The Edison Effect
December 17, 2025 • EPISODE 291
What if Thomas Edison’s greatest discovery wasn’t the light bulb? In this episode of Science LIVE, Dr. Roger Billings explores the Edison Effect and how Edison’s experiments paved the way for electron tubes and modern electronics. Discover why this overlooked breakthrough mattered then—and why it still shapes technology today.
About DrB
Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology.
As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.
Read more about DrB »
About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »
I look forward to science live each week! Tonight’s skit was hilarious. Merry Christmas!
The light bulb is often taken for granted, yet it’s easily one of the most revolutionary inventions in history.
Happy holidays everyone!
I hope everyone has a happy holiday this Christmas!
Funny and interesting!!! Also POOR R-51!!!!!!! 😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔
Watching from Georgia, I can’t wait for my science live playing cards!
hello from Mississippi
Todays live was great, I hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas, the stories were interesting. Merry early christmas!
I love watching Science love it’s funny and you learn something new every Time.
Wondering what else they will find besides exoplanets with the new telescope. 2027 is a long time before it finally launches.
Thomas Edison was the 1st to discover the lightbulb but couldn’t explain it so then other people piggy backed off of his invention to figure out how it worked. Fleming made the breakthrough with the invention of the vacuum diode that had signals to hear clearly. Which then later, the radio waves helped the inventions of computers which is interesting to know that people had to stay on stand by to keep the computers running. But it all started with Thomas Edison.
Happy holidays
i have a great aunt that is deaf. I really want to learn asl
I am really excited to see if; the Roman telescope finds a new planet humans can live on or any extra-terrestrial life.👽🌎
Over a thousand inventions?! I only knew him for the lightbulb.
i wonder what the next great invention will be
Thank you! Happy holidays.
science live rocks
NASA’S new telescope sounds awesome! I hope there be able to search for the right earth with the right gravity, magnetic field and more new planets far away!
Amazing,love sicence
Merry Christmas everyone!
Wow, we’ve evolved and came a long way to now!
how can you see the new photographs from NASA’s telescope?
Fun Fact I love the color Purple and that’s ironic because
“Project Purple”
Forever grateful of science live.
Learning how cell phones were invented was interesting. Glad they are touch screen now. I know some ASL. My parents are happy to hear that Science Live will be for credit soon.
Hey from New York!
Merry Christmas everybody
love science live I learn so much
Learning about the lightbulb was super interesting, might do some more research! Also, happy holidays everyone!
Science Live is so fun to watch! I cant wait till the next episode! (Happy Holidays!)
I love science live! We’re watching from AL!
hello from thailanddddd!!!
How was the vacuum diode being implemented into technology since it’s creation? Was it only reserved for certain types? Was it used for experimenting with potential new products? How did it affect the evolution of technology from that era to today?
How did he figure out on how to get the auto correction on the phone though
I think the picture of Nebula is awesome. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Amazing! Dr.B really knows his stuff!
I never did understand how phone calls went through from so far away
Hi from North Carolina
This Science Live was exceptional this week! The New space telescope was interesting
Do we still use the vacuum diode today? If so, do we use it for certain types of engineering? For example, do we use it to test out possible new electronics? What happens to the diode when the electronic fails or passes the test?
Hello from Texas! Great video this week! Happy Holidays everyone!
Sending love from Vermont! Thank you for the opportunities you provide through this Science Live.
amazing video much love from Texas
Hi from North Carolina
I’m so excited for the asl II class, currently learning the basics so it will be fun!
“oh chemistry oh chemistry ” lol !
thank you dr billings!
Amazing live merry Christmas to all.
This video is funny and good. And I hope that acellus teachers have a great Christmas and a great New Year Merry Christmas and have a great time off!
The data from the telescope being made public will be amazing because we’ll be able to see what was captured.
R 51 is my favorite part
Merry Christmas everyone! Excited to come back next year!
this made me laugh a lot. Thank you so much merry Christmas
Greetings from new york
Hi it’s Bella from Texas 🐝
Science is fun and interesting with Dr. B! Thank you!
no offense but to me the light bulb will always be Thomas Edison’s best invention! The Edison effect does sound cool though!
