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Scientific Innovation

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America at 250: The Revolutionary Spark

Because of a Mathematician From Rural Virginia Work on Global Positioning, You Have No Excuse for Getting Lost

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 globe

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America at 250: The Revolutionary Spark

This Playful Interactive Reveals the Medical Advances That Have Made Life Better … and Sometimes Longer

From replacing lost limbs to helping a heart find its rhythm, the work of American doctors and researchers has improved lives in incalculable ways

A photo illustration of Jonas Salk.

America at 250: The Revolutionary Spark

When the Fear of Polio Gripped the World, Jonas Salk’s Determination Led to a Liberating Medical Breakthrough

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 led

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Smithsonian Magazine Presents: America at 250—The Revolutionary Spark

Celebrating the visionary insights & darling innovators that forged a nation.

The antimatter went on a roughly 30-minute road trip.

In a First, the World’s Most Expensive and Volatile Substance—Antimatter—Traveled by Truck

The work paves the way for longer-distance transport of the rare material so scientists can study it at other facilities

Touch screens can be a challenge for users with long fingernails.

A New Nail Polish Might Someday Solve Touch Screen Struggles for Users With Long Fingernails

The experimental coating could effectively transform fingernails into touch screen-compatible styluses

The Teal Wand is the only self-collection device for HPV testing approved by the Food and Drug Administration for at-home use.

Many Americans Will Soon Have Access to At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening Tests at No Cost

U.S. guidance announced on Monday recommends self-collection of samples to test for HPV, the virus that often causes cervical cancer. Private insurers must cover the costs of the swab kits by 2027

An illustration of the ultrasound helmet

New Helmet-Shaped Device Could One Day Treat Conditions Such as Parkinson’s Without Invasive Surgery, Scientists Suggest

In a first-of-its-kind achievement, researchers non-invasively and precisely directed ultrasound beams to target a location deep within the brain

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

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

Scientists raced to develop a specialized treatment for KJ Muldoon. 

In a Remarkable First, a Baby With a Rare Disease Receives Personalized Gene Therapy

Researchers say the CRISPR-based technique used could eventually be employed to treat more people with rare genetic diseases

Made of wood and leather, this artificial toe, found in an ancient Egyptian tomb affixed to a noblewoman, is the oldest known prosthetic appendage.

The Innovative History of the Artificial Limb Stretches as Far Back as Ancient Egypt

Today, the technology has come so far that anyone with a 3D printer can create highly engineered and artful prostheses

Environmental toxicologist Danielle Stevenson spreads soil and wood chips inoculated with fungi at a polluted lot in Los Angeles.

Can Scientists Harness the Magic of Mushrooms to Clean Up Polluted Landscapes?

Researchers and grassroots activists are working with fungi to restore damaged environments

The winning humanoid, called Tiangong Ultra, races alongside human runners. It completed a half-marathon in about 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Humanoid Robots Just Raced Alongside Human Runners in a World-First Half-Marathon. Here’s How It Went

The race, held in China on Saturday, showcases the country’s advancements in humanoid technology. Still, only 6 of the 21 robot contestants made it across the finish line

Astronaut Ed White conducts the first U.S. spacewalk on June 3, 1965

Two Trailblazing Spacewalks in 1965 Opened the Door to Decades of Astronauts Pushing the Limits of Their Capabilities

Since those early steps, extravehicular activity has helped provide the solutions to many problems that astronauts face in space

Don’t let the placid and bland surface fool you—Uranus is a singularly dynamic planet.

The Six Most Amazing Discoveries We’ve Made by Exploring Uranus

Its bland exterior belies a dynamic world full of surprises

The yellow powder is a type of compound known as a “covalent organic framework,” or COF.

This New, Yellow Powder Quickly Pulls Carbon Dioxide From the Air, and Researchers Say ‘There’s Nothing Like It’

Scientists say just 200 grams of the material could capture 44 pounds of the greenhouse gas per year—the same as a large tree

A photo of Neptune, taken by the Voyager 2 probe, with the colors rebalanced to represent its truest appearance

The Six Most Amazing Discoveries We’ve Made About Neptune

Despite the lack of a dedicated mission to the planet, scientists have learned plenty through ground observations and space telescopes

This "everlasting" crystal contains the entire human genome, recorded using ultra-fast lasers, and is meant to instruct future species on how to create humans.

In Case Humans Go Extinct, This Memory Crystal Will Store Our Genome for Billions of Years

Scientists have created “a form of information immortality” meant to instruct future species on how to recreate humans. But who, or what, will find it?

Saturn, the second-largest planet in our solar system, is best known for its layered rings.

The Seven Most Interesting Discoveries We’ve Made by Exploring Saturn

Scientists continue to learn new things about the planet, its sweeping rings and its many moons

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