Topic

Technology & Innovation

A collection of 99 issues

The $5 Million Secret: How Britain Bought Russia's Top Tank After the Cold War

In 1992, with the Cold War over, the UK secretly bought advanced Russian T-80 tanks for $5m each. Using a shell company, they tested the formidable gas-turbine tanks on their own soil before sending one to the US for evaluation, a fascinating tale of military intelligence and opportunism.

Drone Submarine Reveals Monumental, Hidden World Under Antarctica's Ice

In early 2023, the unmanned submarine 'Ran' mapped the seafloor beneath West Antarctica's Dotson Ice Shelf for the first time. The survey revealed colossal, 1,300-foot-long ridges and intricate ice formations, offering crucial new data on ice melt and future sea-level rise.

Sealed in Steel: The Harrowing Story of the Kaiten, Japan's WWII Suicide Torpedoes

Beyond Kamikaze planes, Japan's WWII arsenal included Kaiten: manned suicide torpedoes. Pilots were sealed inside the weapon, unable to escape, and were ordered to self-destruct if their attack failed, ensuring a one-way mission to turn the tide of the war.

The Accidental Ecosystem: How Novel Microbes Were Found Hiding in a Research Ship's Goo

In a surprising discovery, scientists found entirely new groups of bacteria and archaea, dubbed 'ShipGoo001,' hiding in a clay-like goo inside the rudder housing of the research vessel JOIDES Resolution. The find highlights life's ability to thrive in unexpected, human-made environments.

The Phantom Death Ray: How a British Inventor Fooled the Military and Vanished with the Secret

In 1923, British inventor Harry Grindell Matthews claimed to have a "death ray" capable of stopping engines from afar. After dazzling demonstrations for the military, he'd refuse further inspection and vanish with his equipment, leaving behind a trail of mystery and deep skepticism.

From the Printer's Drawer: The Real Story Behind 'Uppercase' and 'Lowercase'

The terms 'uppercase' and 'lowercase' are literal descriptions from the era of printing presses. Printers stored their large capital letters in a wooden type case placed above the case holding the smaller, more frequently used letters. The 'upper' and 'lower' cases gave the letters their names.

Woven from Liquid Gold: The Astonishing Tale of the 1.2 Million Spider Cape

A textile masterpiece, the Golden Spider Silk Cape is the world's largest garment woven from spider silk. It required harnessing the naturally golden thread from over 1.2 million spiders in Madagascar over 8 years, a monumental feat of art, engineering, and nature.

The Reply-All-pocalypse: How One Email Ground the UK's National Health Service to a Halt

In 2016, a simple test email sent to 840,000 NHS staff accidentally triggered a 'reply all' cascade. The resulting storm of over 186 million emails overwhelmed servers, crashing the critical system for hours and becoming a legendary tale of digital chaos.