Scientific Innovation

Curiosity is able to take pictures of itself on Mars using a camera mounted to its robotic arm. This mosaic was made from 55 snapshots taken in October 2012.

An Insider's Biography of a Celebrity Mars Rover

The chief engineer for Curiosity offers a peek at the NASA rover’s tumultuous rise to stardom in a new tell-all book

International Space Station astronauts captured this photograph of Earth's atmospheric layers. The troposphere is the orange-red layer. The gray, just above that, is the stratosphere. Then, the blue is the mesosphere.

10 Weird Things Humans Have Sent Into the Stratosphere

Tied to high-altitude balloons, bacon and LEGO figures have reached heights nearing 100,000 feet

"Today we can use light to create an artificial sun on Earth, if only for a split-second," writes Steven Johnson. Here, Vaughn Draggoo examines a test site for light-induced nuclear fusion at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California.

The World Is What It Is Today Because of These Six Innovations

In a new book, Steven Johnson describes the many technologies that glass, refrigeration and other fundamental inventions have made possible

The Namib desert beetle gathers water from fog that condenses on its bumpy back—which inspired one company to design a self-filling water bottle.

Five Wild Ways to Get a Drink in the Desert

The moisture farmers of Tatooine could take a few tips from these projects for harvesting water out of thin air

The Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, P.A. is celebrating its city in a long-term exhibition, "Pittsburgh a Tradition of Innovation."

Celebrating Pittsburgh, the City Behind Pro Football, Big Macs and the Polio Vaccine

The Pennsylvanian city had more lives than a cat and thrives as a hub of innovation

The corner in downtown Hartford where the first pay phone was installed

The Pay Phone's Journey From Patent to Urban Relic

The history of the device that is well on its way to becoming, well, history

Vote for the Winner of the 2014 People's Design Award

Marvel at these breakthroughs in innovative design and select your favorite

People take pictures of water gushing from the reservoir of China’s Three Gorges Dam, the largest hydropower station in the world.

Seven Unexpected Ways We Can Get Energy From Water

It’s not all about giant dams—H2O is a surprisingly common and versatile tool for meeting the world’s energy needs

How Scientists Are Using Games to Unlock the Body’s Mysteries

They’re not just for kids anymore

Army uniforms could get even more high tech

The Army Is Testing a Belt That Can Guide Soldiers Through the Dark

The belt could have applications beyond the military from helping blind persons to tourism

Atlas V Launches the New Horizons Mission to Pluto.

Take a Peek Into the Future's Present With Our Live Coverage of Smithsonian's Two-Day Festival

The magazine's 2nd annual conference brings together experts, authors and visionaries in the fields of science, science fiction and technology.

Kagoshima Nanatsujima Mega Solar Power Plant.

Is Japan’s Offshore Solar Power Plant the Future of Renewable Energy?

The densely populated nation has found a new way to harness the power of the sun

How Doctors Are Harnessing the Power of Gold to Fight Cancer

Can the precious metal hold the key to killing cancerous cells?

This Orb-Shaped Solar Power Device Works On The Cloudiest Days

The use of a clear "ball lens" to concentrate light into a beam of energy may improve solar power efficiency by up to 50 percent

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Discussion

From our readers

It’s time to give thanks for your taste buds.

10 Things We’ve Learned About Taste

Do following rituals before a meal make the food taste better? What about the ambience of the room in which you're eating it?

Soon this field in inner-city Detroit could be lined with maple trees.

Can Planting Gardens and Orchards Really Save Dying Cities?

Urban planners sure hope so, particularly in places like Detroit where a company plans to start filling abandoned lots with small forests

Move and This Interface Will Adjust Its 3D Form Accordingly

MIT students have developed a motion-based interface that allow users from afar to build formations in real time

The Foodini

Hungry? A Startup Wants You to 3D Print Your Next Meal

The Foodini may allow people to painlessly prepare healthier meals instead of reaching for that factory-processed stuff sitting in the freezer

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10 Things We’ve Learned About Fat

Experts have long known that trans fat isn't good for us, but research has turned up surprises—chocolate and chili peppers can help us lose fat

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