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 »
My dad is an electrician and teaches me alot as well.
Science live never fails to amaze me, which is incredible.
Really enjoying the Science Live information, very interesting. How the iPhone keyboard was developed was great! Thank you.
happy holidays to all! thank you for another wonderful science live!
I love science live!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can’t wait for the new telescope to launch!
Love science live. Happy Holidays
What a great science live. Happy Holidays!
This science live was very intresting, Happy Holidays!!
Honestly, instead of pushing people to type faster, they just built something smart enough to fix our mistakes for us. That’s kind of genius. I really wish Steve were still around to see how far the iPhone has come—it’s amazing to think about. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
Thomas Edison was such an influential figure!
Thank you Acellus for an amazing year of learning and inspiration! Happy holidays!
If Edison hadn’t noticed the Edison Effect, how might the development of electronics have been delayed?
I like that the shows build up upon each other!
DR. Billling is the best!
Happy Winter Solstice!
I learned that success in invention doesn’t always mean being the first, but rather being the smartest in application and development.
Thomas Edison, one of the most prolific inventors in history
Another awesome science live! thanks Dr. B!
Another wonderful Science Live. Happy holidays to everyone at Acellus.
Science is just so fun! Once me and my mom tried blowing balloons with baking soda, it was so fun!! I wonder how many things will be invented next! 😮
I’m so excited about the new ASL course. I was always interested in sign language and now I can learn to be able to try it out.
Happy holidays, from Texas
Happy holidays guys! Hope you have a fun time watching science live and doing yours courses! 🙂
Oh chemistry oh chemistry a merry season to you
Always learn something new every Thursday, thank you acellus! ❤️
I am so excited for the new ASL course as I’m getting closer and closer to finishing mine every week! Mrs. Donnie has such a fun way of teaching!
I always find it crazy how fast the technology of iPhones was developed. It was so quick! Also Happy Holidays 🎄🎄🎄🎄
Science Live was awesome as always!! Happy holidays!
I’m very excited for a second course on American Sign Language. Please tell r-51 that we do love him.
Lights are so so important, especially for Christmas trees!! Merry Christmas Dr B!
Using AI to find things like that, especially when it would have taken researchers years to do it, is really good in my opinion.
Ohh a new cource!! SOO exciting!
Wow i never knew that my phone touch screen keyboard was anticipating the next letter i would push. I always thought it was the skill of my fingers. Now i finally know how phone touch screen keyboards work and its amazing to learn about how they came about.
I enjoyed this week’s science live as always. I really enjoyed the video about Thomas Edison. Thank you so much all of you guys for taking the time out to have these science live videos for us!
So happy to see Acellus make an ASL class! It’ll be a big opportunity for students to learn a very useful way of communicating. Happy Holidays!
R-51 is so funny! I loved learning about Thomas Edison and the space telescope in this science live!
I love acellus!!
Love science live, Happy Holidays.
Happy Holidays everyone! This Science Live was very nice. That’s amazing NASA was able to achieve 300 megapixels with the Hubble Telescope! Cheers to the new ASL course as well!
I’m really excited for the opportunity for ASL class! Merry Christmas
Never gonna get tired of Dr. Tobias’ section.
How to study with Acellus gold is always so interesting!!
Happy holidays to everyone in the Acellus family!
Loved seeing the evolution of inventions!
Science is literally the best! The new telescope is awesome! Science Rules!
I absolutely love the ASL course so I’m glad they are releasing another one!
Science is my favorite subject 😊
I am so excited about hearing about the new ASL course being added to Acellus! I am currently learning ASL and loving it! I’ve never before learned it in such a fun way, and Ms. Donnie is an amazing teacher!
Happy Holidays to everyone that is celebrating! Thank you for the broadcast!
I’m watching Tobias’ part, holding an iPhone in my hand 😐 … I then started typing, was going to spell protect, I was literally about to type t and Tobias said t… what. Bro, Pajet was 1,000% right, it HAS been a long week!! And 1 MILLION volts in a telephone pole?! DUDE THAT IS NUTS!! I’ve got like… 2 or 3 at my house! Happy Holidays to all Acellus staff & students, and I’ll see y’all in ’26!!!
Phones have progressed so much, happy holidays everyone!!
Thank you Roger Billings.
R 51 Forever!
I am excited that there is going to be another ASL class. ASL is my favorite class and Ms. Donnie is my favorite teacher! I like hearing about the new telescope. My dad and I like to watch TV shows about outer space. We love to see different galaxies and other stars with exoplanets. I liked seeing all of those weird phones. I didn’t know so many of them were so big! I really think that R51 would have done well with a course in social/emotional learning!
