Arts
Creative achievements in literature and the visual and performing arts
The First Major Museum Show to Focus on Smell
“The Art of the Scent” recognizes and celebrates fragrance as a true artistic medium rather than just a consumer product
January 16, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
How Kraft Uses Patents to Dominate the Mac and Cheese Wars
A tour through the patent files reveals a wide range of odd shapes, which collectively are a far cry from the elbow-shaped pasta of your youth
January 15, 2013 |
By Dan Lewis
Covered in Ink, Cross-sections of Trees Make Gorgeous Prints
Connecticut-based artist Bryan Nash Gill uses ink to draw out the growth rings of a variety of tree species
January 15, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
If Only Hollywood Would Show Us Lincoln’s Second Inaugural
Our Pop Culture Curator Amy Henderson Strolls the Halls of the Old Patent Office Building Imagining the Scene of Lincoln's 1865 Inaugural Ball
January 15, 2013 |
By Amy Henderson
Romans Did All Sorts of Weird Things in The Public Baths—Like Getting Their Teeth Cleaned
For ancient Romans enjoying a day at the bathhouse, the list of items lost to drains includes jewelry, scalpels, teeth, needles and plates
January 14, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Texas’ New Library Won’t Have Any Books
In San Antonio, an entirely bookless library system
January 14, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Events January 14-17: Higgs Boson, Up “Close” with President Obama, Modern Origami and Shiny Pots
This week, learn why the Higgs Boson particle matters, see a huge portrait of President Obama, discover modern origami and stand in DC's most opulent room
January 14, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
The Fisher Space Pen Boldly Writes Where No Man Has Written Before
The Fisher Space Pen has been made famous by Apollo astronauts and Jerry Seinfeld. But just how does it work? And is NASA really spend millions making it?
January 11, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Beautiful Artwork Cut Out of Feathers
A clever artist uses a scalpel and tweezers to cut beautiful bird silhouettes out of feathers
January 10, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Events January 11-13: Civil Disobedience, Farm-Fresh Foods and Arabic Calligraphy Lessons
This week, protest racial segregation in the 1960s, discover DC's "slow food" movement and learn to write in Arabic
January 10, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
The Novice’s Guide to Venturing Into the World of Craft Beer
From food pairings to the best brews for beginners, Dan Koester presents a comprehensive guide to craft beer
January 09, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Elusive Giant Squid Captured on Film for the First Time
The squid is about 10-feet long and was spotted over half a mile below the ocean surface about 620 miles south of Tokyo
January 08, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
President Obama’s Autopen: When is an Autograph Not an Autograph?
When the President signed the fiscal cliff deal from 4,800 miles away, he did it with the help of a device that dates back to Thomas Jefferson
January 08, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
The Candor and Lies of Nazi Officer Albert Speer
The minister of armaments was happy to tell his captors about the war machine he had built. But it was a different story when he was asked about the Holocaust
January 08, 2013 |
By Gilbert King
At Auction: A 1766 Copy of ‘Aristotle’s Masterpiece,’ a Best-Selling Sex Guide Banned in England Until 1961
Banned in England until 1961, a copy of this 17th-century text is going up for auction
January 07, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Events January 8-10: Get Sketchy, Raise Your Voice and Play Ball
This week, draw your way through the collection, join a chorale, and hear from NBA Commissioner David Stern plus basketball superfan Wolf Blitzer
January 07, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
There Is a Sculpture on the Moon Commemorating Fallen Astronauts
The crew of Apollo 15 placed a small aluminum sculpture on the moon to memorialize those astronauts had died
January 07, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Congratulations, You Accidentally Wrote a Book Last Year
People wrote more than 40,000 words on average last year... in email
January 04, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
This Is What a Watery Mars May Have Looked Like
Mars once had a vast ocean. What would that have looked like?
January 03, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Graffiti Meets Chemistry, Loses
How do you actually get rid of graffiti? Chemistry, of course
January 03, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
