Many of us think of invention as something that springs from an individual mind. It's a romantic view, but it bears little relation to the creative process behind the technologies that are shaping our world. That process is increasingly collaborative—not so much a single lightbulb going off in someone's head as many lightbulbs in a social network of diverse minds. The growing connectedness of the world and the rising contribution of scientists and engineers from all continents have broadened the possibilities for human creativity. This special section celebrates these developments and reports on some of the challenges they present.
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