Inventions from another planet!

You surely didn't know all these things were NASA-invented!

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NASA may be all about exploring space, but they have also improved life on Earth, did you know that? For example, the sneakers you use to go for a run every week, that’s NASA’s work. The agency’s innovations have made their way into our everyday routines in surprising ways. Even if you’ve never dreamed of being an astronaut, you’re probably using NASA-inspired tech right now! Let’s go through some everyday items that wouldn’t exist without those geniuses at NASA.

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Do you know how your mattress molds to your body? Don’t you just love it? That’s memory foam, baby! Developed by NASA to protect astronauts during takeoff, this squishy wonder found its way into mattresses, pillows, and even bras!

It’s pressure-relieving, comfy, and perfect for sweet dreams. In short, thank you NASA! We owe you all of our good sleep nights!

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NASA didn’t invent the selfie, but they sure made it possible! Back in the 1990s, their scientists developed digital imaging sensors to snap pictures of planets and stars. These sensors became the foundation for your phone’s camera, DSLRs, and even GoPros.

It was only a matter of time until this technology was developed to make picture-perfect memories for ourselves, right?

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Ever been saved by Google Maps? We know you have, we’ve all been there! You can thank NASA for helping you find the way back.

In the 1990s, they perfected precision GPS software to correct navigation errors. This technology helps you avoid wrong turns, but it also assists ships, planes, and even tractors. Getting lost is so last century!

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Your favorite energy-saving light bulbs? Yep, NASA had a hand in that too! They studied how light impacts astronauts’ sleep cycles and created LEDs to mimic natural daylight or cozy nighttime hues.

Now, your home lighting can help you feel more alert in the morning or relaxed at bedtime. If you want to know what the vibe up there is, turn your light bulb on!

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Here’s a NASA win for these cute, little humans! While developing food for astronauts, researchers discovered omega-3 fatty acids. You may not know this, but they are vital for brain and eye development.

Today, over 90% of infant formulas include this breakthrough ingredient. Even babies benefit from NASA’s genius!

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Have you got one of those cordless handheld vacuums you can use for quick cleanups? No surprise over here, but they came straight from outta space!

NASA partnered with Black & Decker to develop tools for collecting moon samples. The result? The iconic Dustbuster! Now we use it for picking up cookie crumbles, but if anyone asks, you can say you’re using technology inspired by moon missions.

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Do you toss your glasses into your bag without a case? Thank NASA that they’re still scratch-free! Originally designed to protect astronaut helmets, this tough coating made its way to glasses, sunglasses, and safety goggles.

We don’t know about you, but we know a few nearsighted that are eternally grateful for this one!

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NASA didn’t just look to the stars, and visually impaired people are not the only ones who benefited! They also helped people hear them. Specifically a hearing-impaired astronaut, Adam Kissiah Jr.

In the late 1970s, this NASA engineer worked on improving the design behind cochlear implants, which turn sound into digital signals for the brain. This life-changing invention has restored hearing for millions.

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Have you ever noticed those shiny emergency blankets? NASA developed them in 1973 to protect the spacecraft from sunlight.

Today, they’re lifesavers for hikers, campers, and disaster relief. Compact and heat-reflective, they’re a must-have in any survival kit.

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NASA discovered that plants release ethylene gas in closed environments like space stations, which can cause spoilage. To fix it, they developed an ethylene scrubber.

Today, this tech is used in grocery stores to keep produce fresh and in homes to purify the air. Who knew astronauts and houseplants had so much in common?

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In some cases, NASA didn’t work alone. Take food safety standards, for example. They worked with Pillsbury to create food safety protocols for space missions. These guidelines set the gold standard for food storage, which ensured longer shelf lives and less contamination.

Every time you snack on freeze-dried fruit or camp food, you’re experiencing NASA’s tasty legacy. Bon appétit, space-style of course!

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Braces don’t have to be clunky anymore, thanks to NASA. Their work with clear ceramics for space equipment inspired the materials used in invisible braces like Invisalign.

Now you can straighten your teeth without looking like a teenager again. NASA’s tech doesn’t just fix rockets, it fixes smiles too. Is there anything they can’t do?

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Some things were not invented to solve an outer space problem, but the resources they have helped a lot!

For example in 2008, NASA helped Speedo design the LZR Racer swimsuit by testing materials in their wind tunnels. The result? A swimsuit so sleek that Olympic swimmers shattered records wearing it.

