The case of the vanishing taxonomists

Just as our planet's organisms have begun dying off, the scientists who classify them have also begun to decline, and this could have dire implications

The 10 greatest (accidental) inventions of all time

"Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits," Thomas Edison once said. But is hustling all it takes? Is progress always deliberate? Sometimes genius arrives not by choice—but by chance. Below are our ten favorite serendipitous innovations. Thomas Edison - History - Engineering and Technology - Biography - Edison Thomas Alva

Whoops! The 10 Greatest (Accidental) Inventions of All Time [Eureka]

# eureka "Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits," Thomas Edison once said. But is hustling all it takes? Is progress always deliberate? Sometimes genius arrives not by choice—but by chance. Below are our ten favorite serendipitous innovations. More »

20 new ideas in science

Today’s most cutting-edge scientific thinking: from switching off ageing to “enhancing” our babies; understanding consciousness to finding dark matter. You read it here first.

Compact microscope a marvel: Matches performance of expensive lab gear in diagnosing TB

New research shows that a portable, battery-operated fluorescence microscope, which costs $240, stacks up nicely against devices that retail for as much as $40,000 in diagnosing signs of tuberculosis.