Smithsonian Magazine: April 2012
Features
Monster Discovery
A fierce, coldblooded predator, it dominated a world of giant creatures 58 million years ago. It was 40 feet long and weighed more than a ton. It could swallow a crocodile whole. Its existence has stunned scientists, forcing them to rethink the nature of prehistoric life. They called it Titanoboa
By Guy Gugliotta
The Rebellion's Secret Weapon
Libyan women smuggled arms for the insurgents, spied on government troops and put their lives on the line to topple Qaddafi. But their brave contribution to the uprising has been largely untold—until now
By Joshua Hammer
The King of Béisbol
Forty years ago, superstar and humanitarian Roberto Clemente transcended baseball’s borders
By David Maraniss
Casanova Slept Here
The personal memoir of history's most famous lover—recently bought for a record-breaking $9.6 million—reveals a misunderstood intellectual who befriended the likes of Ben Franklin and Catherine the Great. Tony Perrottet follows in the satin footsteps of the man who seduced the world
By Tony Perrottet
American Prom
Awkward. Hilarious. Heartbreaking. Magical. The high-school prom is a very American rite of passage. Renowned photographer Mary Ellen Mark invites herself to the dance, capturing the poignant moment teenagers teeter on the edge of adulthood
By Sloane Crosely
Eye of the Tiger
The great cat is fighting for survival throughout its range because of habitat loss and illegal hunting. But an innovative scientist in India may have discovered a way to save the species
By Phil McKenna
Cat Fight
Experts battle each other over a $350 million plan to save the world's tigers
By Phil McKenna
Departments
Letters to the Editor
The Conversation
Readers Respond To The February Issue
By Smithsonian magazine
From the Castle
Discovery's Next Mission
By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Profile
Cassandra Syndrome
America's longtime counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke warns that the cyberwars have already begun—and that we might be losing
By Ron Rosenbaum
Food + Culture
The Basque Revolution
They followed the sheep from Europe to the western United States. Fortunately, they brought with them their boardinghouse cuisine, which is now being hailed as an American classic
By Jonathan Gold
Science
Cooperate Or Die
While some scientists say people are becoming more civilized, the eminent biologist E. O. Wilson argues in a controversial new book that our Stone Age emotions are still at war with our high-tech sophistication
By Natalie Angier
Phenomena
Futurism
You don't need to be clairvoyant to predict the future. Bruce Sterling, the celebrated science fiction writer and author of Tomorrow Now, explains
By Bruce Sterling
Phenomena
Got Corn?
Forty years ago, a landmark study predicted the end of plenty. Was it right?
By Mark Strauss
Phenomena
You, Robot
Organs, schmorgans. The "transhumanist" movement says better technology will enable you to replace more and more body parts—even your brain
By Abigail Tucker
Phenomena
Before The Jetsons
A new generation is discovering the madcap American utopia dreamed up by 1950s newspaper cartoonist Arthur Radebaugh
By Matt Novak
Phenomena
Wall St. is Occupied
Once a desolate office park, now an upscale neighborhood: The financial district's transformation epitomizes a nationwide trend
By Abigail Tucker
Phenomena
Science Friction
Why Neal Stephenson wants science fiction writers to cheer up
By Annalee Newitz
Phenomena
The Future That Wasn't
According to past predictions, we should be living in an era of flying cars and other marvels. But be glad that some advances haven't happened
By Bruce McCall
Around the Mall
The Light Fantastic
Turning the Hirshhorn into a 360-degree movie screen
By Abigail Tucker
Around the Mall
This Just In
The rock ’n’ roll artist donates his car to the National Museum of African American History and Culture
By Aviva Shen
Around the Mall
Ask Smithsonian
We brought your questions on paleontology, Civil War photography and other subjects to the Institution’s experts
By Smithsonian magazine
Books
NYPD Blues
TR’s rough ride as New York’s top cop shaped the man who became president just six years later
By Chloë Schama