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Ever felt like your sneakers had a little bounce? Well, that’s actually NASA’s doing! They developed shock-absorbing materials for astronauts’ boots, which later inspired the cushioned soles in today’s athletic shoes.

Every time you take a comfortable step, you’re walking on spacial tech.

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Radiant barrier insulation, which was actually first created to regulate temperatures in spacecraft, found a home on Earth in 2004.

Applied to attics and walls, it can keep your home cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Thanks to NASA, staying comfy indoors is easier and cheaper than ever!

Even art has to explain things sometimes

Why Dadaism? 10 artistic movement’s names decoded

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While some names can be self-explanatory, there are countless art movements with names that only make sense when put in context. What is Abstract Expressionism? Or Dadaism? In the following lines, we attempt to shed light on the origins of some of these names. Scroll down and learn a thing or two about the world of art!

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The Renaissance was a period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries that marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and surpass the ideas and achievements of classical antiquity.

The movement's name comes from the Italian word rinascita, which translates to "rebirth." The corresponding French word renaissance was adopted into English for this period during the 1830s.

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A movement that came after the Renaissance, Baroque was very much influenced by the former. So much so that many scholars argue that Baroque art was simply the end of the Renaissance and never existed as a cultural or historical phenomenon.

The term "Baroque" itself is derived from the Portuguese barocco which means "irregular pearl or stone." Due to its exuberant irregularities, Baroque art has often been defined as being bizarre, or uneven.

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As it happened with the Baroque and the Renaissance, Rococo has often been described as the final expression of the Baroque movement. It was exceptionally ornamental and theatrical, and it was seen as superficial, degenerate, and illogical.

Rococo takes its name from the French word rocaille, which means "rock" or "broken shell", both natural motifs that often formed part of the designs, along with fish and other marine decorations.

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An art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, and emphasis on accurate depiction of light, Impressionism originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the late 1800s.

The style’s name comes from the title of a Claude Monet work, Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), which caused the critic Louis Leroy to coin the term in a satirical review of the First Impressionist Exhibition.

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Dadaism was created as an artistic response to the undoing of many social, scientific, and artistic notions. In 1916, German writer Hugo Ball reflected on the state of contemporary art: "The image of the human form is gradually disappearing from the painting of these times and all objects appear only in fragments… The next step is for poetry to decide to do away with language."

This new, irrational art movement would be named "Dada." It got its name, according to Richard Huelsenbeck, a German artist living in Zurich when he and Ball came upon the word in a French-German dictionary. "Dada is ‘yes, yes’ in Rumanian, ‘rocking horse’ and ‘hobby horse’ in French," he wrote in his diary.

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One of the most influential styles of the twentieth century, Cubism is generally agreed to have begun with Picasso’s painting Demoiselles D’Avignon which included elements of Cubist style.

The name "Cubism" seems to have originated in a comment made by the critic Louis Vauxcelles who, after seeing some of Georges Braque’s paintings exhibited in Paris in 1908, described them as reducing everything to "geometric outlines, to cubes."

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A country filled with museums, like Italy, gave birth to a movement that rejected the past, in favor of the future. Futurism was launched by the Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in 1909.

What the Futurists proposed instead was an art that celebrated the modern world of industry and technology: "We declare… a new beauty, the beauty of speed. A racing motor car… is more beautiful than the Victory of Samothrace."

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Abstract and austere, Constructivism aimed to reflect modern industrial society and urban space. Being associated with Soviet socialism, the Bolsheviks, and the Russian avant-garde, Constructivists were in favor of art for propaganda and social purposes.

The term itself was invented by the sculptors Antoine Pevsner and Naum Gabo, who developed an industrial, angular style of work. "Constructivism" first appears as a term in Gabo's Realistic Manifesto of 1920.

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Abstract Expressionism originated as a distinct art movement after World War II and gained mainstream acceptance in the 1950s. Abstract Expressionism was influenced by the spontaneous and subconscious creation methods of Surrealist artists.

The term "abstract expressionism" is believed to have first been used in Germany in 1919 in the magazine Der Sturm about German Expressionism. It was first applied to American art in 1946 by the art critic Robert Coates.

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As the name implies, "Postmodernism" is a term used to mark a break with Modernism. What both these movements have in common is the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of representing reality.

The term began to acquire its current range of meanings during the 1950s. In opposition to Modernism's alleged self-seriousness, Postmodernism is characterized by its playful use of irony and pastiche, among other features. Critics claim it supplants moral, political, and aesthetic ideals with mere style and spectacle.