TIME's Best Inventions of 2008

The Other 49 Best Inventions

Illustration for TIME by Christoph Niemann

13. The Memristor

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Scientists have known it was possible for 37 years, but it took them that long to actually make a memristor, a new kind of circuit that remembers its history even when turned off. One possible application: a computer that flicks on instantly, like a lightbulb, with no boot-up required.

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