Poverty

As part of his survival plan, Watney uses vacuum-packed potatoes to start his own farm on Mars.

Scientists Successfully Grow Potatoes in Mars-Like Soils

Can potatoes grow on the red planet? The International Potato Center is on the case

The first edition of A Christmas Carol. The illustration on the left is of Mr. Fezziwig's ball, one of Scrooge's good memories.

Why Charles Dickens Wrote 'A Christmas Carol'

The beloved story sold 6,000 copies in its first week in print and 15,000 in its first year

Men smoke pipes and drink on the London streets. Booth's police notebooks reveal the everyday habits of Londoners.

Explore the Seedy Reality of a London Long Gone

Charles Booth explored the poorest parts of England’s capital—and changed the way social scientists think about the world

Martha, a farmworker in California, says a group of white locals often harass her, yelling that immigrants take U.S. jobs. “Why don’t they work in the fields?” she asked.

A Photographic Chronicle of America's Working Poor

<i>Smithsonian</i> journeyed from Maine to California to update a landmark study of American life

An Evaptainer is a lightweight storage unit that uses evaporative cooling to cut down on food spoilage.

Could This Cooler Help Combat Global Hunger?

The Evaptainer keeps perishable food fresh for up to two weeks–no electricity required

A prototype shelter from The Mobile Factory

The Mobile Factory Turns Earthquake Rubble Into Bricks For Permanent Homes

The Netherlands-based company makes Lego-like blocks from debris using portable equipment that fits in two shipping containers

The low wages in the neighborhoods around Hull House can be seen in these maps, which illustrate income based on household. Each square shows an apartment building, and incomes are shown on the legend below. Black squares earned just $5 a week or less.

These Early Infographics Illustrated the Plight of America’s Poor

Florence Kelley used hard numbers to effect change

Cauam Cardoso

Technology for the Poor Should Help, Not Hurt: An Interview With MIT's Cauam Cardoso

The PhD candidate is working on ways to systematically evaluate new technologies for the developing world

Rio's favelas, like Santa Marta (shown here), are no longer blank spaces on Google Maps.

Mapping Rio's Favelas

Ahead of the Olympics, Google and a Brazilian nonprofit have been recruiting locals to pinpoint businesses and other landmarks in the city's shantytowns

Why the Humble Sweet Potato Won the World Food Prize

Researchers are helping to fight malnutrion and childhood blindness in Africa with new varieties of starchy, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes

Self-driving busses, cars that communicate with streetlights, and more will be headed to Columbus.

Columbus, Ohio Wins $140 Million to Become the Transporation City of Tomorrow

The city beat out 77 others vying for the chance to update its infrastructure with the latest and greatest technology

Residents of Makoko look on its floating school at night in December. Today, the school is nothing more than an empty, broken platform.

This Floating School Was a Design Nerd’s Dream

…until it sank

Mongolia Adopts Address System That Uses Three-Word Names

What3words' geo-coding system divides the Earth's surface into 57 trillion squares, and assigns each a unique, memorable string of names

Poverty doesn't just affect a child's chances for the future—it appears to change poor kids' very DNA.

Poverty Linked to DNA Changes That Could Lead to Mental Illness

Could a better understanding of the biomarkers of lower socieconomic status help raise kids out of poverty?

"Our Modern Prison," by Banksy.

Video Calls Are Replacing In-Person Visits at Some Prisons

For some companies, bans on in-person prison visits mean big business

Organizers hope a new mini golf course will start a conversation about how gentrification affects Los Angeles' poorest residents.

Los Angeles’ Skid Row Is Getting a Golf Course

It’s a hole-in-one for performers with a point to make about gentrification

Rust Belt cities like Detroit had the greatest disparities in life expectancy between rich and poor.

The Poor’s Life Expectancy Varies Based on Where They Live

The life expectancy gap between New York and Gary, Indiana is over four years

These Little-Known Photographs Put an Eerie Face on Child Labor

Unpublished photos taken by Lewis Wickes Hine make a haunting case against the conditions experienced by many working children in the early 20th century

Mumbai's gigantic Dharavi slum will soon be home to a mobile museum.

Mumbai Is Getting a Museum Designed For and About Its Slums

But is a museum showcasing objects created by slum residents ethical or exploitative?

Could This MIT Economist Make Banking Useful to the Poor?

Natalia Rigol is attempting to figure out if community information can help developing world banks decide who to lend to

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