Technology | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/technology/RSS feed for TechnologyenMon, 17 Aug 2026 19:15:28 +0000Australia's Social Media Ban for Teens May Not Be the Best Solution, But It's Certainly Getting People Talkinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/australias-social-media-ban-for-teens-may-not-be-the-best-solution-but-its-certainly-getting-people-talking-180989355/The Aussie experiment comes amid a lack of clear evidence that the apps harm most adolescents. It may take a dramatic research pivot to finally reveal what’s going on and how to fix it.Mon, 17 Aug 2026 19:15:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/australias-social-media-ban-for-teens-may-not-be-the-best-solution-but-its-certainly-getting-people-talking-180989355/The Global Web of Subsea Cables That Connects the World Can Now Detect Whales—Even When They're Silenthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-global-web-of-subsea-cables-that-connects-the-world-can-now-detect-whales-even-when-theyre-silent-180989326/A diving whale revealed how existing technology makes it possible to monitor cetaceans swimming quietly across the seabedThu, 13 Aug 2026 14:26:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-global-web-of-subsea-cables-that-connects-the-world-can-now-detect-whales-even-when-theyre-silent-180989326/This New App Created in Collaboration With the Rainy Lake Ojibwe Community Aims to Preserve Indigenous Language and Knowledgehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-new-app-created-in-collaboration-with-the-rainy-lake-ojibwe-community-aims-to-preserve-indigenous-language-and-knowledge-180989317/Users can browse traditional stories, learn more about notable landmarks and discover family connectionsTue, 11 Aug 2026 19:00:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-new-app-created-in-collaboration-with-the-rainy-lake-ojibwe-community-aims-to-preserve-indigenous-language-and-knowledge-180989317/How A.I. Will Reshape Radiology—Without Replacing Radiologistshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-ai-will-reshape-radiologywithout-replacing-radiologists-180989220/Human experience and flexibility are still necessary even as digital diagnostic tools improveWed, 29 Jul 2026 18:15:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-ai-will-reshape-radiologywithout-replacing-radiologists-180989220/A.I. Disproves a Decades-Old Mathematical Idea, the 'Biggest Conjecture' That the Tech Has Played a Role in Yethttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-disproves-a-decades-old-mathematical-idea-the-biggest-conjecture-that-the-tech-has-played-a-role-in-yet-180989189/A mathematician announced that he used one of Anthropic's A.I. models to find a counterexample to a problem called the Jacobian conjecture. While experts consider it a milestone, the work raises questions about the future of mathematical researchMon, 27 Jul 2026 17:12:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-disproves-a-decades-old-mathematical-idea-the-biggest-conjecture-that-the-tech-has-played-a-role-in-yet-180989189/This Robot Can Flap Its Wings to Both Fly and Swim. It Might One Day Help Scientists Study Diving Birds and Survey Ocean Habitatshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-robot-can-flap-its-wings-to-both-fly-and-swim-it-might-one-day-help-scientists-study-diving-birds-and-survey-ocean-habitats-180989172/The bioinspired device, which weighs roughly half a pound and measures around three feet wide, was also modeled after aquatic birds like puffins, gulls and loonsFri, 24 Jul 2026 20:28:24 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-robot-can-flap-its-wings-to-both-fly-and-swim-it-might-one-day-help-scientists-study-diving-birds-and-survey-ocean-habitats-180989172/A Brief History of Hold Music, From Early Patents to the Soundtrack of Customer-Service Purgatoryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/a-brief-history-of-hold-music-from-early-patents-to-the-soundtrack-of-customer-service-purgatory-180989185/Sixty years ago, Alfred A. Levy patented his “telephone hold program system.” Little did he know a teenager’s unearthed New Age practice tape would become its enduring anthemFri, 24 Jul 2026 16:00:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/a-brief-history-of-hold-music-from-early-patents-to-the-soundtrack-of-customer-service-purgatory-180989185/Would You Chat With an A.I. 'Ghost' of a Deceased Loved One? New Research Suggests That the Tech Can Provide Comfort and Closurehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/would-you-chat-with-an-ai-ghost-of-a-deceased-loved-one-new-research-suggests-that-the-tech-can-provide-comfort-and-closure-180989176/Commercial "griefbots" are becoming more popular, and many experts have questions about their psychological and ethical impacts. A new study aims to ensure that the bots are designed responsiblyThu, 23 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/would-you-chat-with-an-ai-ghost-of-a-deceased-loved-one-new-research-suggests-that-the-tech-can-provide-comfort-and-closure-180989176/A Man With Paralysis Has Regained Feeling and Movement in His Hands After an Experimental Brain Implanthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-man-with-paralysis-has-regained-feeling-and-movement-in-his-hands-after-an-experimental-brain-implant-180989156/After months of training, the patient can now move his arms and hands and feel the sensation of touchMon, 20 Jul 2026 19:35:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-man-with-paralysis-has-regained-feeling-and-movement-in-his-hands-after-an-experimental-brain-implant-180989156/Smartphones