Happy Holidays everyone! Another great live today!
Mary Christmas Acellus!
we love science live – thank you for the fun episode
Amazing live this week!! Happy holidays from maryland!
I knew Thomas Edison invented a lot of things, but I never knew that he was the one who invented the vacuum tube. 🙂
Another great science live, merry Christmas to everyone!
One of my favorite things to do was visit Kennedy Space Center.
I really enjoyed when Dr. Tobias was explaining about the phones especially the Iphone it was so cool to learn about i learned alot of new things tonight. science live is the best. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Roger Billings, if your mentor, Bill Lear and his mentor Thomas Edison were in the same room to discuss a theory or make a hypothesis, what would it be about?
Merry Christmas everyone! Excited to be here again next year!
Dr. Billings and Tobias recounted stories of persistence after failure. This teaches us to keep trying even when we fail on the first try.
I love science live
I liked learning about how the Iphone was created! Merry Christmas!
This was an amazing science show
happy holidays! Acellus for the WIN!!!!!!!!
My parents said they had some of those cellphones.
I wish you Roger Billings a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
It is cool the Edison effect made the Vacuum tube.
Hi from Cape Cod! Dr. Billings and Dr. Pajet make the season merry and bright!!
Hilarious! Happy holidays everyone!
I love how I’ve learned new things just by watching science live.
hello from Virginia!
I enjoyed this episode tonight. I enjoyed learning more about Thomas Edison, and what he accomplished.
I loved the cool new class!!! 😍😜❤️
My family just moved from Georgia to Idaho. I saw the Acellus buildings when we drove through Kansas City.
The science lives give great information
The new ASL 2 class looks very interesting.
Hello sorry I couldn’t write you soon enough but I love you Roger billings (not in a weird way) I just am always excited for you next year
I hope everyone will have a great Christmas and New Year!!!
Thomas Eddison is truly inspiring. I think Dr. B is too!
love this episode! Happy Holidays!
Merry Christmas and happy New Year to everyone!
Hello from Maryland! This was so fascinating!
Comment What are some new things we will see in Science Live this upcoming year?
Another Amazing Science Live! Can’t wait for next year 🥳
If the plate in a vacuum tube is knocked out of place, would the electrons still be attracted to it? Would it affect the grid’s function and cause a hazard or end up not working at all?
Hi from California!!! I love R.51! Can’t wait to watch science live next year! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
Loved the facts from today about IPhones and space and I do miss talking about radio waves, loved this episode as always and learn more and more about science every week! Thank you science live!
it’s always good seeing r-51 on videos, hope everyone has a good break
Hi from Virginia, happy holidays!
NOOO i will miss you guys science live is the best part of my week
Happy holidays everyone!!!
It was a great live video today. It was fun learning from Tobias about phones. Nokia is the best lol R51 is the awesome !!!
Happy Holidays Acellus Family and a Happy New Year !!!
lolll. Merry Christmas/ Happy Hanukkah
Thank you!
How many Acellus courses have been created this year?
Merry Christmas!
Roger Billings, what is an important lesson or piece of advice your mentor, Bill Lear, shared with you that you never forgot?
To think that the one who invented all of the universe every atom, molecule, the things we are still discovering, and have already is so incredibly intelligent that he gives everyone some small part of greater plan. Therefore, every single individual is of great significance for the master plan. Wow God is a scientist also.
I really enjoyed this show
I look forward to seeing this kind of stuff again! Merry Christmas y’all!!
Signing in from NC! merry christmas!
I loved this episode!! I hope everyone has a great christmas at acellus thank you!
I look forward to Science Live in 2026. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Have a great rest of the year everyone!!!!
Happy Holidays!
I am so excited about the new space telescope, and I am really excited to see what comes of its journey, I can’t wait! And the light bulb; I always wondered what all the little parts in it did!
Merry Christmas Acellus, and have a happy new year!
