Wild Inventions

In an age of technology and convenience, there seem to be more and more products designed to help people in their homes. However, inventors have been coming up with creations for the home for as long as people have lived in homes. Over the years, many of these inventions have been quite strange. This innovative book takes a look at how these products worked and explains how some of them have even been remodeled over time to create different, more useful inventions.

Where do inventors find inspiration? Sometimes they look to animals—which is known as bioinspiration! Author Sandra Markle presents twelve animal adaptations and the amazing technological advancements they've inspired. Readers get a fun peek at the creative process that led to the creation of inventions that help people stay safe, live more comfortably, and go places and do things that weren't previously possible. From dolphins and bats inspiring sonar and lidar to sharks and pangolins inspiring different types of armor, explore the marvelous world of nature-based inventions.

A unique A-to-Z reference of brilliance in innovation and invention Combining engagingly written, well-researched history with the respected imprimatur of Scientific American magazine, this authoritative, accessible reference provides a wide-ranging overview of the inventions, technological advances, and discoveries that have transformed human society throughout our history. More than 400 entertaining entries explain the details and significance of such varied breakthroughs as the development of agriculture, the "invention" of algebra, and the birth of the computer. Special chronological sections divide the entries, providing a unique focus on the intersection of science and technology from early human history to the present. In addition, each section is supplemented by primary source sidebars, which feature excerpts from scientists' diaries, contemporary accounts of new inventions, and various "In Their Own Words" sources. Comprehensive and thoroughly readable, Scientific American Inventions and Discoveries is an indispensable resource for anyone fascinated by the history of science and technology. Topics include: aerosol spray * algebra * Archimedes' Principle * barbed wire * canned food * carburetor * circulation of blood * condom * encryption machine * fork * fuel cell * latitude * music synthesizer * positron * radar * steel * television * traffic lights * Heisenberg's uncertainty principle