When F. Scott Fitzgerald Judged Gatsby By Its Cover

A surprising examination of the original book jacket art to The Great Gatsby
May 14, 2013 | By Jimmy Stamp

Amazing Sea Butterflies Are the Ocean’s Canary in the Coal Mine

These delicate and stunning creatures are offering Smithsonian scientists a warning sign for the world's waters turning more acidic
May 14, 2013 | By Hannah Waters

Curses! The Four-Letter Word Renaissance Speakers Wouldn’t Flinch At

Back in the ninth century, the S-word referred to excrement in a matter-of-fact, not a vulgar, way
May 13, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

Events May 14-16: New Research, Old Films and Live Jazz

This week, hear the latest from the brains at the Smithsonian, dissect the great Nam June Paik's video legacy and relax with live music
May 13, 2013 | By Leah Binkovitz

This App Uses Audio to Guide Blind Photographers

While blind people can't enjoy photographs the same way sighted people do, that doesn't mean they don't want to take them
May 10, 2013 | By Rose Eveleth

Benjamin Franklin’s Phonetic Alphabet

One of the founding father's more quixotic quests was to create a new alphabet. No Q included
May 10, 2013 | By Jimmy Stamp

Macoto Murayama’s Intricate Blueprints of Flowers

The Japanese artist depicts blossoms from various plant species in fastidious detail
May 10, 2013 | By Megan Gambino

What the Great Gatsby Got Right about the Jazz Age

Curator Amy Henderson explores how the 1920s came alive in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel
May 10, 2013 | By Amy Henderson

What Is it About Music That Triggers All of These Emotions?

Real feel or social construction? Where does the mood of your music come from?
May 09, 2013 | By Colin Schultz

28-Year Satellite Time-Lapse Shows Exactly What We’re Doing to Our Planet

28 years in just a few seconds, as seen from space
May 09, 2013 | By Colin Schultz

Events May 10-12: Plant Potting, Super Science Saturday and a Musical Tribute to Mother’s Day

This weekend, celebrate the earth by playing in a garden, unlock the mysteries of astronomy and take mom to hear some great classical music
May 09, 2013 | By Paul Bisceglio

The Best of Design, Cooper-Hewitt Announces 2013 Award Winners

From a Las Vegas Denny's with a wedding chapel to rock 'n' roll posters, this year's design award winners have a good time with great design
May 09, 2013 | By Leah Binkovitz

What Happens When a Keyboard Goes From Tactile to Touchscreen?

There's a word for that odd quirk of Apple iPads that hold on to design components of old keyboards
May 08, 2013 | By Jimmy Stamp

Ray Harryhausen, the Godfather of Stop Motion Animation, Dies

Producer and animator Ray Harryhausen, who invented a kind of stop motion model animation called 'dynamation,' died today
May 07, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

Feel What It’s Like to Live on an Antarctic Icebreaker for Two Months

In February 2013 Cassandra Brooks, a marine scientist with Stanford University, landed at McMurdo Station, a U.S. research station on the shores of Antarctica’s Ross Sea. For two months she worked on a ship, the icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer, cruising through the Antarctic sea. Brooks documented her life on the ship for National Geographic, and now she’s [...]
May 07, 2013 | By Colin Schultz

U.S. Gives Mongolia Its Tyrannosauras Skeleton Back

The U.S. government is returning a Tyrannosaurus skeleton to Mongolia and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is giving two statues back to Cambodia
May 07, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

Will the Real Great Gatsby Please Stand Up?

F. Scott Fitzgerald couldn’t resist putting his own life into his novels, but where’s the line between truth and fiction?
May 07, 2013 | By Sarah Laskow

Creepy or Cool? Portraits Derived From the DNA in Hair and Gum Found in Public Places

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg reconstructs the faces of strangers from genetic evidence she scavenges from the streets
May 03, 2013 | By Megan Gambino

Fact of Fiction? The Legend of the QWERTY Keyboard

What came first: the typist or the keyboard? The answer may surprise you
May 03, 2013 | By Jimmy Stamp

For Perusing Pleasure, Zandra Rhodes’ New Online Fashion Archive

The honored Brit—50 years in the business—goes for the bold in her designer collections
May 02, 2013 | By Emily Spivack

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