I like the Edison effect because it taught me that electricity can travel into materials without actually being in contact. This improvement has caused different workings of even electronics to date.
Science Live Rocks!
Have a Great Holiday everyone!!
What will R51’s Christmas present be?
Happy holidays from Virginia
This science live was awesome!
I genuinely love these lives so much.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
It was so cool to watch Tobias showing how the phone progressed in technology. Nokia looks funny lol
thank you for a wonderful year Dr. Billings see you the first Wednesday of next year.
Happy Holidays to all!!!!
Lol R-51 learned not to touch the spoons in a spoon relay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much!
happy holidays. i love science live!
I loved learning about Thomas Eddison and the Eddison Effect! I hope you guys all have a great Christmas and New Year! Happy holidays!
Ms. Donnie was cool. She is also a good American sign language teacher! Someday I wish to learn some
This science live was great I love how Dr Roger Billings explains things in a way that makes it easier to understand
As my last question for the year, who configured the keyboard setup we have today? Merry Christmas all and Happy New Year, see you guys on the other side. 💙
Great live stream! R-51 was so funny!!!!
I love acellus .
This week’s video was amazing! I thought the new Acellus course was so cool!
Love Thomas Edison, thank you for honoring him.
Tobias is wonderful!!! Happy Holidays to Everyone!!!
Another amazing Science Live video, happy holidays and see you all again in 2026!
Awesome live! Merry Christmas to everyone!!
Good morning from Korea, thank you for an educational lesson this week.
Always love tuning in to Science Live. I am so excited for the second ASL course. I love that Acellus offers this!
Hi from Alaska!!!
Yall had me dying with the sad violin music for R-51! Loved the episode and learning more about radio waves and Thomas Eddison. I still find it funny how far we have come with phones. The old ones were bricks lol. Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year everyone, you all deserve it! <3 See yall in 2026!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW!! I really enjoyed this science live. I really learned a lot
The last live of 2026!!! Merry Christmas and happy new years!!!
Hey from California! Thanks for the live video. Hope you guys have a amazing Christmas!
I LOVE SCIENCE LIVE
Woah! I didn’t know computers would take up a whole room!
Hi from Tennessee. Love this science live.
Thanks a lot Mr R for keepingbthe science live very interesting, love the story of lightbulb.
I always learn so much! Thank you for another great Science Live!
Hello from South Korea! i love watching science live every week.
Watching theses videos are always so entertaining! :3
Thomas Edison wasn’t very nice for forgetting r-51.
I like learning about how electricity works.
I liked learning about Thomas Edison and how he invented the light bulb 💡 and I can’t wait to see you guys next time ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Happy holidays to everybody!
I love r-51
Happy holidays, Dr. Billings and crew of Science Live!
Happy holidays see you all in 2026!
I like Science live. Hope everyone has a Happy Holiday and New Year.
I laugh every time I see the R51 bit! Please never stop doing it! Much love and happy holidays from KS <3 Also does watching previous science lives count for credit? I've been a student since middle school and I graduate this January. Will this count as a credit or will I need to watch more science lives?
R-51 is funny and I hope I see him again!🙂
Merry Christmas to my Acellus family.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!!
R-51’s at it again
Happy Holidays & hope you have a great new year to come. See you next year.
The lightbulb was such a good idea, it was made the symbol for a good idea…
Nokia phone looks so cool, m y mom says she had one !:) Happy New Year from Ohio!!!!!
I really like seeing y’all every Wednesday night, I’ll miss it. Anyways, happy holidays y’all!
Happy Holidays to everyone at Acellus! Can’t wait for Science live next year
I didn’t know all of that about Thomas Edison and the lightbulb, super cool!
It is so cool that you were mentored by Bill Leer. What is your favorite thing that you learned from him?
Great episode Mr. Billings and Mrs. Monet. I always loving hearing a little bit of backstory to your success Mr. Billings. Happy holidays, and have a great rest of the year!
Jacob from Missouri here hope everybody has a great new year and it was a great live
I think the Edison effect is cool! It helped a lot of other scientists in their inventions. See you next year!