybilla Righton Masters devised a novel way to work with grains available to her in Philadelphia. A long journey led to the first patent issued to an American (though it went to her husband)Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/patent-protections-couldnt-keep-pace-with-ingenuity-colonies-one-inventive-woman-took-case-britain-180988827/Because of a Mathematician From Rural Virginia’s Work on Global Positioning, You Have No Excuse for Getting Losthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/gladys-west-gives-directions-180988807/Gladys West had an “insatiable thirst for knowledge.” She used computers, radars and satellites to make calculations that led to the GPS technology that allows us to pinpoint any spot on the globeFri, 05 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/gladys-west-gives-directions-180988807/This Playful Interactive Reveals the Medical Advances That Have Made Life Better … and Sometimes Longerhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-playful-interactive-reveals-the-medical-advances-that-have-made-life-better-and-sometimes-longer-180988867/From replacing lost limbs to helping a heart find its rhythm, the work of American doctors and researchers has improved lives in incalculable waysFri, 05 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-playful-interactive-reveals-the-medical-advances-that-have-made-life-better-and-sometimes-longer-180988867/In the Early Days of Machine Learning, Massive Computers Said George Harrison Was a Woman. A.I. Has Come a Long Wayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/early-days-machine-learning-massive-computers-said-george-harrison-was-woman-ai-come-long-way-180988805/A Cornell professor designed a room-size network of sensors that represented a single neuron. He claimed it would grow wiser as it gained experience, and it has never stoppedFri, 05 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/early-days-machine-learning-massive-computers-said-george-harrison-was-woman-ai-come-long-way-180988805/When the Fear of Polio Gripped the World, Jonas Salk’s Determination Led to a Liberating Medical Breakthroughhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/when-fear-polio-gripped-world-jonas-salk-determination-led-liberating-medical-breakthrough-180988798/The son of the doctor, himself now a physician and researcher, recalls his vaccination in the kitchen as painless. Now, he recounts the impact of the work his father ledThu, 04 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/when-fear-polio-gripped-world-jonas-salk-determination-led-liberating-medical-breakthrough-180988798/The Gin and Tonic Is a Cocktail With a Storied History. Don't Overlook Scotland's Connection to the Classichttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/gin-and-tonic-is-a-cocktail-with-a-storied-history-dont-overlook-scotlands-connection-to-the-classic-180988875/The country’s scientists, doctors, merchants and distillers all played significant roles in transforming the simple combination that packs a complicated mythologyTue, 02 Jun 2026 14:23:56 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/gin-and-tonic-is-a-cocktail-with-a-storied-history-dont-overlook-scotlands-connection-to-the-classic-180988875/How a Revolutionary Cancer Treatment Could Reset the Immune Systems of Patients With Autoimmune Diseaseshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-a-revolutionary-cancer-treatment-could-reset-the-immune-systems-of-patients-with-autoimmune-diseases-180988753/Researchers are testing CAR T-cell therapy as a treatment for lupus, Graves’ disease and other conditions in which the body’s defenses go rogueMon, 18 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-a-revolutionary-cancer-treatment-could-reset-the-immune-systems-of-patients-with-autoimmune-diseases-180988753/How 'Seabird Sue' Blends Art and Science to Attract Birds Back to Lost Habitathttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-seabird-sue-blends-art-and-science-to-attract-birds-back-to-lost-habitat-180988724/For the past decade, Sue Schubel has been making detailed decoys of terns, puffins and other seabirds to entice real ones to restored or new homesWed, 13 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-seabird-sue-blends-art-and-science-to-attract-birds-back-to-lost-habitat-180988724/This High Schooler Developed an A.I. Tool to Diagnose Autism and ADHD Using the Retinahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-high-schooler-developed-an-ai-tool-to-diagnose-autism-and-adhd-using-the-retina-180988694/Edward Kang’s RetinaMind analyzes patients’ retinal images and accurately diagnoses neurodevelopmental disorders 89 percent of the timeMon, 11 May 2026 16:22:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-high-schooler-developed-an-ai-tool-to-diagnose-autism-and-adhd-using-the-retina-180988694/This Stockholm Neighborhood Was Built on Ambitious Sustainability Goals. When It Came Up Short, It Doubled Down and Became a Blueprint for Othershttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-stockholm-neighborhood-was-built-on-ambitious-sustainability-goals-when-it-came-up-short-it-doubled-down-and-became-a-blueprint-for-others-180988672/The original plan for Hammarby Sjöstad was for an eco-village aimed at attracting the Olympics. They never came, but the locals moved in and, with upgrades, hope to be carbon neutral by 2030Tue, 05 May 2026 14:06:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/this-stockholm-neighborhood-was-built-on-ambitious-sustainability-goals-when-it-came-up-short-it-doubled-down-and-became-a-blueprint-for-others-180988672/How the Classic American Game of Twister Went From Risqué to Record-Breakinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-the-classic-american-game-of-twister-went-from-risque-to-record-breaking-180988656/Sixty years ago, Johnny Carson and Eva Gabor played Twister on the “Tonight Show,” and the public took it as permission to buy the controversial gameFri, 01 May 2026 16:00:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-the-classic-american-game-of-twister-went-from-risque-to-record-breaking-180988656/Could Underwater Autonomous Robots Save Coral Reefs?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/could-underwater-autonomous-robots-save-coral-reefs-180988626/Reef restoration is a slow process, with divers planting coral fragments one at a time by hand. But roboticists are now developing automated planters that could change the gameThu, 30 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/could-underwater-autonomous-robots-save-coral-reefs-180988626/These Young Innovators Have Created a 'Fitbit' to Predict Epileptic Seizureshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/these-young-innovators-have-created-a-fitbit-to-predict-epileptic-seizures-180988630/Truman Pierson and Christopher Fitz are developing behind-the-ear EEG patches and an accompanying app that issues an alert if the user is at high risk for a seizure in the next hourTue, 28 Apr 2026 15:39:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/these-young-innovators-have-created-a-fitbit-to-predict-epileptic-seizures-180988630/