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Ships sailing into Fowey, Cornwall, c. late 1800s.
ships

Why a Maritime Forecast Is So Beloved in the United Kingdom

This weather report has been making waves for 150 years.
Karen Gardiner December 26, 2017
Researchers used three different imaging technologies to analyze a second-century portrait.
paintings

The Alchemy and Artistry of Ancient Egypt's Funerary Portraits

High-tech imaging tools are taking researchers under the paint, layer by layer.
Jessica Leigh Hester December 21, 2017
Keyboard Monument.
Yekaterinburg, Russia

Keyboard Monument

Russia's giant concrete QWERTY keyboard is likely the largest in the world.
thumbnail
technology

How AI Can Help Us Understand the World—Or Radically Misinterpret It

For the first time, neural networks are imagining things they've never seen before.
Natasha Frost December 13, 2017
Only manufactured for one year, the Selenophone captured longer programs than other available devices.
objects of intrigue

The Selenophone, a Short-Lived, Highly Flammable Sound-Recording System

In an exhibit honoring the work of conductor Arturo Toscanini, there's an odd slice of recording technology.
Ashawnta Jackson December 8, 2017
Al Shahaniya camel racetrack.
Ash-Shahaniyah, Qatar

Al Shahaniya Camel Racetrack

Robot jockeys ride their humped mounts to victory as part of a 21st-century twist on an ancient desert sport.
An old rotary dial telephone resting on a directory, c. 1930s.
telephones

The Unexpected Logic Behind Area Codes

Why aren’t they laid out in an obvious way, like ZIP Codes are?
Ernie Smith December 5, 2017
A CT scan of the mummy shows the child's skull, with milk teeth and adult teeth jostling for space.
mummies

Using a Particle Accelerator to See Inside a 1,900-Year-Old Mummy

We've come a long way from 19th-century mummy "unwrapping parties."
Natasha Frost November 30, 2017
Hartford, Connecticut

Site of the First Public Pay Phone

An easy-to-miss plaque marks the building that first held this 19th-century telephone innovation.
A cyclist rides over one of the world's first 3D-printed concrete bridge after its opening in Gemert, The Netherlands in 2017.
Gemert, Netherlands

3D-Printed Bike Bridge

The Netherlands is home to a bridge printed out of reinforced concrete.
Vienna, Austria

Supersense

A neo-Gothic mansion now houses a wunderkammer of analog tech that hits on all the senses.
Copper wire covered with asphaltum that was part of the first underground electrical system and used to illuminate Edison's home.
objects of intrigue

For Sale: A Wire From Thomas Edison's 1880 City Lighting Demo

The insulated copper wire was used to illuminate the inventor's New Jersey home.
Vittoria Traverso November 21, 2017
Lidar reveals the places the Sauk River once flowed.
maps

These Beautiful, Swirling Images Are Maps of Washington's Geology

Lidar mapping reveals the land's secrets, usually hidden beneath thick forests.
Sarah Laskow November 21, 2017
Emerald Valley
Piti, Guam

Emerald Valley

A beautiful waterway tucked in the corner of a power plant.
retrofuturistic

Jim Henson Wanted to Free Us From Paperwork

In his short film from 1967, the famed Muppet-maker welcomes workers to a paper-free future.
Ashawnta Jackson November 17, 2017
Near a <em>fogou</em> entrance, West Cornwall.
tunnels

When Did Humans Become a Burrowing Species?

Digging into our drive to tunnel, bore, and head underground.
Sarah Laskow November 16, 2017
The oldest fire hydrant in New Orleans.
New Orleans, Louisiana

The Oldest Fire Hydrant in New Orleans

This Birdsill Holly fire hydrant is the remnant of a very different type of hydration innovation.
"The Corinth," one of many offerings in John Matthews's 1882 soda fountain catalog.
Gastro Obscura

Victorian Soda Fountains

Once upon a time, getting your carbonation fix required a visit to a monstrous machine.