Technology | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/technology/RSS feed for TechnologyenFri, 25 Sep 2026 18:37:27 +0000Scientists Invent a Digestible, Paper-Based Battery That Can Power Swallowed or Implanted Medical Deviceshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-invent-a-digestible-paper-based-battery-that-can-power-swallowed-or-implanted-medical-devices-180989549/So far, the technology has been tested only in pigs. If it's successful in humans, it could one day power tools that monitor your health or deliver drugs or electrical currents inside the bodyFri, 25 Sep 2026 18:37:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-invent-a-digestible-paper-based-battery-that-can-power-swallowed-or-implanted-medical-devices-180989549/Archaeologists Are Reconstructing the 'Invisible' Technologies of the Stone Age, From Rope to Thread and Twinehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/archaeologists-are-reconstructing-the-invisible-technologies-of-the-stone-age-from-rope-to-thread-and-twine-180989534/Largely missing from the archaeological record, fiber innovations played a huge role in the lives of early humans. Researchers are weaving together new insights from the traces they left behindMon, 21 Sep 2026 18:24:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/archaeologists-are-reconstructing-the-invisible-technologies-of-the-stone-age-from-rope-to-thread-and-twine-180989534/A.I. May Have Solved a Longstanding Math Problem With a Million-Dollar Prize. It Ignited a Controversy Over Who Gets Credithttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-may-have-solved-a-longstanding-math-problem-with-a-million-dollar-prize-it-ignited-a-controversy-over-who-gets-credit-180989472/OpenAI announced a solution to the Navier-Stokes problem. But could its A.I. models have used data from two mathematicians working on a similar breakthrough?Thu, 10 Sep 2026 20:23:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ai-may-have-solved-a-longstanding-math-problem-with-a-million-dollar-prize-it-ignited-a-controversy-over-who-gets-credit-180989472/Peptides Are All the Rage, Promising Miracle Cures and Makeovers Delivered by Injection. How Did We Get Here?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/peptides-are-all-the-rage-promising-miracle-cures-and-makeovers-delivered-by-injection-how-did-we-get-here-180989454/Experts say the peptide craze is part of a broader phenomenon, as patients look beyond the regulated health system to address problems that doctors have struggled to treatWed, 09 Sep 2026 18:28:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/peptides-are-all-the-rage-promising-miracle-cures-and-makeovers-delivered-by-injection-how-did-we-get-here-180989454/Scientists Used A.I. to Design New Viruses. The Technology Could Be a Boon for Medicine, but Experts Worry About Harmful Pathogenshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-used-ai-too-design-new-viruses-the-technology-could-be-a-boon-for-medicine-but-experts-worry-about-harmful-pathogens-180989336/The findings represent the first genomes, or complete genetic instruction books, designed entirely with generative A.I. The resulting viruses attack only bacteria, which could one day help overcome the problem of antibiotic-resistant microbesMon, 24 Aug 2026 16:08:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-used-ai-too-design-new-viruses-the-technology-could-be-a-boon-for-medicine-but-experts-worry-about-harmful-pathogens-180989336/Australia'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/