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Measuring immigrants' impact on innovation

Chris Farrell says that immigrants can benefit the US economy in hard-to-quantify ways, such as innovation.
Immigrants stand for the national anthem before becoming American citizens. Chris Farrell says that datasets often underestimate the positive impact immigrants have on the economy.
John Moore/Getty Images

The transistor's story is one of innovation and immigration

Mohamed Atalla of Egypt and Dawon Kahng of Korea are responsible for the technology that helped harness the transistor's power.
The technology developed by two immigrants at Bell Labs in 1959 allowed transistors to become small enough so that more could fit on a microprocessor.
krystiannawrocki/Getty Images

Taking the transistor mainstream with music on the go

The transistor starts to shine when Texas Instruments asks Regency to make a radio for more mobile listening.
The Regency TR-1 was the first commercially manufactured transistor radio.
Joe Haupt via Wikimedia Commons

What does Nokia Bell Labs look like 75 years since the transistor's invention?

It's responsible for the transistor, information theory, pioneering satellite work and more.
Today, Bell Labs is owned by Nokia. The research company is working on 6G mobile phone technology and a cellular network on the moon, among other things.
Alex Schroeder/Marketplace

Bell Labs: The research center behind the transistor, and so much more

Bell Labs was the research arm of AT&T, a monopoly at the time the transistor was invented.
Physicists John Bardeen (left), William Shockley (center) and Walter Brattain won the Nobel Prize for their work on the transistor. It's one of nine Nobel Prizes that Bell Labs researchers have received.
Nokia USA Inc. and AT&T Archives

75 years ago, the transistor ignited the fire of modern innovation

The transistor was born in 1947 at Bell Labs in New Jersey. We're looking into the culture of innovation that made it possible.
Nokia Bell Labs still has the first transistor, which was invented in 1947. Here's David Brancaccio holding it at the company's campus in Murray Hill, New Jersey.
Alex Schroeder/Marketplace

Could nuclear fusion solve the climate crisis?

Jan 10, 2022
A small British company says it is on track to decarbonize the economy with an abundant, safe and cheap source of energy — eventually.
Tokamak's latest nuclear fusion reactor, the ST40, which emulates the way stars generate energy, CEO Chris Kelsall says.
Photo courtesy Tokamak Energy

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Could new Texas anti-abortion law hamper high tech recruitment?

Sep 22, 2021
One Austin high tech entrepreneur said he's already hearing from potential workers who have questions about whether the state is a good cultural fit.
Abortion rights activists rally at the Texas State Capitol on Sep. 11, in Austin, Texas.
Jordan Vonderhaar via Getty Images

A tour of the remote-work industrial complex

Aug 19, 2021
The remote-work revolution has spawned an industry unto itself: remote-work consulting.
People are likely to be working from home for some time, so some employers are investing in services like feng shui consulting and virtual reality.
Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP via Getty Images

Mastercard is saying goodbye to the magnetic stripe

Aug 18, 2021
Credit-card changes are driven by security concerns, and it turns out that signature swipe has its own swath of problems.
Mastercard plans to swap the swipe payment process for the chip and touchless tap.
Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images