Innovation

Touch-sensitive lamps is explored in this article from HowStuffWorks. Learn about touch-sensitive lamps.

Will slipping some java into a child's sippy cup result in an undersized tyke? An old wives' tale would have you believe so. Does coffee affect your measurements -- or does it just help you stay awake?

By Michael Franco

For such a pedestrian item, mirrors resonate deeply in the human psyche. They represent truth and illusion at the same time, and this dichotomy has shown up in literature time and again.

By Gallagher Flinn

A burn injury is one of the most devastating things a body can endure, and until recently, a serious third-degree burn meant certain death. Skin grown in a lab (yes, you read that right) improves the odds.

By Molly Edmonds

As you surf the Web, your mind is distracted by the thought of warm cookies floating in cold milk. Will this craving ever subside, or do you need chocolaty satisfaction ASAP?

By Cristen Conger

The ancient Chinese brought us many great innovations, including some that we take for granted in the modern world. Let's examine 10 of ancient China's greatest inventions.

By Josh Clark & Sascha Bos

Are you hungry for some nitro-scrambled egg-and-bacon ice cream? Did you want a little fried mayo on that sandwich? Molecular gastronomy has cast cooking in a new light and created some seemingly bizarre, but shockingly delicious dishes.

By William Harris

Like any quality-control system, peer review was designed to scrutinize all new scientific discoveries, ideas and implications. So how does flawed research still slip through the system of checks and balances?

By William Harris

In an age of health-conscious consumers, low-carb diets and bottled water, one snack has stood the test of time. Twinkies are an icon of junk-food snacks and guilty pleasures, nutritionally worthless yet irresistibly yummy.

By Ed Grabianowski

Water and vitamins help keep us alive and healthy. So if you put the vitamins in the water, wouldn't you be even healthier? Check out Glaceau's Vitaminwater and see if it really does what it claims to do.

By John Fuller

Making a model of an atom is a good way to learn about the physical world. Read this article to learn how to make a model of an atom.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

You want to make a potato powered light bulb, but you're not sure how to do it. Learn about how to make a potato powered light bulb in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

You want to make a battery powered light bulb, but you're not sure how to do it. Learn about how to make a battery powered light bulb in this article.

No really, can you? Sure, there are lots of chairs out there. Some rock. Some roll. Some recline. Some remain so crazy modern that we're afraid to direct our keisters onto their serious coolness. How you would change this staple of sedentary life?

By Robert Lamb

We humans aren't complete slaves to time. We've devised ways to pack an extra hour of sunshine into our day, thanks to daylight saving time. But who came up with this idea and why do so many people loathe it?

By William Harris, Kathryn Whitbourne & Desiree Bowie

From a centenarian brain expert to a mistress of Voltaire, each of these female scientists has an incredible story. Do you want to meet them?

By Cristen Conger

So-called "patent trolls" buy patents from others and use them to make money from companies that have built a successful market for a product. Have their tactics created a kind of tax on innovation?

By John Kelly

Electronic cigarettes were developed to help smokers get their dose of nicotine without the chemicals associated with burning tobacco. But are they any safer?

By Susan Cassidy

Ah, the pride of leaving your name on a discovery as a lasting legacy of your time here on Earth. As the 10 discoveries on this list demonstrate, you probably won't get to revel in that pride while you're still alive.

By Maria Trimarchi

He had patents and pigeons galore. His role in history books could be more. So come ye science fans, and read up on your Tesla facts, myths and lore.

By Nicholas Gerbis

Although many still remember Nikola Tesla, his name doesn't carry the weight it once did during his famous battles with Thomas Edison. What was this eccentric genius like?

By John Kelly

On its good days, science is incredible and enlightening. On its bad days, science can be anywhere from gross to downright bizarre. What are some of science's craziest questions? (And why did anyone want to answer them?)

By Jessika Toothman

"Objects in mirror are closer than they appear." That little line appears so often and in so many contexts, it's almost lost all meaning -- but why is it there, and what does physics have to do with it?

By Julia Layton

Why is the sky blue? What's relativity all about? If you're thinking, "something to do with light and physics and stuff," we have some short explanations for you.

By Patrick J. Kiger

If this were trivia night, your team could probably summon this answer without breaking a sweat. But in true polymath style, Engelbart's signature invention is only part of his computer genius. Meet him.

By Nicholas Gerbis