Arts
Creative achievements in literature and the visual and performing arts
To Hear Color, This Man Embedded a Chip in the Back of His Head
Because of a rare condition called achromatopsia—total color-blindness—he lived in a black-and-white world, until he and an inventor paired up to developed the “eyeborg,” a device that translates colors into sound
January 29, 2013 |
By Lauren Kirchner
3D-TV, Automated Cooking and Robot Housemaids: Walter Cronkite Tours the Home of 2001
In 1967, the most trusted man in America investigated the home of the 21st century
January 29, 2013 |
By Matt Novak
Did Shakespeare Have Syphilis?
Shakespeare acquired an uncanny obsession with syphilis late in life, perhaps along with a few bacteria of his own
January 29, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Library Full of Precious Manuscripts Burned in Timbuktu
The main library in Timbuktu is full of cultural relics, manuscripts that have survived since the 1200's hidden in wooden trunks, buried in the sand, and finally housed in the small library. But recent reports from the country say that rebels might have burned that history to the ground
January 28, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Events January 29-31: Ancient Chinese Artifacts, Opera Masters and Rock-and-Roll Trivia
This week, see chinese artifacts once collected in a New Jersey apartment, learn about two of opera's greatest composers and show off your rock knowledge
January 28, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Museums Delay Opening Due to Weather
Smithsonian museums in the Washington, D.C. area as well as the National Zoo will open at noon Monday, due to inclement weather
January 28, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
American Myths: Benjamin Franklin’s Turkey and the Presidential Seal
How the New Yorker and the West Wing botched the history of the icon
January 25, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Mona Lisa Travels by Laser, to Space And Back Again
To test the reaches of laser communication, NASA beamed a digital image of Leonardo da Vinci's famous portrait to a satellite orbiting the moon
January 25, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Very Seinfeld: A Museum Exhibit about Visiting Museum Exhibits
"A Day at the Museum" examines documents that tell the stories of artists' trips to museums over the past two centuries
January 25, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Jane Austen’s English Countryside
Follow in the footsteps of Mr. Darcy and the Bennet sisters and take in the manors and gardens of rural England
January 25, 2013 |
By Nina Fedrizzi
There’s No Such Thing as Reading Silently to Yourself
Sitting in a corner reading silently - as you might be doing right now, for example - turns out to impossible
January 24, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Q+A: How To Save the Arts in Times of War
From Iraq to Libya, Corine Wegener works to preserve priceless objects of human history
January 24, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Events January 25-27: Persian Drama, Inuit Face Tattoos and Schubert’s Fantasy
Friday, January 25: A Modest Reception Black comedy, handguns and huge bulging bags of money—three tantalizing teasers offered up in the intriguing trailer for the 2012 award-winning Persian film, A Modest Reception. The story opens on a couple from Tehran who hand out large sums of cash to the residents of an impoverished town and then documents their [...]
January 24, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Readers Who Bought Lance Armstrong’s Book Want Their Money Back
Lance Armstrong's doping confession has cost him his Tour de France medals, sponsors and his charity. But now, readers who bought his books, want their money back too
January 24, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Who Designed the Seal of the President of the United States?
We see it on the President's lectern and in the Oval Office, but who came up with the look and feel of it in the first place?
January 23, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
These Models Probably Never Thought They’d Be Shooting Fashion Photos With Whale Sharks
A journalist and a photographer juxtaposed beautiful women with whale sharks in order to raise awareness about the species' plight
January 23, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Origami: A Blend of Sculpture and Mathematics
Artist and MIT professor Erik Demaine makes flat geometric diagrams spring into elegant, three-dimensional origami sculptures
January 23, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
Polaroid Portraits: Capturing President Obama's Second Inauguration
We sent photojournalist Tamir Kalifa to the inauguration to ask attendees why they came to the National Mall
January 23, 2013 |
By Tamir Kalifa
Events January 22-24: Persian Tile Lessons, Arts & Craft Beer and MLK Book Signing
This week, learn to be a Persian artist, get crafty in Renwick Gallery and pick up an illustrated copy of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most famous speech
January 22, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Why Hypercolor T-Shirts Were Just a One-Hit Wonder
Heat-sensitive color made this sportswear a hot item—but it didn't last
January 22, 2013 |
By Emily Spivack