Might Be Playing a Role in the United States' Declining Birth Rate, New Research Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smartphones-might-be-playing-a-role-in-the-united-states-declining-birth-rate-new-research-suggests-180989129/Some economists suspect that the technology's widespread adoption has reduced in-person interactions and increased access to pornography and information on birth control, leading to less unprotected sexThu, 16 Jul 2026 16:05:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smartphones-might-be-playing-a-role-in-the-united-states-declining-birth-rate-new-research-suggests-180989129/A.I. Music Is Already Here. To Protect Human Artists, the Record Industry Proposes New Labels, Like Those for Explicit Lyricshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-music-is-already-here-to-protect-human-artists-the-record-industry-proposes-labels-for-it-like-those-for-explicit-lyrics-180989128/The proposal comes as A.I.-generated music makes up an increasing share of what’s available on streaming platformsWed, 15 Jul 2026 18:47:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-music-is-already-here-to-protect-human-artists-the-record-industry-proposes-labels-for-it-like-those-for-explicit-lyrics-180989128/Cyborg Cockroaches Could Help Find Survivors of Natural Disasters. New Diving Suits Allow the Insects to Expand Their Search Underwaterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cyborg-cockroaches-could-help-find-survivors-of-natural-disasters-new-diving-suits-allow-the-insects-to-expand-their-search-underwater-180989066/Previously, researchers created electrical implants to control cockroaches' movements for search-and-rescue missions. Now, they've made 3D-printed suits that provide oxygen, allowing the critters to survive submerged for up to three hoursTue, 07 Jul 2026 16:01:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cyborg-cockroaches-could-help-find-survivors-of-natural-disasters-new-diving-suits-allow-the-insects-to-expand-their-search-underwater-180989066/Deep in the Mexican Jungle, Archaeologists Discovered a Lost Maya City That May Yield Clues About the Civilization Just Before It Collapsedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/deep-in-the-mexican-jungle-archaeologists-discovered-a-lost-maya-city-that-may-yield-clues-about-the-civilization-just-before-it-collapsed-180989030/Researchers hacked through more than three miles of vegetation to get to the site, which lies out of bounds of familiar logging tracks. There, they found unique carved stelae and altarsFri, 26 Jun 2026 21:44:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/deep-in-the-mexican-jungle-archaeologists-discovered-a-lost-maya-city-that-may-yield-clues-about-the-civilization-just-before-it-collapsed-180989030/Scientists Have Deciphered the Surviving Fragments of a 2,000-Year-Old Philosophical Treatise Frozen in Time by Mount Vesuvius' Eruptionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-have-deciphered-the-surviving-fragments-of-a-2000-year-old-philosophical-treatise-frozen-in-time-by-mount-vesuvius-eruption-180989036/The papyrus manuscript was part of a vast library preserved by volcanic ash. Now, the remaining passages—which examine ethics, knowledge and human nature—are accessible for the first time since 79 C.E.Fri, 26 Jun 2026 19:51:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-have-deciphered-the-surviving-fragments-of-a-2000-year-old-philosophical-treatise-frozen-in-time-by-mount-vesuvius-eruption-180989036/Everyone Wanted Alexander Graham Bell to Debut the Telephone at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. He Almost Avoided It Entirelyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/everyone-wanted-alexander-graham-bell-to-debut-the-telephone-at-the-philadelphia-centennial-exhibition-he-almost-walked-away-first-180989016/The inventor had to be persuaded to make the trip from Boston, then balked at the thought of a delay in debuting his device. But history interceded, and his American innovation got its proper accoladesThu, 25 Jun 2026 15:05:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/everyone-wanted-alexander-graham-bell-to-debut-the-telephone-at-the-philadelphia-centennial-exhibition-he-almost-walked-away-first-180989016/Gray Whales Are Getting Struck by Ships in San Francisco Bay. Could This New A.I.-Powered Tech Save Them?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gray-whales-are-getting-struck-by-ships-in-san-francisco-bay-could-this-new-ai-powered-tech-save-them-180989009/The recently launched system involves two thermal cameras that can detect gray whales up to four miles away, giving ships enough time to slow down or change course—and avoid running into the marine mammalsThu, 25 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gray-whales-are-getting-struck-by-ships-in-san-francisco-bay-could-this-new-ai-powered-tech-save-them-180989009/100 Years Ago, Students Across the U.S. Took the First SAT. Today, Relatively Few Colleges Require the Test. Where Is It Headed?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/100-years-ago-students-across-the-us-took-the-first-sat-today-relatively-few-colleges-require-the-test-where-is-it-headed-180988997/The standardized exam has evolved over the past century, all in the name of testing for college readiness. Now, it has become a symbol of the American higher education systemTue, 23 Jun 2026 16:16:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/100-years-ago-students-across-the-us-took-the-first-sat-today-relatively-few-colleges-require-the-test-where-is-it-headed-180988997/