I loved hearing about the new ASL class and the Edison Effect. Also I had no idea that Mr. Billings mentored under Bill Leer who mentored under Thomas Edison! I hope everyone has a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
It was interesting to learn about inventors.
Oh chemisty, oh chemistry, your formulas are amazing!
Loved this Science Live!
Thank you Dr. Billings for sharing your knowledge 💡 I enjoyed learning about the electric current. I’m really enjoying all my classes especially ASL!!-Chiara
I’m taking Spanish, but ASL looks fun! See everyone in 2026!
Such an amazing live. I learned so much in one hour!
i am excited to take American Sign Language 2!
Thomas Edison was wildly ahead of his time! Happy Holidays everyone
I love r-51 and I love science live
Happy Holidays everyone at Acellus 🙂
Learning about the evolution of the cell phone and how they managed to make it touch screen was very interesting to learn about.
Did Thomas Edison really mentor R-51?
I am happy that you decided to discuss Thomas Edison.
r-51 was really funny to see, really enjoyed this lesson! Happy Holidays
Happy Holidays! to everyone who celebrate. I love r-51 and how funny he is.
Happy Holidays everyone
I LOVE SCIENCE LIVE💖
We love science Live!!!
Breakthrough moments in science is my favourite part of Acellus live! <3
Thanks Dr. Roger Billings this was a good episode, I love science live happy holidays everyone!
Happy Holidays! Tuning in from SD
R-51 is so funny I always look forward to watching science live
My parents had each and every one of those old phones. Even the one with the stylis.
I loved the Science Live, happy holidays!
Excited for the next science live in 2026!
ASL is my favorite class I’m taking. I’m excited for more!
Happy Holidays! I love learning with science live.
Thank you for making learning interesting!
It really neat how Thomas Edison made the light bulb affordable.
I love that these videos teach me something new every week! Thank you.
I deeply admire Thomas Edison’s remarkable inventions, as they not only demonstrate extraordinary intellect but have also profoundly transformed the way people live and work.
Did you know that Thomas Edison was home schooled just like us. His mom was teacher
I LOVE SCIENCE
I love science live!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dr Billings connection to Thomas Edison is amazing!
Happy Holidays and Hope you have a great New Year. I am also excited for 2027 and the launch of NASA’s new telescope.
The section on Edison and the Edison Effect was very informative and interesting.
It was cool learning about the space telescope! I’m also excited for the new ASL class!!!
I love looking at pictures of space!
Happy holidays everyone!!
Loved hearing the process to making the phone. Happy holidays!
r51 was so funny.🤣
I would love to learn sign language!😀
Thomas Edison is a critical figure in modern science.
I enjoy watching the Science Live each week.
r-51 is the star of this show!
thanks acellus for another educational video, learning about the phone was awesome.
It’s crazy how far, cellular devices have come, especially in such a long time and the big jumps to something new! I wonder what was the considerably worst cellular device ever made for it’s time period
Watching from South Carolina.
Can’t wait for the ASL class! Happy Holidays!
oh chemistry, oh chemistry, a merry season to you
It was a really great episode, I love history and Tobias’s:) part was great merry Christmas to everyone who reads this
Happy holidays everyone!!! Thank you science live!
That is what I will be singing instead of the other song!🤣
It’s good to see you again Dr. Billings
Hearing about the new space telescope was really fascinating! It’s amazing that it can capture the same area as the Hubble but about 100 times faster, and in only two images. I’m also really looking forward to the new ASL course and everything it will offer. It feels like such an exciting time for learning and discovery, both in space and here at home!
Hello to everyone! This is my first live video that I watched. I’m very impressed. It’s so interesting! Thank you! Happy holidays to all of you! 🎆🎇🌠
oh chemistry oh chemistry how lovely are your branches in sience
I really enjoyed this episode. Merry christmas from Illinois!
Imagine messing up an experiment and accidentally changing the future 😳
Happy holidays everyone!
So excited for the new course happy holidays to those who celebrate
Excited to see what next year brings for school!
I like R 51 because he is hilarious and happy holidays to everyone!
Hearing about the new space telescope was very interesting! It’s so neat that it can get 100 times the area the Hubble could get in only 2 images. I am also very excited for the new ASL course and all it has to offer!
Edison is a huge part of scientific history.
Merry Christmas!! I loved seeing R-51! Hearing about Thomas Edison was really fun! Nice joke at the beginning hahaah
Happy holidays!!!!!
I enjoyed this episode, it was cool to learn about Thomas Edison. Merry Christmas Everyone
Love science live Happy Holidays
r-51 is so funny
Happy holidays! To everyone! Hope everyone has a amazing Christmas! And I love seeing R-51.
love seeing r51 is amazing have an incredible holiday
Happy holidays everyone!
