Think invisible ink is kids’ stuff? Science historian Kristie Macrakis’ new book Prisoners, Lovers, & Spies: The Story of Invisible Ink from Herodotus to al-Qaeda tells a different tale. Macrakis argues that for prisoners, lovers, and spies throughout history, communicating secretly was a matter of life and death. She reveals the secrets of invisible writing, from the simple (lemon juice) to the complex (microdots).

Learn more at http://scifri.me/1lIgFTe.

Can’t Read This Headline? It’s Written in Invisible Ink

Ryan Rykaczewski describes one of the most massive migrations on the planet, driven by the sun. Image by Tintinnidguy (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 

#ExplainTheSun  - The Largest Migration on The Planet

Once, there was the ordinary incandescent light bulb. It shone brightly, but wasted much of the energy put into it as heat. Then came the compact fluorescent. And as costs have dropped, consumers have increasingly been switching to light-emitting diode (LED) technology for many lighting applications, in an ongoing search for a more efficient bulb. Now, in work published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, researchers report that nanophotonic devices may be able to breathe new life into old incandescent technology. Marin Soljačić and Ognjen Ilic, two authors of the study, explain how they’ve been able to “recycle” some of the incandescent bulb’s wasted heat and re-emit it as visible light, boosting efficiency.

For the Lowly Incandescent Bulb, a Ray of Hope

Science, technology, and other cool stuff from public radio's Science Friday. It's brain fun, for curious people. From WNYC Studios.

Can’t Read This Headline? It’s Written in Invisible Ink

SciFri

Related tracks