Megan Gambino

Megan Gambino

 

Megan Gambino is a senior web editor for Smithsonian magazine.

Sparky, the electric eel, and his Christmas tree.

A Twinkling Christmas Tree, Powered by…an Electric Eel?

A Utah aquarium uses the charges emitted by an electric eel to trigger the lights on a nearby tree

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Slice of Life: Artistic Cross Sections of the Human Body

Artist Lisa Nilsson creates elaborate anatomical illustrations from thin strips of paper

First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln by Francis Bicknell Carpenter.

Document Deep Dive: Emancipation Proclamation

When freeing the slaves 150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln traded in his famous lyricism for a dry, legal tone. Harold Holzer explains why

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Smithsonian.com’s Top Books of 2012

Looking for a reading list for the holidays? Check out our favorite books that we featured on the site this past year

Another medicinal tattoo of the Kayan

Can Tattoos Be Medicinal?

In his travels around the world, anthropologist Lars Krutak has seen many tribal tattoos, including some applied to relieve specific ailments

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Nine Gift Ideas For the Science-Loving Art Enthusiast on Your List

Be it a book, movie, calendar or game, these picks are perfect for the hardest-to-shop-for people on your list

IQ scores have significantly risen from one generation to the next.

Are You Smarter Than Your Grandfather? Probably Not.

Senility isn’t the answer; IQ scores are increasing with each generation. In a new book, political scientist James Flynn explains why

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Why Do We Hiccup? And Other Scientific Mysteries—Seen Through the Eyes of Artists

In a new book, 75 artists illustrate questions scientists haven't fully answered yet

For a photo op, Rosa Parks sits in the front of a bus on December 21, 1956, the day that Montgomery's buses were officially integrated.

Document Deep Dive: Rosa Parks’ Arrest Records

Read between the lines of the police report drawn up when the seamstress refused to give up her seat in 1955

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The Science of Cooking a Turkey, and Other Thanksgiving Dishes

In a new book, the editors of Cook's Illustrated share some secrets to preparing the perfect holiday feast

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Trash as Treasure: Crocheting Plastic Coral Reefs

With yarn made from discarded plastic bags, Australian artist Helle Jorgensen stitches delicate sculptures of corals

Going Knots, by Huguette Roe

A Photographer Turns Her Eye to the Recycling Process

Huguette Roe makes compressed cans, pipes and paper look like abstract art

Delphinium pergrinum

Amazing Close-Ups of Seeds

A scientist-artist duo creates stunning images, taken through a scanning electron microscope, of seeds in the Millennium Seed Bank

Approaching Storm, by Ernest Lawson, 1919-20

Art as Therapy: How to Age Creatively

A new exhibition at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., showcases the work of elderly artists with memory loss and other chronic conditions

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We Can Bank Online. Why Can’t We Vote Online?

Voting experts David Becker and Thad Hall discuss the technologies that could forever change the way we register and cast our votes

Beetles Invasion: One Artist’s Take on the Insect

A swarm of giant beetles, lovingly sculpted by Washington D.C.-based artist Joan Danziger, descends on the American University Museum

Black-headed Spider Monkey (Ateles fusciceps)

Alan Dudley’s Wondrous Array of Animal Skulls

A new book delivers fascinating photographs of over 300 skulls from the British taxidermist's personal collection—the largest in the world

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Nikon Announces the Winners of its “Small World” Competition

See a selection of beautiful images captured by scientists gazing through light microscopes

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Scientific Illustrations: Your Go-To Guides for Halloween Costumes

The details are what separate a good outfit from an amazing one. The images in the Biodiversity Heritage Library can help you make the leap

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Teaching Physics with a Massive Game of Mouse Trap

Mark Perez and his troupe of performers tour the country, using a life-sized version of the popular game to explain simple machines

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