The Supreme Court decided in 1853 that Morse could keep the patent on his innovative method for transmitting telegraph signals over long distances, but not the fundamental scientific principle that electricity can transmit information.
The past week also saw several remarkable advances in clean tech, starting with MIT's latest innovation, a new type of high-tech fiber that can transmit sound, light, and generate electricity.
The stimulation came in two forms: pulses of electricity and pulses of chemicals that mimic the action of serotonin and dopamine, two molecules that transmit messages between nerve cells.