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 ❤️science live!
I had a great time learning about Thomas Edison and how much he contributed to science.
R-51 is awesome!! We love you happy holidays to everyone at Acellus !!!
Science live is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I absolutely love R51 and Dr. Billings. Thank you for providing Science Live. Merry Christmas everyone!!
Thank you for making weekly lives they help us learn and develop
I think the discovery at Washington State University is really beneficial. It will give people more knowledge about what aids viruses when they invade our body. That photo of the Milky Way using infra-red light is really cool. Merry Christmas and have a happy new year!
science live is such a good opportunity to learn
Those study tips are always helpful. Love them!
I love when science and history go hand in hand!
Hello from Colorado! Love Science Live! Merry Christmas! So glad that ASL now has a second level course!
Love watching science live with my sisters – Aria and Emma
I like that R-51 put tape on his shirt! It was so funny!!
The old phones in my opinion are the most interesting looking phones! 📞
It is so interesting to learn Science with acellus! I absolutely love studying in Acellus
Always love seeing R-51!
Science live is the best I look forward to watching it every wensday!!!!
I love space!
That’s insane how Apple got that small idea, and it changed the entire world. Now, literally everyone has one.
Are you guys going to go on break for Christmas? 🎄
Cant wait to watch another science live.
happy holidays everyone!
Dr Billings is such a great storyteller!! I love hearing his stories every week!
NASA’s new telescope sounds like it will be able to help us discover so much more out in space. Can’t wait to see images from it!
Do most people use iPhones or Androids?
How many patents did Thomas Edison make, exactly?
I really enjoyed the new Christmas carol “Oh Chemistry” – I will hear that in my head every time the original song comes on now! I hope everyone has a happy holiday! See you in 2026!
Science Live is the best! I like it.
Its crazy how phones have evolved so much over the past 20 years.
I would love to learn American Sign Language!
The Edison Effect is a discovery by Thomas Edison. He found that when electricity goes through a special lightbulb with a vacuum inside, it can make electricity move in new ways. This helped invent things like radios and early computers!
I love Dr. Roger Billings’s humor! And I can’t wait for 2026 and 2027, a lot of interesting things are waiting for us in the future.
I love R-51 im so excited!
If the filament of a light bulb gets hot enough to glow, how come the glass doesn’t shatter?
Happy Holidays and blessings to everyone. I wonder what was Edison’s motivation. Was it monetary? Did he want to truly change the world for everyone? Thank God for all of the brilliant minds who never gave up
thanks so much for the lesson, roger billings!!!!!!!!!!
I loved watching today!
I loved learning about the touch screen and its challenges.
Watching from New York
Happy holidays guys!
I love the way Tobias explained about the touch screen.
I wish Thomas Edison were still alive. I have some questions for him.
science live is the best part of my week.
Love Science Live!
I love R. 51 the best. He always makes people laugh
Science Live is ALWAYS so interesting. I’m so happy that by watching Science Live every week I will be able to earn a science credit. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Acellus family!
How do you stay positive if your invention keeps failing for a long period of time?
I really enjoyed dr.Tobias teaching about the evolution of the iPhone.
Science live is awesome !!
From Ohio, this science live was very interesting
r -51 is my fav!
Happy holidays! It was cool to hear about how Apple handled making touchscreens.
The American sign language seems very cool! ASL might be my next course. Who knows.
R51 always makes me laugh!
Happy Holidays! That was a great show. Thank you
Much love from Texas. I am thrilled to hear that ASL 2 has been released. As a student who is currently learning ASL 1, I am definitely going to ask my mom to add ASL 2 to my courses once I have completed the first course! Even though I don’t know anyone that is hard of hearing or completely deaf, I still find sign language a very fun language to learn and do. Ms. Donnie is a very great teacher, and her teaching is outstanding. She really knows how to teach and at a good pace to follow along. If you aren’t in sign language, or you are thinking about doing it, give it a shot!
I love learning new things every time I watch these.
The new ASL course is going to be great, I can feel it!
