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.

What Makes a Planet?

Why our solar system just shrank.

Return to the Marsh

The effort to restore the Marsh Arabs' traditional way of life in southern Iraq—virtually eradicated by Saddam Hussein—faces new threats.

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.

Cricket for Dummies

It's a lot like baseball. Except that it's profoundly different.

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.

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.

Say What?

In an era of global communications, regional dialects are hanging in there, y'all.

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.

Inventive Abe

In 1849, a future president patented an ingenious addition to transportation technology.

October Letters

Readers respond to the August issue

Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Bumblebees, elephants and endless summer

October Anniversaries

Momentous or merely memorable

Last Page: Moonstruck

You can't believe everything you think.

Departments

Indelible Images

When He Said "Jump..."

Philippe Halsman defied gravitas.

Presence of Mind

300 Million and Counting

The United States reaches a demographic milestone, thanks largely to immigration.

From the Secretary

Wanted!

Our fossil collection is already the world's largest. But we're in search of a complete T. rex.

The Object at Hand

Inventive Abe

In 1849, a future president patented an ingenious addition to transportation technology.

What's Up

What's Up

Body language, new stripes and prime real estate

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