Margaux Roberts

Measuring the vastness of space isn’t just a matter of pointing a ruler and tallying up numbers. The concept of a light year—a distance light travels in one year—feels straightforward, but it nearly got tangled in a web of miscalculations that could have rewired our cosmic understanding. When you think about it, measuring something so … Read more

Chatbots began their journey as amusing curiosities, the kind of digital novelties that people tinkered with for fun rather than serious application. Remember those early AIM bots or the quirky chatter on IRC? They barely scratched the surface of what conversational AI could become. At one point, many saw chatbots as nothing more than toys—clever, … Read more

There was a time when Wi-Fi wasn’t the unquestioned king of connectivity that it is today. Picture this: in the early 1990s, companies and inventors alike were scratching their heads, trying to figure out if wireless local area networks (WLANs) were even worth the trouble. We’re so used to having seamless wireless internet wherever we … Read more

The story of lasers cracks me up sometimes. Imagine a world where such a powerful, precise beam of light was once dismissed as a quirky invention with no practical use. “A solution in search of a problem,” they called it. That phrase wraps up the skepticism surrounding lasers’ origins perfectly. Back in the early 1960s, … Read more

There’s something strangely magnetic about space missions. Despite all the mind-blowing tech and meticulous planning, they come down to this fragile moment when something the size of a small car plunges through an alien atmosphere at incredible speed, hoping to touch down safely. The Mars rover missions have this mix of awe and nail-biting tension … Read more

Hydrogen fuel cells nearly stole the spotlight in the race for clean energy, yet somehow, they always seemed to stay just a step behind. It’s a story of what-ifs, near-misses, and a fascinating look at how history and technology twist around each other. When we think about green energy, hydrogen fuel cells often don’t pop … Read more

If you ever wonder how the marvel of the jet engine came to dominate the skies, it’s worth remembering that its path could have ended not in roaring triumph but in forgotten obscurity. Picture this: a revolutionary invention so groundbreaking that it could redefine air travel, only to nearly be smothered under mountains of paperwork, … Read more

Imagine if one of the most beloved sitcoms had never made it to your screen. It’s wild to think about, but The Big Bang Theory, the show that took geek culture mainstream and turned physicists into TV icons, was on the verge of rejection early on. Behind the laughter, the quirks, and Leonard and Sheldon’s … Read more

Imagine living in a world where flicking a switch and having light gush forth wasn’t just commonplace magic but an unexplainable miracle. The kind that makes you scratch your head and whisper, “What in the world just happened?” That’s exactly how people once viewed electricity. Not as the reliable servant of modern life, but as … Read more

Back in the early ’90s, when the internet was still a baby taking its first uncertain steps, nobody could have predicted that tiny yellow faces squinting, winking, or blowing kisses would eventually become the lingua franca of global digital chatter. But believe it or not, the very first emoji almost never saw the light of … Read more