Smithsonian Magazine: December 2012
Features
Light & Magic
In his Beasts of the Southern Wild, the young filmmaker assembled a new myth out of Hurricane Katrinam a 6-year-old actress and a bathtub
By Franz Lidz
Natural Selection
A rollerblading physician-scientist-rockstar blazes a new view of infectious disease by probing the evolution of genes
By Seth Mnookin
New Life
The legal crusader has given thousands of young people in America's prisons the most valuable gift - a second chance
By Chris Hedges
The Prodigy
A Maryland high school sophomore who reads science journals for fun may have invented a new diagnostic test for a deadly form of cancer
By Abigail Tucker
Rocket Science
He's launching private cargo into space, churning out upscale electric cars and changing the way we think about solar power
By Carl Hoffman
Beyond Jazz
A musical phenom is creating an entirely new direction - and a new generation of fans - for the quintessential American art form
By dream hampton
Solar Flair
With high-altitude spy planes, a Harvard chemist soars into the stratosphere and discovers an alarming link between climate change and ozone loss
By Sharon Begley
Mapping the Past
The scholar is applying cutting-edge technology to geography - changing our perspective on events from Gettysburg to the Holocaust
By Tony Horwitz
Class Uprising
An expert in artificial intelligence is now turning his expertise to humans, revolutionizing the way people around the world learn
By Tom Vanderbilt
The Gonzo Neurologist
His latest investigations of the mind explore the mystery of hallucinations—including his own
By Ron Rosenbaum
The Father of Invention
Meet Dr. NakaMats, the most famous inventor you’ve never heard of—whose greatest invention may be himself
By Franz Lidz
Dream Machine
Visionary inventor
Preston Tucker risked everything when he tried to create the car of the future
By Abigail Tucker
Departments
From the Editor
From the Editor
Our editor-in-chief introduces the inaugural Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards
By Michael Caruso
From the Castle
From the Castle
The Secretary of the Smithsonian draws the connection between the Clovis tools and Silicon Valley
By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Feel the Burn
Penn Jillette reveals the secrets of fire-eating and why, even for professionals, it’s a tough act to swallow
By Penn Jillette
Indexed: Fire by the Numbers
Fire can destroy in an instant—or burn for centuries
By Photo by Richard Du Toit / Naturepl.com
Fast Forward
Fast Forward
Over 43,000 square feet of exhibit space will tell the story of the isthmus and the diverse species who live there
By Mark Strauss
