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Innovations

Artist’s representation of “neglected story on Smithsonian.com.”

The Ten Stories You Didn’t Read in 2017 But Should Have

From music behind prison bars to a San Francisco building with a dark past, here are the top 10 pieces we published last year that deserve another look

Acinetobacter baumannii

The Next Pandemic

Instead of Killing Bacteria, Can We Just “Turn Off” Its Ability To Cause Infections?

Researchers could have an answer to antibiotic resistance, and it involves using epigenetics to reprogram bacteria

Footage of the First Martin-Baker Ejection Seat Test

Bernard Lynch was an engineer fitter at British aviation firm Martin-Baker. But his main claim to fame was as the fearless test subject

The AOL Instant Messenger icon became so well known it was made into a plush toy.

AOL Instant Messenger Taught Us How To Communicate in the Modern World

As AIM sunsets, let’s reflect on its role in preparing people for today’s digital messaging methods

What a Vice President of the Humane Society Has To Say About Lab-Grown Meat

In a new book, Paul Shapiro describes clean meat as a promising alternative to industrial-scale farming

There’s a Giant Warehouse Full of Product Launches That Failed

Not open to the public, this expansive archive schools marketers in the art of pitchmanship

Experts Assess Why This Plane Fell Off a Cliff

On October 10, 2006, Atlantic Airways Flight 670 overran the runway at Stord Airport in Norway, and careened off a nearby cliff

A battery-powered facial mask did not zap wrinkles.

The Museum of Failure Showcases the Beauty of the Epic Fail

A new exhibition of inventions that bombed boldly celebrates the world’s most creative screw-ups

Glowing proteins produced by the modified E. coli.

New Research

DNA Code Gets Two New Synthetic Letters—And Uses Them to Create a New Protein

Researchers hope the advance is a step toward producing a range of new compounds, including designer drugs and biofuels

For the first time, human beings harnessed the power of atomic fission.

The Science Behind the First Nuclear Chain Reaction, Which Ushered in the Atomic Age 75 Years Ago

That fateful discovery helped give us nuclear power reactors and the atomic bomb

Thomas Wilfred Sitting at the Clavilux “Model E,” about 1924

This Artist Painted With Light. An Admiring Astronomer Helped Make Him a Star

The works and machinations of Thomas Wilfred, a lone performer, inventor and visionary, are now on view

John Legend

American Ingenuity Awards

What Makes John Legend America’s Most Versatile Artist

Songwriter, singer, actor, producer, virtual reality maven. John Legend is an entertainment all-star

Jony Ive

American Ingenuity Awards

Why Jony Ive Is Apple’s Design Genius

His work has become the seeds of a tech revolution that is rapidly changing our lives

This Ex-Trapeze Artist Made Parachutes Safer

Toward the end of WWI, it became clear to the U.S. government that pilots needed parachutes to better save their lives

A medium-size passenger jet burns roughly 750 gallons of fuel per hour.

Future of Energy

Can Sugarcane Fuel Airplanes?

Scientists have engineered sugarcane to increase its oil content, and they are developing renewable jet aircraft fuel from the oil

This Pressure Suit Helped Pilots Survive New Heights

Aviation pioneer Wiley Post needed an oxygenated pressure suit to survive a high-altitude transcontinental flight. Enter engineer Russell Colley

A solar and battery-powered microgrid got San Juan’s Children’s Hospital quickly back online after Hurricane Maria.

Future of Energy

Why Puerto Rico’s Power Can’t Come From Solar ‘Microgrids’ Alone

The island could benefit from on-site solar and battery backup, but the strategy isn’t a cure-all for its energy woes

The herbarium of Washington, D.C.'s Natural History Museum teems with pressed specimens of thousands of distinct plants.

How Artificial Intelligence Could Revolutionize Archival Museum Research

A new study shows off a computer program’s specimen-sorting prowess

Existing cars can stop when they detect pedestrians.

Computer Systems and Sensors Could Put a Stop To Car-Based Attacks

Driver aid systems and self-driving vehicle control systems could override a driver who is trying to strike people

An illustrated depiction of a scene of Lincoln lying in state

When You Die, You’ll Probably Be Embalmed. Thank Abraham Lincoln For That

The president was an “early adopter” of embalming technology, helping to bring the modern death industry to the mainstream

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