Great information on the new ASL class. I already signed up for the class. I am excited and looking forward to learning more about ALS!
Thank you for a very interesting Science Live about Thomas Edison.
Love R51!!! And Edison was a genius!
It’s cool to see the very beginning of inventions we now use day-to-day!
It will be interesting to see what pictures NASA can get with the new project soon
Dr. Billings is a great inventor!
I love learning about science!
thank you happy holidays
Thomas Edison was such a genius.
I love r-51! Merry Christmas!!
Happy Holidays everyone!!! Learning so many cool things I loveeee
I love how technology continues to grow and improve
R51 is funny! Merry Christmas!
So basically, instead of fixing the problem to being able to type fast, they just made a program that would fix the words that you’d accidentally mess up typing? That’s honestly brilliant. Wish Steve was still alive to see how far the iPhone has come. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all! 😀
Thanks for another amazing video! The Science live helps me learn so much!
That’s awesome I never thought school would teach sign language.
Learning about all this inventors is great. Thomas Edison, Joseph Thomson, John Fleming, thanks for all your hard work, so today we can learn all this. R51 always great.
I like that the shows build up upon eachother!
Learning about how people build on eachother’s discoveries was cool to dig into!
I think that it is cool that the Edison Effect is still used in inventions today! Happy Holidays!
I love the videos Dr.B! Very refreshing seeing a new one each week.
I loved the mention of the Hubble telescope!
Science Live is So Great Amazing Program !!!!!
Thomas Edison invented the vacuum tube!
We love you too R51 😉
I think ASL is so cool! My cousin is nonverbal and learning ASL and I really want to learn so we can talk all the time!
I love science live!!
I almost forgot Merry Christmas to all teachers and students at Acellus.
Very inspiring Science Live, I loved it!
What motivated Thomas Edison to keep going?
I think Thomas Edison would be amazed to see how far his invention has come.
me and my family love science live it very informational and cool and thank you acellus!!!
I love how you guys make these every week they make kids learn new things! happy holidays!!!!
i love these science lives. They help me learn so much and they are funny at the same time.
I like science live a lot 😀
Dr. Billings, you always make Science way more interesting than anyone else. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
R-51 is so funny I always look forward to watching science live🙂!
So glad we’re digging into everything electric in the Science Lives lately!
Hopefully they will post the picture as soon as the get them with the new telescope. We have really come far with technology. The Edison Effect is amazing discovery and how it made thing move forward
300 Hundred mega pixels is insane! I wonder if we could find more planets and other things we couldn’t find with that other camera.
Science live is always interesting! Happy holidays to all who are watching!
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you all!
I like when Dr. John talked about the space telescope.
I LOVE Tobias’s stories about inventions!!
Its cool learning about all the things that Thomas Edison invented. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Texas!
Science live is super interesting! It was cool learning about how the touchscreen phone was invented. Happy holidays!
I’m super excited for the new ASL class!!
Edison I think was a really cool guy I think he was so amazing for what he did glad I was able to learn more about him.
Love these weekly videos! They’re always so fun and informative.
I’ll miss these videos for the week we don’t have them.
Happy Holidays everybody! Much love from FL!
What’s R51 favorite food?
It was really neat to see the evolution of cellphones. My mom kept a lot of her old cell phones and I like looking at them from time to time. It was also interesting to learn that Thomas Edison discovered the practical way to use a lightbulb. I thought he had completely created the lightbulb , but he didn’t. I like that I’m learning real science with Acellus.
Love from Connecticut!!❤️❤️❤️❤️😆
Thomas Edison had a bright idea!
Congratulations on the new ASL course! Excited for it.
I am excited to have another ASL class! When will the other new classes be released? It was really cool to see pictures of the older phones! Also neat to learn about Apple developing!
We LOVE R-51!!!
I find it so fascinating seeing the difference between the phones from the early 2000s and the phones from today. It’s incredible to me that phones were originally created for just communication, but now there’s phones you can play games on or look something up on social media. It’s really incredible how far the technology has come.
Happy holidays everyone!
Long live R-51!;)
I Truly Thankful For These Valuable Lessons You Teach Me Acellus
It’s crazy how advanced the technology is in modern day phones!
I’m excited about the ASL class
Edison was incredible, and had an invention factory with sooooo many inventions.
Huge thanks to the Acellus Team for an awesome year! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. It was so cool learning about the journey of the iPhone and how Apple discovered it—I never knew it was such a process! I’m really proud to be part of the Thomas Edison, Bill Lear, and Roger Billings mentorship. Thanks for a great session today!
Science live is amazing!!! My favorite part was the part about Laureles Fox, I want to publish my own book too! With Acellus, I believe I can achieve that goal.