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What brought bison back from the brink of extinction?

Nothing strikes up an image of the Old West like bison roaming the open plains. But the demand for fur nearly annihilated this species. So how did bison survive?

Mammal Pictures Bison Shearing

How Thermal Fax Machines Work

The thermal fax machine leverages heat to print words and images. But why is this archaic machine worth keeping around?

Thermal Energy Invention of Paper

How Silverlight Works

To broadcast the 2008 Summer Olympic Games online, U.S. broadcast network NBC chose Microsoft Silverlight. Can it beat Adobe Flash and set a new standard?

Laptop Pictures Bill Gates

How Ultralight Backpacking Works

It's difficult to enjoy the carefree outdoors when you're piggy-backing one-third of your own body weight. Ultralighters pare down their loads to the bare essentials. What's the trick to packing light?

National Park Pictures Food for Survival

How the Googleplex Works

During the Internet boom, it was easy to find offices with pool tables. But Google's main office has swimming pools, free snacks and on-site medical care.

Googleplex Pictures Google Sky

How Interest Rates Work

Interest rates are simply the cost of borrowing money. Without them, lenders would have no reason to let you borrow. But why are rates constantly changing?

Banking Pictures Rate of Change

Top 5 Things that Devalue Your House

Whether selling a home or staying put, an important consideration for any homeowner is the impact he or she is making on the value of the house. Letting a house slip into disrepair is a surefire way to decrease its value.

Home Design Pictures Glass House

How Hypercars Work

Even if you drive an efficient hybrid vehicle, wouldn't it be great if you could get better mileage? How about 100 miles per gallon (160.93 km/l), or even more? A hypercar may be the answer.

Hybrid Car Pictures Hydrogen Cars

How the Mafia Works

Italian police are investigating reports that the Naples mafia plans to kill Roberto Saviano, author of the best-selling book "Gomorrah," by Christmas. Find out how the mafia works.

Italian Mafia Mob Boss Nabbed

How Alcohol Works

A new study has found that drinking -- even in moderate amounts -- may speed the shrinking of the brain that naturally comes with age. Find out how alcohol works.

Alcohol Abuse Underage Drinking

How Driverless Cars Will Work

Connect Ithaca -- a group of professionals, activists and students -- is determined to make Ithaca, N.Y., the nation's first podcar community. Find out how driverless cars will work.

Concept Car Pictures Robotic Car