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Technology & Innovation

A collection of 152 issues

How an Antenna in the Skull Taught a Brain to Hear Color

Born seeing only grayscale, artist Neil Harbisson had an antenna permanently implanted in his skull that translates colors into musical notes he hears via bone conduction. His successful fight to feature the device in his passport photo made him the world's first legally recognized cyborg.

Technology & Innovation Art, Culture & Design Biography & Personal Stories

The Secret Afterlife of Your Online Returns

That 'free and easy' return initiates a surprisingly wasteful journey. Due to the high cost of processing, billions of pounds of returned items are not restocked but are instead liquidated or sent directly to landfills, revealing the hidden environmental price of convenience.

Business & Economics Environment & Climate Technology & Innovation

An Atomic Anomaly: Why Canada's Best Nuclear Reactor is Banned in America

Canada's signature CANDU nuclear reactor is a global success, yet it's barred from the US and EU. The reason is a fundamental design trait it shares with the Chernobyl reactor—a flaw that Western regulators, haunted by the past, refuse to accept.

Technology & Innovation History Politics & Power

Ignition and Ash: The $170 Million Failure That Taught Amazon How to Listen

Convinced it could conquer smartphones, Amazon built a device with gimmicky 3D effects and a singular focus on selling. The resulting Fire Phone became a legendary flop, a cautionary tale about what happens when a company builds a product for itself, not its customers.

Technology & Innovation Business & Economics

The Headstand That Quenches a Desert's Thirst

In one of Earth's driest places, a tiny beetle does a headstand to drink fog, using a brilliantly designed back that is now the blueprint for next-generation water-collection technology.

Science & Nature Technology & Innovation Inventions & Discoveries

The Sound of Money: How David Bowie's Groundbreaking Bonds Collided with the Digital Revolution

In 1997, David Bowie transformed his musical legacy into a unique financial asset. The initially successful venture became a cautionary tale when the rise of digital piracy threatened the very royalty streams investors were betting on, nearly silencing the sound of money.

Business & Economics Music Technology & Innovation

You're Always Living in the Past: The Hidden Science of Your Brain's Millisecond Lag

The image you see in the mirror isn't happening in real-time. A delay of several dozen milliseconds exists as your brain processes raw light into a coherent reality, a hidden lag that underscores the profound computational power behind your every glance.

Science & Nature Psychology & Health Technology & Innovation

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