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 »
Hello from Mexico
hello
cool
evolution of phones are cool
that was so cool to know about the old phones!
I love science
Looking foward to next weeks live!
Who invented the touch screen tablet?
hey y’all
What if they had been replaced with a different team, what would change?
Wow this is so cool the phones look so cool and bring memories!
I love ASL! It’s my favorite class.
Apple is the best!!!
I love the new telescope
Hello from Illinois!!
Commenting from Alabama love the live info to make me smart!
Love learning new things
what does it look like inside of a phone
who was the co founder of apple?
hi from indiana
Hello from Virginia!
Do you think people depend too much on smartphones today?
loved learning new things
im enjoying this video so far!
Merry Christmas from Texas!
Hello from Florida!!
hello everyone! Cool live!
I love science!
We love science!
Hello, from Florida! I wish that telescope could come out earlier than 2027! Love Science Live.
hi i am from Texas Merry Christmas!
Wow! I never knew this was how an iPhone was created!
Can we learn more about galaxies!!!
Why did Steve Jobs want it to be touchscreen rather than use existing technology, such as the stylus?
My favorite subject is Science!
I love Science and History together!
I miss them old phones, anyways hello from Mississippi here!
Technology has come a long way!
Hello from California! I used to tinker around with my parents old phones & needless to say they have some very interesting mechanics.
Hi from Kansas City Missouri!
This is my first time watching science live actually live!
Merry holidays guys also I LOVE MR R51!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HIM!!!!
Hello from New York!
Hello from Georgia!!!!
My mom kept all her old phones, they are fun to look at. Some of them are cooler than the new ones.
Hello! Josiah from Virginia.
Love watching this every wednesday!
I like how you use PDA as personal digital assistance. Normally PDA means public display of affection.
Hello from Minnesota
It is really intriguing to see this older phone and the phones compared to now.
cellphones have come a long way through the years
Hello from hawaii, I really liked how you explained everything with great detail.
Hi from Tampa/Florida
Happy holidays from Florida!
My parents still have all their old phones!! I think button phones are way funner then touch screens!
Hello from Connecticut!
I find it very interesting to learn about how older phones used to be
i remember using a flip phone once
Old phones have my heart they are sooo cool
When is Dr Todd Edmond’s conspiracy theory course coming out?
I love Acellus it had helped me so much
the blackberry ! my mom showed me this one
Science is so amazing!
My mom always talks about how she misses her old phone with the stylus.
Hello 👋 from New Mexico.
Hi! Leo from Baltimore we have a Nokia phone at home. It doesn’t work anymore 🙁
The new space telescope is big and interesting, it looks like it has high tech quality. Its design looks like the Hubble telescope but it looks more complex. Thanks for sharing!
I love early 2000s electronics, they’re so cool. The cellphones were so cute and tiny.
Personal opinion here: The phones back then are better than what we’ve got now
Hello linus from illinois.
Hello from Louisiana! I’m intrigued for this week’s science live.
Hi from Colorado!!
I miss those phones… Reign mom here
Me and my mom have apple stuff, my dad has android products!
I love learning about phones it’s so interesting
My mom had one of those 😂
I love Acellus so much. Merry Christmas!
i love watching the science lives!
Happy Holidays!!!!
phones used to look like calculaters
My favorite subject is Science!
those old phones are cool.
hello from georga
I’m Romeo from the USVI
hey y’all
Great one!
that phone is so old
Hi from texas merry christmas
Hi i love science
Hi from Cape May, NJ. I love Science Live.
This is the first I’ve heard of a new telescope being launched for NASA.
Science Live is amazing!
That is so amazing Nasa is almost done with there new telescope the things that they will discover and the things they will see will be out of this world !!!!!!!!
Hello from TN.
Commenting love these so muchhh
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greatest day ever
Happy holidays!
Cool facts about high contrast telescope that are used to take pictures of stars and exoplanets
coming from tnnn 🩷 !!!
Hello!!!! It’s almost Christmas!!! I hope y’all all have an amazing Christmas and New Year!!!
Merry Christmas happy Hanukkah happy new year Love you all
🧪 ♡ |◁ II ▷| ↺ science live
The nebula is very beautiful but how did it make it look different between the two pictures and how will this new telescope take one thousand pictures at once I think that is truly extraordinary
Present
I can’t wait to see high quality images of exo-planets! I’m hoping we get one of the Kepler system. Also this is Lucas T. signing in from Alabama.
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays love science live<3
Merry Christmas
I wonder how much money they spent to make that telescope.
Hello From KC!
Happy early Christmas everyone happy holidays :3💕
Hiiii 😀
I love science live
I think it would be fun if they found a pink planet!
Is there a possibility for people to live on other planets that could be similar to Earth?
Hey everyone Merry Christmas
hi from hawaii
Hello from FLorida!
Hi from TX and Merry Christmas!
Super excited about the new telescope.
That’s exciting, I bet NASA is excited about their new telescope they built and will soon launch
Hello and Happy Holidays!!
I love fishing and I want to get to go fishing with you and hi from Mississippi
Hi from Georgia!! Merry Christmas everyone!
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Hey from Kansas!
I would love to do ASL! I started learning it when I was 6 now I am 12 and I kinda forgot about it and I am really ready to do ASL again! With my fav school Acellus!
I am so ready for ASL! I Did not know till now that they had ASL!
Pajet Is great for me and she made me want to to ASL like pick it up agian.
The telescopes were very interresting.
YESS TOBIAS!!!
It would take a lot of straw
Hello from Connecticut!
Hello from Minnesota I love the science live
Hi from indiana
The new NASA telescope seems so cool!
Hii
Hello from NY!
Hi from Centerville Tn
The telescope can help further technology in our solar system.
hi
Mr. Tobias is my favorite teacher on Science Live!
hi from virginia
Ahoy! Tobias is the best!
Very Interesting!
I love this science live 😀
Hello from VA!!!
What will happen if NASA finds a planet that we could live on?
hi from Illinois
Hi
Wow ! Very informative
Every thing on this live is so important and interesting
helloo!!
I love Science Live!
hi from new mexico
Hello and space
Thanks Dr. John!
I always love watching these.
Nice!
Great live
Merry Christmas from Georgia!
Merry christmas
What will we do If we find life in the goldilocks zone?
hi
Merry Christmas that is so cool.
When did they start working on the telescope?
merry christmas from marryland
Merry Christmas
How much does the new telescope cost and how do you make it?
hello
hi
how far will the telescope be able to see once deployed to space?
How expensive is the new telescope?
If we find planets that can support life, what are the possibilities that we could find a planet identical to Earth with human-like life forms living on it?
Hi everyone!!
Hi i would like to ask what do you think will happen if the new telascope mirror cracks
cool!
I like the new Nasa telescope
Happy Wednesday!
Hi from Enid Oklahoma.