Another amazing episode! Thanks to everyone who helps make science live possible!
Loved this science live!
That was cool. I’m glad r51 is ok. 😊
I am so excited for the ASL 2 class! I will definitely be adding it to my curriculum next year! Congratulations Ms.Donnie on this amazing accomplishment.
I loveeeeeeeeee science ❤️
This Science Live was very fun!
What year did Leer start mentoring you?
I loved learning about the iPhone, it was such a smart invention. I also loved the space telescope that has a lot of cool features.
LOVED this science live!!!
wow roger billings is so inspiring
thank you Dr John for teaching all of us about technology
In your opinion what is the best invention?
I love watching science live. Thank you to those who help make these episodes and happy holidays.
My sister is gonna be so excited about the new ASL class!
Thank you very much, Dr. Billings!
Science live time, it is fun learning new things every week.
happy holidays everyone!
See you again in January science live!!
I’m excited for the new things coming in 2026! Merry Christmas everyone!
Happy holidays everybody 😊🤗🥶
Watching science live is so fun! happy Hollidays!!
I LOVE SCIENCE LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love how every week I learn something new. I use a phone everyday and I don’t quite remember or understand exactly where it began. My mother tells me stories about using phones connected to a wall and my grandmother tells me stories about using phones you have to crank. Technology and science are amazing.
R-51 is awesome
Happy Holidays everyone!! I’m super excited about the new ASL class!!!
Thank you for another informative Science Live. Happy Holidays!!!
Happy Holiday’s everyone!
the new asl class sounds like something many will be interested in
Hello! It is amazing how Apple made the iPhone in a few weeks. Most companies don’t create electronics that fast anymore.
here I LOOOOOOOOOVE SCIENCE LIVE!!!! And I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEE R51
This is my final Science Live! Thank you for a wonderful year of learning!
Congratulations to the student who published her own book.
I think that R-51 is the best!!!!
and Happy Holidays!!!!:))
WOW!!!!!
I’m excited about the new ASL2 coming. I’m currently taking ASL and love learning new things. I always enjoy watching Tobias, he has interesting topics. The cellphone and tablet project was cool to hear about, and how the touchscreen on phones and tablets started.
The new space telescope is really cool!
R51 is always hilarious 😂
Hyped for the new ASL class!
I’ve always wanted to learn sign language. Happy holidays!
Merry Christmas Dr Billings!
I loved learning about the new telescope and Thomas Edison!
I love how interesting Science is; I love learning how different things work and interact in our world! 😃
R51 is cool !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think science live is so AWSOME!!!
I love science live. thank you dr billings
Could the projection size for keyboard in typing be modified to do the same for colors? It would aide in painting and making pictures to estimate and improve in shading and making pictures more 3d.
I can’t wait for the next season of Science Live!!!
I wish this wasn’t the last one of the year.😢😭
“Oh Chemistry, Oh Chemistry”..haha that was so funny! Wishing everyone a great Christmas!
I’m paying attention.😊I am wide awake 😳😳
That’s awesome that the roman telescope can take that better of photos from thousands miles away. It was neat learning early phone’s. It amazing how much Thomas Edison achieved and it was fun learning more about him!
Technology has changed a lot since the 90s.
Love watching these every week!!
Is it true that Thomas Edison wife was also an inventor?
I love science live!
Cooool Science Live this week!💗
Happy new years to all teaching staff, students, Pajet, and Dr. Roger Billings.
This has been an incredible year and I can’t wait for the next one to come!
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING, it means a lot to me and my family.
I love the new ASL course I’m going to love it I’m already doing the first course already!!😍 Rose.w
Poor 51! LOL
This episode was interesting. I didn’t know the Edison Effect was so important.
When I think of inventors, the first person to come to mind is Thomas Edison. His impact is one of a kind, and it’s real cool to know that Roger Billings had a mentor who was mentored by him. Before this lecture, I’d always assumed that Edison made the first lightbulb, his most important invention, come to find out I’m wrong on both counts.
I love r51!
I am extremely excited for the ASL class opportunity!
