Smithsonian Magazine: February 2013
Features
The First Americans
Who were they? When did they arrive? How did they get here? Recent scientific findings and a new book spark controversy with bold new answers
By Guy Gugliotta
See for Yourself
Five places to encounter fossils and other evidence of the continents original settlers
By Guy Gugliotta
The Dragon King
The Komodo is an all-purpose killing machine-and he’s just waiting for you to pay him a visit
By Brendan Borrell
America’s Dinosaur Playground
Countless bones and a billion years of geological action make Dinosaur Monument the go-to park for fossil finds
By Mary Roach
Darwin In The House
The estate where the naturalist lived for 40 years reflects the evolution of a home, a family and a man
By Rebecca Stott
Art Attack
On his way to becoming an international icon, the subversive and secretive street artist Banksy turned the art world upside-down
By Will Ellsworth-Jones
Lincoln Must Die!
In which newly elected Abraham Lincoln makes the perilous train ride from his home in Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C., and along the way, the world’s most famous detective foils an assassination plot by a mysterious cabal whose leader vowed:
By Daniel Stashower
Last Words
Geoffrey Khan is racing to document Aramaic, the language of Jesus, before its native speakers vanish
By Ariel Sabar
Departments
From the Castle
From the Castle
Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough looks at how our scientists are studying our changing climate
By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
We Need A Hero
Superhero origin stories inspire us to cope with adversity (capes are optional)
By Robin Rosenberg
Write and Wrong
To boldly go back to the origins of English grammar rules
By Patricia T. O’Conner and Stewart Kellarman
The Little Bang
Researchers have now identified the first rocket ever built: the Ground Rat
By Jimmy Stamp
Books
Books
Cooperative dolphins, heartbroken cheetahs and thinking chimps. Plus: the ruins of Detroit and the science of competition
By Chloë Schama
Around the Mall
O Pioneers
A new gift turns the spotlight on African-Americans on the plains
By Joseph Stromberg
