Latest stories
The singers behind the Alan Parsons Project
From Eric Woolfson on “Eye in the Sky” to Colin Blunstone on “Old and Wise”: the singers and studio stories behind the Alan Parsons Project.
Latest stories
Dokk1, the library where a bell announces a baby’s birth
At Dokk1 in Aarhus, new parents can press a hospital button to ring a great bell and share the news with library visitors.
The 1858 date on Mason jars marks a patent, not manufacture
The 1858 inscription on Mason jars refers to a patent. It also appeared on later production, so the date alone cannot establish a jar’s age.
A flying robot with 40 pigeon feathers
PigeonBot folds feathered wings through wrist- and finger-like movements. It studies wing shape and control rather than flapping propulsion.
Why the Swiss railway clock pauses at the top
The red second hand waits for the next minute. A movement associated with synchronizing station clocks survives in a domestic version.
How did Edison record a human voice?
Edison’s 1877 phonograph indented tinfoil and traced it again, linking the recording of sound to its playback.
A gripper for space robots, inspired by gecko feet
JPL’s Gecko Gripper explores controlled attachment and release, using directional adhesion to handle objects ordinary jaws struggle to grasp.
Why does the tab stay on a drinks can?
A drink-can tab is a tiny lever. Its geometry opens the scored panel while keeping the used pieces attached.
How New York’s abandoned elevated railway became a park
An elevated freight line that began operating in 1934 reopened as a park in 2009. New York’s High Line places paths, benches and planting alongside the old rails.