Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Innovations

A listener selects “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley & His Comets on a classic Wurlitzer “bubbler.”  

The Colorful, Scandalous, True History of the Machine That Created American Pop

The jukebox got its start earlier than you might think, but it truly became iconic when rock ‘n’ roll took over in the 1950s

Young football players locked in a huddle in the 1960s, jealously guarding their strategy for the next play.

How a Deaf Quarterback Changed Sports Forever By Inventing the Huddle

Paul Hubbard called for the football team at Gallaudet University to circle around him back in 1894

The research team's glowing succulents, which lit up in shades of red, green and blue

Researchers Create Rechargeable, Glow-in-the-Dark Succulents

The team hopes their work, which is still in the early phases, might one day build the foundation for a novel sustainable lighting system

The Nyayanga excavation site in Kenya, in July 2025. Fossils and Oldowan tools have been excavated from the tan and reddish-brown sediments, which date to more than 2.6 million years old.

Early Humans Moved Stones Long Distances to Make Tools 600,000 Years Earlier Than Thought

A new study takes another look at some of the oldest known stone tools and suggests their makers transported materials for up to eight miles

Bloom patterns resemble flowers as they unfold.

New Research

College Sophomore Discovers New Origami Pattern That Could Be Used to Build Telescopes and Satellites

Based on the work of a student at Brigham Young University, origami theorists have unlocked a new set of patterns that could change space exploration

The church was towed at a speed of 0.31 to 0.93 miles per hour.

To Save This Historic Church, Workers Loaded It Onto Trailers and Rolled It Across Town. See How They Pulled It Off

The 672.4-ton church is one of several buildings that have been relocated in the Swedish town of Kiruna, where Europe’s largest underground iron ore mine is weakening the ground beneath the city center

Robots running in the 100 meter finals on August 17, 2025

World’s First ‘Robot Olympics’ Featured Soccer, Kickboxing and Lots of Falling Down

Hundreds of humanoids from 16 countries stumbled over each other while competing in the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing

A new study tested a device trained to translate four participants' inner thoughts.

Science Fiction? Think Again. Scientists Are Learning How to Decode Inner Thoughts

A brain-computer interface has gotten better than ever before at translating thoughts from people with speech difficulties. Researchers are also thinking through how to protect users’ privacy

Weaver ants link their bodies together to form chains while bending leaves to create their elaborate dwellings.

Weaver Ants Use Teamwork to Become ‘Superefficient,’ Building Complex Nests From Leaves With Extra Pulling Power

When humans work in large teams, they become less individually effective. But each ant grows more efficient when collaborating—a discovery that could help engineers build better robots

A collection of CDs advertising AOL's dial-up internet services

The Sounds of AOL Dial-Up Defined the Early Internet. Now, the Service Is Shutting Down for Good

Many of today’s internet users remember browsing the web for the first time via AOL dial-up. But as subscribers dwindle, the service will be sunsetting on September 30

A researcher outlines how we could send a spacecraft to a nearby black hole. 

Could We Send a Superlight Spacecraft to a Theoretical Nearby Black Hole?

An astrophysicist argues that the interstellar mission would be extremely challenging but not completely unrealistic

Rheumatoid arthritis is often difficult to treat, and patients rely on immunosuppressant drugs. Now, a new implanted device promises to offer treatment without medication.

New, Implanted Device Could Offer a Long-Elusive, Drug-Free Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis

The FDA just approved the SetPoint System, which electrically stimulates the vagus nerve to control inflammation from the chronic disease

Golden apple snails and humans have similar eyes with related structures. Understanding how the snails can regrow them could help scientists heal human eyes.

This Snail Can Regrow Its Eyes—and Understanding How May One Day Help Humans With Injuries

Researchers pinpointed a gene related to eye development in golden apple snails, which can regenerate amputated eyes within about a month

An illustration of E. coli. Scientists have been racing to shrink the genetic code of this bacterium.

Scientists Rewrite the Genetic Code of E. Coli, and It’s Drastically Different From Anything Found in Nature

The synthetic bacteria contain a shorter genetic code with 57 codons rather than 64, freeing up space for further edits that might lead to new drugs or virus-resistant microbes

Australia’s major skink (Bellatorias frerei) has evolved to combat snake venom with the same mutation found in honey badgers, according to a new study.

Scientists Discover Australian Lizards Have Mutations to Resist Snake Venom—and One Day, That Could Help Humans

A new study looking at how skinks have evolved to block venom from reaching their muscles could guide development of new antivenoms

A patient with the new prosthesis walks over an obstacle. 

This New Bionic Knee Is Changing the Game for Lower Leg Amputees

Scientists have developed a prosthesis that is directly integrated with muscle and bone in order to improve movement

Danielle Boyer wears a Skobot on her shoulder.

Can A.I. Help Revitalize Indigenous Languages?

Indigenous researchers and roboticists are crafting innovative tools to help save endangered dialects

An ancient fragment of a bronze military diploma from Sardinia dating to the second century C.E.

New Research

Google Just Released an A.I. Tool That Helps Historians Fill in Missing Words in Ancient Roman Inscriptions

Known as Aeneas, the tool was trained on an extensive dataset of Latin epigraphy. Experts hope it will help decipher segments of text that have been lost to history

Early detection cancer tests are showing signs of promise, but some researchers still have reservations.

Cancer DNA Can Be Detected in the Bloodstream Up to Three Years Before Diagnosis, Study Suggests

For a few individuals, scientists found genetic material from cancerous tumors in blood samples taken years before they were diagnosed through traditional methods

"Mysteries From the Deep: Exploring Underwater Archaeology" features interactive experiences, 3D models and excavated artifacts.

How Underwater Archaeology Brings Secrets to the Surface, From Lost Shipwrecks to Submerged Cities

An immersive new exhibition at the Intrepid Museum in New York City spotlights the science and technology behind the discipline

Page 4 of 39