Tag Archives: Innovations

How a Black Fireman Brought a Pole Into the Firehouse

In the 19th century, American firefighters had two ways of descending from their sleeping quarters to their horse-and-buggy conveyances on the ground floor: either by spiral staircase—installed to keep wayward horses from wandering upstairs—or through a tube chute, similar to the enclosed slides you see at playgrounds today. The stairs were cumbersome and the slides were slow, and in the 1870s, David Kenyon of Company 21, an all-African-American firehouse in Chicago, had an epiphany. Continue reading How a Black Fireman Brought a Pole Into the Firehouse

How Business Executive Madam C. J. Walker Became a Powerful Influencer of the Early 20th Century

For Madam C.J. Walker, a new life began when she decided to find a cure for her own hair loss. Her ailment would become the impetus for a large, multi-faceted, international company that sold hair care products—including an inventive vegetable shampoo that she developed—and that offered training to women both as hair stylists and as sales representatives. Continue reading How Business Executive Madam C. J. Walker Became a Powerful Influencer of the Early 20th Century

Could This Brain Implant Stop Epilepsy Seizures?

For many people who suffer from neurological disorders, such as epilepsy, there are no viable treatment options. In our latest research, we developed an implantable device that may one day offer relief. We show that the implant can treat problems in the brain, such as epileptic seizures, by delivering brain chemicals – known as neurotransmitters – directly to the cells in the brain that cause the problem. Continue reading Could This Brain Implant Stop Epilepsy Seizures?

This Simulation Maps the Rise and Fall of Species Over 800,000 Years

The Amazon and the adjacent Andean slopes in South America host an astonishing richness of plants and animals. These species have been sources of food, shelter and medicine since the arrival of humans and a target of scientific curiosity since the days of the earliest European naturalist explorers.

Continue reading This Simulation Maps the Rise and Fall of Species Over 800,000 Years