Tools

An example of the type of axe head the newly described fragment would have come from.

50,000-Year-Old Axe Shows Australians Were at The Cutting Edge of Technology

A polished stone chip is the earliest-known example of a ground-edge axe yet

Wrecking balls remain ubiquitous in popular culture today, despite their dwindling use at construction sites.

The Rise and Fall of the Wrecking Ball

The instrument of destruction was popular in the 1950s and '60s but is now a rare creature on the demolition site

These Parrots Use Pebbles as Tools to Grind up Seashells

Polly want a mineral supplement?

Tradition holds that this plow, held in the Smithsonian collections, is one of the first three plows that John Deere personally forged.

Did John Deere's Best Invention Spark a Revolution or an Environmental Disaster?

When Deere created his now-famous steel plow, he created America's breadbasket and set the stage for many of modern farming's environmental problems

Snail shells found in Lebanon indicate humans were using modern tools before they reached Europe

Tools Weren’t Invented in Europe, They Were Carried There 50,000 Years Ago

Analysis of shells and human bones from a site in Lebanon suggests modern tools were in use

Female Chimps More Likely Than Males to Hunt With Tools

A new study investigates the social and hunting behaviors of Fongoli chimpanzees

People's Design Award collage

The People’s Design Award Promises a Very Cyborg Future

This year's nominees focus on wearable technology

Cockatoos Learn to Use Tools by Watching Each Other

With a teacher, Goffin cockatoo learn to use new tools more quickly

The hand-axe, reimagined.

Designers Remake Our Oldest Tool Using Our Newest Tool

More than a million years old, the hand axe is over due for an update

Like Humans, Dolphins’ Genetics Are Shaped by Their Culture

Dolphins that use sponges as tools have a different haplotype than those that do not

A mugger crocodile balances twigs on its nose to tempt birds

Crocodiles Balance Twigs on Their Heads to Lure Nest-Building Birds

While crocodiles and alligators are stereotyped as "lethargic, stupid and boring," researchers say the reptiles are more cunning than they seem

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7 Epic Fails Brought to You By the Genius Mind of Thomas Edison

Despite popular belief, the inventor wasn’t the “Wiz” of everything

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10 Gadgets Halsey Burgund Can’t Live Without

From the software he uses to compose to the podcasts that inspire him, these tools help the Boston-based sound artist make music from everyday noises

The Nest Learning Thermostat takes an active role in saving energy around the house.

A Smart, Sleek, Money-Saving Thermostat

The father of the iPod talks about his next-generation thermostat

Because cooking chores often fall to women, they are among the primary victims of smoke-related illnesses.

Open-Fire Stoves Kill Millions. How Do We Fix it?

Pollutants from crude stoves are responsible for many deaths – a D.C.-based NGO has a solution

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Photos: A Last Look at Fall

Before the weather turns cold, take one last walk in the woods with these beautiful autumn photos submitted by our readers

Frustrated by human error, mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage designed a machine to perform mathematical functions and automatically print the results.

Booting Up a Computer Pioneer’s 200-Year-Old Design

Charles Babbage, the grandfather of the computer, envisioned a calculating machine that was never built, until now

A horse touted as being from the Tang dynasty, but with only one genuine part in the unglazed underside.

Forensic Science for Antiques

Revealing art secrets—and exposing forgeries

Winslow Homer

Beneath the Surface

A high-tech investigation helps explain Winslow Homer's staying power

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Hot Idea

Christina Galitsky's energy-efficient cookstove makes life a little easier for Darfur's refugees

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