Smithsonian Magazine: October 2006
Features
The Planet Hunters
Nevermind the demotion of Pluto to a dwarf planet. Astronomers have found about 200 planets orbiting other stars, and they say it's only a matter of time before they discover another Earth.
By Robert Irion
What Makes a Planet?
Why our solar system just shrank.
By Robert Irion
Return to the Marsh
The effort to restore the Marsh Arabs' traditional way of life in southern Iraqvirtually eradicated by Saddam Hussein faces new threats.
By Joshua Hammer
Cricket, Anyone?
The game is both very British and, to Americans, very confusing. But it was once our national pastime, and its gaining fans on these shores.
By Simon Worrall
Cricket for Dummies
It's a lot like baseball. Except that it's profoundly different.
By Matthew Engel
Fabric of Their Lives
There's a new exhibition of works by the quilters of Gee's Bend, Alabama, whose lives have been transformed by worldwide acclaim for their artistry.
By Amei Wallach
Neanderthal Man
Svante Paabo has probed the DNA of Egyptian mummies and extinct animals. Now he hopes to learn more about what makes us tick by decoding the DNA of our evolutionary cousins.
By Steve Olson
Say What?
In an era of global communications, regional dialects are hanging in there, y'all.
By Ulrich Boser
The Painter Who Hated Picasso
Sporting artist Alfred Munnings loved horses, the English countryside and a good stiff drink. What he didn't like was modern art.
By Peter Chew
Inventive Abe
In 1849, a future president patented an ingenious addition to transportation technology.
By Owen Edwards
October Letters
Readers respond to the August issue
By Smithsonian magazine
Wild Things: Life as We Know It
Bumblebees, elephants and endless summer
By Smithsonian magazine
October Anniversaries
Momentous or merely memorable
By Ben Block
Last Page: Moonstruck
You can't believe everything you think.
By Melody Von Smith
Departments
Presence of Mind
300 Million and Counting
The United States reaches a demographic milestone, thanks largely to immigration
By Joel Garreau
From the Secretary
Wanted!
Our fossil collection is already the world's largest. But we're in search of a complete T. rex.
By Lawrence M. Small
The Object at Hand
Inventive Abe
In 1849, a future president patented an ingenious addition to transportation technology.
By Owen Edwards






