Smithsonian Magazine: October 2007
Features
Guerrillas in Their Midst
Face to face with Congo's imperiled mountain gorillas
By Paul Raffaele
Teaming up with Thoreau
One hundred fifty years after the publication of Walden, Henry David Thoreau is helping scientists monitor global warming
By Michelle Nijhuis
Creatures of the Deep!
A new book of photographs taken in the ocean depths reveals a world abounding in unimagined life
By Laura Helmuth
Swamp Ghosts
In Papua New Guinea, a journalist investigates the controversy over a World War II bomber
By John Darnton
The Curiosity of Cats
When the musical opened on Broadway, 25 years ago, few predicted its amazing success—or what it would mean for composer Andrew Lloyd Webber
By Michael Walsh
Back to the Figure
Recognizable forms are showing up in the works of a new wave of contemporary painters
By Paul Trachtman
Departments
Indelible Images
Salad Days
Karl Bissinger's 1949 photograph of the author and a few friends at lunch in a Manhattan restaurant garden invokes the optimism of youth
By Gore Vidal
My Kind of Town
Have Roots, Will Travel
Like the four generations of Angelenos who preceded her, the best-selling author likes to get around
By Lisa See
Interview
Fred Spoor
The evolution scholar talks about a landmark new study challenging the classic view of human ancestry
By Sarah Zielinski
From the Editor
Memories...
...Of a lost father, an abandoned airplane and a composer's dilemma
By Carey Winfrey
Wild Things
Wild Things: Life As We Know It
Tail-waving squirrels, black-footed ferrets and tool-using crows
By Jess Blumberg, T.A. Frail, Megan Gambino, Laura Helmuth and Sarah Zielinski
Points of Interest
Points of Interest
This month's guide to notable American destinations and happenings
By Melissa Gaskill, Eils Lotozo, Nan Chase, Kate Sexton & Karen Bossick
Around the Mall
Hatching a New Idea
Electronic eggs hatch new insights into breeding exotic birds at the National Zoo
By Jess Blumberg
Q&A
Cheech Marin
The Smithsonian Latino Center recently honored Cheech Marin with a Legacy Award for his commitment to Chicano artists. He spoke with former magazine intern David Zax.
By David Zax
