Revolutionary Objects: The Surprising Origin of the Cell Phone
The technology has its roots in 1950s Soviet Russia.
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Anthony Lee Zhang’s Stock of Human Knowledge
"Being an academic requires the courage to stand behind good ideas despite opposition," says Zhang, who is on our list of the top 30 thinkers under 30.
Thomas Tasche’s Steady Inquisitiveness
Tasche's work directly challenges a lot of the reductionist narratives that swirl around politics and, by extension, the media that covers it.
Alexis Toliver’s Advocacy for the Voiceless
"I honestly think that it will take a person with autism to find the 'cure' to autism, so that the world understands that autism doesn't need to be cured," Toliver says.
Revolutionary Objects: The Woman Behind the World’s First Bra
Although inventing the bra was barely an adolescent pit stop on Mary Phelps Jacobs' glamorous trajectory, it did suggest what she would get up to next.
Revolutionary Objects: The Real Story Behind the Chocolate Chip Cookie
Ruth Graves Wakefield, the woman who invented the chocolate chip cookie, was something closer to the Martha Stewart of her day.
Field Notes: Dinner at a Prison in Lira, Uganda
Lira, Uganda: Prisoners, many of whom claim to be juveniles, line up for dinner at Lira Prison. Poor birth records make it difficult for Ugandan prison officials to remove younger prisoners from adult facilities.
Peng Shi’s Human Approach to Data
If the world is a global marketplace, Shi's research tries to help make it more efficient and equitable by applying mathematics to assess and improve the way we make decisions.
Revolutionary Objects: The Transcontinental Railroad System That Almost Wasn’t
Boats were, in fact, a proposed alternative solution.
Boyan Slat’s Plan to Clean Earth’s Oceans
When asked whether he feels people doubt him more because he's young, Slat says, "Yes, but I never felt youth to be a disadvantage."