Smithsonian Magazine: July-August 2010
Features
Anticipation
We salute the basic human urge to remember the future
By Terence Monmaney
The New King of the Sea
As the world's oceans are degraded, will they be dominated by jellyfish?
By Abigail Tucker
Marine Advisory
Scientists say the outlook for the world’s oceans is bleak—unless we stop overfishing and reduce air and water pollution. Here’s an update on the marine environment and its possible future
By Sarah Zielinski
Charging Ahead
An entrepreneur hits the road with a new approach to the electric car that overcomes its greatest shortcoming
By Joshua Hammer
Q and A: Richard Branson
Industry in Orbit
By Megan Gambino
Buying Time
For scientists in a remote corner of coastal North Carolina, ignoring global warming is not an option
By Abigail Tucker
Meet the Species
Scientists have discovered thousands of new species in recent years. And there are many more to come
By Richard Conniff
Five Species Likely to Become Extinct in the Next 40 Years
Conservationists estimate that one-eighth of all bird species, one-fifth of mammal species and one-third of amphibian species are at risk of extinction
By Erica R. Hendry
Farms Go to Town
Grow fruits and vegetables in urban towers? Advocates give a green thumbs up
By T. A. Frail
Why I'm Optimistic
Americans' restless searching for solutions bodes well for the future
By Barack Obama
Ready, Set, Grow
The U.S. population will expand by 100 million over the next 40 years. That's a good thing, the author argues
By Joel Kotkin
Los Jetsons
Experts predict the U.S. population will become increasingly diverse, with the greatest gains among Latinos.
By Lalo Alcaraz
Q and A: George Friedman
The U.S. Stays On Top
By Terence Monmaney
Poll: Americans Predict Life in 2050
A Smithsonian/Pew poll finds optimism about science and social progress despite worries about the environment and population growth
By T. A. Frail
Q and A: Rosamond Naylor
Feeding Everyone
By Amanda Bensen
New Fields
Food security experts say these crops, if grown more widely, could help feed the hungry
By Amanda Bensen
The Age of Peace
Maturing populations may mean a less violent future for many societies torn by internal conflict
By Carolyn O’Hara
Listening to Bacteria
By studying microbial communications, Bonnie Bassler has come up with new ways to treat disease
By Natalie Angier
Peak Energy
Asked to imagine life in 2050, the artist Guy Billout, author of the mind-bending book Something's Not Quite Right, wonders why the quest for alternative energy has overlooked the volcano.
By Guy Billout
Q and A: Melinda French Gates
Saving Lives
By Terence Monmaney
Organs Made to Order
It won't be long before surgeons routinely install replacement body parts created in the laboratory
By Gretchen Vogel
Next in Space
Probes and landers sent into the final frontier will bring us closer to answering cosmic mysteries
By Mark Strauss
Masters of Disaster
Asteroid hunters are determined to protect human beings from outer space invaders
By Robert Irion
Q and A: Melvin Konner
Catching Up With Kids
By Terence Monmaney
Interaction and Adventure
Artists + digital technology = bold new ways of engaging viewers
By Richard Koshalek
Q and A: Rita Dove
Speed Reading
By Lucinda Moore
Q and A: Tod Machover
Make Your Own Music
By Erica R. Hendry
The Future of History
Archives opening in coming decades will shed new light on pivotal 20th-century figures and events
By Mark Strauss
Q and A: James Cameron
Movies Get Deeper
By Lorenza Muñoz
Q and A: George Lopez
Comedy Wises Up
By Lorenza Muñoz
Powwows and Karaoke
The movie director, descended from Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples, says Native pride will embolden the next generation of the first Americans
By Chris Eyre
Q and A: Sabiha Al Khemir
Islam and the West
By Amy Crawford
Q and A: Carl Hiaasen
Slipping Backward
By T. A. Frail
The Genius of Small Things
If George Whitesides thinks nanotechnology can save lives, you better believe it
By Michael Rosenwald
Invisible Engineers
A researcher recruits microscopic workers to manufacture high technology
By Michael Rosenwald
Q and A: Laurie Anderson
Higher Fidelity
By Jamie Katz
Power From the People
Energy harvested from our bodies will make possible mind-boggling gadgetry
By Michael Belfiore
Shining Example
Solar technologies being pioneered in Spain show even greater promise for the United States
By Richard Covington
Vinton Cerf
Google's View
By Brian Wolly
From Print to Pixel
As digital screens proliferate, people are reading in a whole new way
By Kevin Kelly
Departments
From the Editor
Curveballs at the Un-Magazine
From the first issue 40 years ago, Smithsonian has blazed its own path through the media landscape
By Carey Winfrey
Wild Things
Wild Things: Life as We Know It
Cobras, sharks, lemurs, hermit crabs and more...
By T. A. Frail, Megan Gambino, Laura Helmuth, Erica R. Hendry and Abigail Tucker
Indelible Images
Unmasked
The 1970 photograph became an instant Earth Day classic, but its subject has remained nameless—until now
By Timothy Dumas
Around the Mall
Vaulting Into the Future
How poor countries can build sturdy structures from inexpensive, local materials
By Logan Ward
The Last Page
Married, With Glitches
Survey finds human-robot unions undone by technical difficulties
By Bruce McCall