R51 is the sweetest thing in the world
P.S. merry christmas
I like the part about telescope, is it 1000 times better than the old one. I also I like the part about cell phone
How did they make a telescope so strong that it is 100x stronger than the Hubble space telescope? Also, how does back round noise affect pictures taken of stars it becomes so distorted?
My favorite part was about the new telescope NASA is developing.
Watching Science Live from Wisconsin!
R-51 is so cool
Happy New Year.
R51 is the best.
I LOVE YOU ROGER BILLINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😜🎄oh CHEMISTRY OH CHEMISTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! for the love of learning!!!!!!!
Another GREAT video!!! I’m learning so many neat things watching these videos.
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!
The segment about the innovation of phones and the history on how they got rid of the physical keyboard was intriguing not gonna lie, got me listening closely. Happy holidays!
I love Acellus
I’m here from Texas and love science
A new ASL class sounds awesome, I was just thinking about how cool learning sign language would be just yesterday!
I love watching Science Live!
ASL?! that is so exciting. my mom knows how to do the alphabet.
I thought Dr. Tobias story about the Apple keyboard was cool, and the fact that Dr. Roger Billings mentor was mentored by Thomas Edison! (Also can’t wait for the ASL class !!!)
Let’s go Science Live!!!!
Happy holidays and new years to you guys as well!!:)
SO stoked for this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Merry Christmas ❤️💚❤️💚!!!! Learning about how the very first iPhone with a touch screen was made was incredible!
Im glad r51 is okay.
I was happy to see the ASL course be put in action! lots of interesting things in todays video! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
I can’t wait for the new Sign Language course! As someone who is gonna go into ASL as a major, it’ll be very fascinating
happy holidays to you to Dr billings
I LOVE R 51
I love watching science live every week!
Science live is the best! I love to learn something new everyday.
Whats one invention you think Edison’s work inspired most?
Have a great Wednesday.
When light from distant celestial objects, like stars and galaxies, enters a telescope, it first encounters either a lens (in a refractor telescope) or a mirror (in a reflector telescope). The lens or mirror collects and focuses the faint light, bending it to a single point called the focal point. This focusing action concentrates the light, making the objects appear brighter and allowing us to see details that would be invisible to the naked eye.
Sign language sounds so fun! Marry Christmas from Nebraska!
I love learning about the history of the Edison Effect! This science live was great! Thank you and Happy Holidays everyone!
Happy Holidays everyone! Science live always shines a light of so many cool topics, I’m glad to watch, even if I wasn’t initially interested. Thank you guys!
excited for the new ASL and Conspiracies Class!
I loved learning about the history of the Edison Effect ! Thanks and Happy Holidays!
when he said “hey HEY pay attention” i just know there was that one kid like “wha h-HOW DID HE KNOW?!” bro.
This is the first video I’ve watched! Can’t wait to see more.
I got shocked by an electric fence once.
Here from New York!
In Science Live (Episode 291: The Edison Effect), Dr. John in the ‘Technology Spotlight’ segment talked about the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope just assembled by NASA that will be launched on May 2027. In the ‘Science Breakthroughs’ segment of Science Live, Dr. Tobias talked about Steve Jobs and the invetion of the modern cellphone. Dr. Billings in the final segment talked about Thomas Edison and his other inventions beside the lightbulb.
Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄
I can’t imagine having to manually press each button with a stylus pen, that would take so long. OMG 😱
We love Acellus so far!
Happy holidays everyone!!!
I’m so glad R51 had such a speedy recovery!😂God bless and happy holidays💕
r-51 is so funny!
Thank you for this. Happy Holiday
Breakthrough moments in science is my favorite part of every show, sometimes I wish there was a whole class about historical science.
Watching from Acworth, Georgia!
I’m so excited for the new ASL class!!
Happy Holidays Acellus family
I’m so happy she got to write her own book the is a big accomplishment!!!!
I’m already doing the first ASL class and i love it, so i know the second one is going to be amazing.
Science live is amazing!
The new Nasa satellite was interesting.