Smithsonian Magazine white logo
  • Smart News
    • History
    • Science
    • Innovation
    • Arts & Culture
    • Travel
  • History
    • Archaeology
    • U.S. History
    • World History
    • Video
    • Newsletter
  • Science
    • Human Behavior
    • Mind & Body
    • Our Planet
    • Space
    • Wildlife
    • Newsletter
  • Innovation
    • Innovation for Good
    • Education
    • Energy
    • Health & Medicine
    • Sustainability
    • Technology
    • Video
    • Newsletter
  • Arts & Culture
    • Museum Day
    • Art
    • Books
    • Design
    • Food
    • Music & Film
    • Video
    • Newsletter
  • Travel
    • Africa & the Middle East
    • Asia Pacific
    • Europe
    • Central and South America
    • U.S. & Canada
    • Journeys
    • Newsletter
  • At The Smithsonian
    • Visit
    • Exhibitions
    • New Research
    • Artifacts
    • Curators' Corner
    • Ask Smithsonian
    • Podcasts
    • Voices
    • Newsletter
  • Podcast
  • Photos
    • Photo Contest
    • Instagram
  • Video
    • Ingenuity Awards
    • Ask Smithsonian
    • Smithsonian Channel
  • Newsletters
  • Shop

Special Report

Innovation for Good

A look at the researchers, inventors and community leaders who are bringing creativity and ingenuity to today's biggest challenges


Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images
Benjamin Choi was one of the top 40 finalists of this year's Regeneron Science Talent Search, the country's oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

INNOVATION

This High Schooler Invented a Low-Cost, Mind-Controlled Prosthetic Arm

Reseachers tested out the backpack dubbed KNaCK in a volcanic field in New Mexico, and are hoping the tech can support astronaunts on future lunar missions.

SMART NEWS

Lunar Backpack Could Aid Astronauts on Future Missions to the Moon

<p>A Cruise car goes for a ride in San Francisco.</p>

<p></p>

SMART NEWS

Driverless Taxis Are Coming to San Francisco

Health

Aaron James is now five months out from his whole-eye and partial-face transplant.

SMART NEWS

Surgeons Perform World's First Whole Eyeball Transplant on Arkansas Veteran

Sarah Kuta

Scientists found inspiration in octopus suckers, which can hold onto surfaces underwater, to design a new drug-delivery method that sticks to the inner cheek.

SMART NEWS

New Patch Inspired by Octopus Suckers Could Deliver Drugs Without Needles

Margaret Osborne

Researchers are using A/B testing to try to motivate patients to reach out for care.

SCIENCE

Can New Messaging Methods Improve Health Care?

Lola Butcher, Knowable Magazine

Environment

A chicken nugget made from cell-cultivated meat. The companies plan to start by selling their product to restaurants.&nbsp;

SMART NEWS

USDA Approves First Lab-Grown Chicken in the United States

Will Sullivan

The Neo P1 starts at $179, roughly five to ten times the price of a normal pothos plant.

SMART NEWS

Could Genetically Modified Houseplants Clean the Air in Your Home?

Alex Chun

A green crab,&nbsp;Carcinus maenas

SMART NEWS

New Hampshire Distillery Makes Whiskey Out of Invasive Crabs

Margaret Osborne

Education

A new exhibition in Marseille recreates the famous cave and the art found within.&nbsp;

SMART NEWS

Tour a Submerged Cave Packed With Paleolithic Art—Without Ever Venturing Underwater

Sarah Kuta

Like a regular sail uses wind to navigate across an ocean, solar sails use the pressure exerted by sunlight to move through space. (Pictured: a conceptual illustration of a diffractive solar sail)

SMART NEWS

NASA’s New Solar Sail Could Soon Navigate in Space

Elizabeth Gamillo

A 3D animation created using data from LiDAR shows the urban center of Cotoca.

SCIENCE

Lost Cities of the Amazon Discovered From the Air

Brian Handwerk

The List

(Top) Leila Strickland, Michelle Egger, Toby Kiers, Colin Averill, J. Richard Gott (Middle) Leslie Jones-Dove, Devshi Mehrotra, Prisha Shroff, Ik&eacute; Ud&eacute; (Bottom) Tim Farrelly, Omar Salem, David Deneher, Victor A. Lopez-Carmen, Doris Sung

INNOVATION

Sixteen Innovators to Watch in 2022

These trailblazers are dreaming up a future with cell-cultured breastmilk, energy-saving windows and more

Inventions

In an effort to combat counterfeit whiskies, researchers in Australia created a device called NOS.E that can detect and identify differences by "sniffing" spirits.

SMART NEWS

A New Electronic Nose May Help Sniff Out Counterfeit Whiskey


A soup bowl monster made of yarn, created by DALL-E 2.

SMART NEWS

What Do WALL-E and Salvador Dalí Have in Common? Meet DALL-E 2


<p>Many surviving ancient descriptions are fragmented and unable to be radiocarbon dated. Now researchers say a new artificial intelligence program may help fill in those gaps.</p>

SMART NEWS

A New A.I. Can Help Historians Decipher Damaged Ancient Greek Texts

Smithsonian Magazine Logo in Black

Explore

  • Smart News
  • History
  • Science
  • Innovation
  • Arts & Culture
  • Travel
  • At The Smithsonian
  • Podcast
  • Photos
  • Video

Subscribe

  • Subscribe
  • Give a gift
  • Renew

Newsletters

  • Sign Up

Our Partners

  • Smithsonian Institution
  • Smithsonian.com
  • Smithsonian Store
  • Smithsonian Journeys
  • Smithsonian Channel
  • Smithsonian Books
  • Smithsonian Membership

Terms of Use

  • About Smithsonian
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising
  • RSS
  • Member Services
  • Sustainability
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Statement
  • Cookie Policy
  • Advertising Notice

© 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Privacy Statement Cookie Policy Terms of Use Advertising Notice Your Privacy Rights Cookie Settings