Smithsonian Magazine: February 2008
Features
Unlocking Mysteries of the Parthenon
Efforts to restore the ancient temple of Athena are yielding new insights
By Evan Hadingham
Monumental Mission
Assigned to find art looted by the Nazis, Western Allied forces faced an incredible challenge
By Robert M. Poole
Looting Iraq
No one was prepared for the pillaging of Baghdad's Iraq Museum in 2003, but a fast-thinking Marine officer, Col. Matthew Bogdanos, improvised an investigation—and helped recover thousands of stolen antiquities
By Robert M. Poole
Big Love
In a mating ritual, male humpback whales leap, splash and fight. But researchers ask: just what does a female whale want?
By Virginia Morell
Being Funny
How the pathbreaking comedian got his act together
By Steve Martin
Portraits of Resistance
The inaugural show of the National Museum of African American History and Culture
By Lucinda Moore
Heaven Scent
A 600-year-old pharmacy started by Florentine monks is now a trendy global marketer of perfumes and medieval elixirs
By Mishal Husain
Trials of a Primatologist
How did a renowned scientist who has done groundbreaking research in Brazil run afoul of authorities there?
By Joshua Hammer
Departments
Indelible Images
Gaga Over a Gargoyle
From Margaret Bourke-White to Annie Leibovitz, photographers have scaled dizzying heights to frame the perfect prop
By David J. Marcou
Interview
Amy Chua
The key to the rise of the Romans, the Mongols—and the U.S.? Ethnic diversity, Chua says in a new book
By Jess Blumberg
Wild Things
Wild Things
Life as We Know It
By Amanda Bensen, Jess Blumberg, T.A. Frail, Megan Gambino and Laura Helmuth
Points of Interest
Points of Interest
This month's guide to notable American destinations and happenings
By Laura Helmuth, Korry Keeker, Sonya Padgett, Constance Hale and Michelle Nijhuis
Around the Mall
Aerosol Art
Largely dismissed as vandalism, graffiti migrates from city streets and subway cars into major galleries
By Jess Blumberg
The Object at Hand
Breuer Chair, 1926
Marcel Breuer's Bauhaus minimalism redefined a household basic
By Owen Edwards
Q&A
Garth Brooks
Retired country star garth brooks donated a collection of mementos to the American History museum, including his trademark cowboy hat, an acoustic guitar, a gold record and a handwritten lyric sheet.
By Jess Blumberg
