Arts
Creative achievements in literature and the visual and performing arts
The Stupid Reason the NHL Drafts Older Players First
Take note, coaches: stop listening to Malcolm Gladwell, and start listening to science
March 01, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The True-Life Horror that Inspired Moby-Dick
The whaler Essex was indeed sunk by a whale—and that's only the beginning
March 01, 2013 |
By Gilbert King
There’s More to Celtic Music Than “Danny Boy”
A new album from Smithsonian Folkways will brighten anyone’s St. Patrick’s Day
March 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
The History of the Lava Lamp
At 50, the legendary relic of the college dorm room is still groovy after all these years
March 2013 |
By Abigail Tucker
Could Solar Panels on Your Roof Power Your Home?
Researchers at MIT are investigating how to turn houses in Cambridge, Massachusetts, into mini-power plants
March 2013 |
By James Holloway
What Does Citizen Kane Have to Do With Mass Effect 2?
Modern games find inspiration in the techniques of classic film noir
March 2013 |
By Kate Cox
Bioluminescence: Light Is Much Better, Down Where It’s Wetter
From tracking a giant squid to decoding jellyfish alarms in the Gulf, a depth-defying scientist plunges under the sea
March 2013 |
By Abigail Tucker
Billy Collins’ “The Deep”
A new poem from the former poet laureate of the United States
March 2013 |
By Billy Collins
Brian Skerry Has the World’s Best Job: Ocean Photographer
The freelancer’s new exhibit at the Natural History Museum captures the beauty, and fragility, of sea life
March 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
How Gorillas Emerged From Africa and More New and Notable Books
Read the latest on subliminal message, body snatching, and Sheryl Sandberg’s insights on the rise of women
March 2013 |
By Chloë Schama
Photos: The Uneasy Conflict Between Artificial and Natural Light
Artist Kevin Cooley has traveled the world capturing landscapes where one light shines on the horizon
March 01, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Events March 1-3: A thriller film, a Women’s Suffrage Festival and Influential African American Women
This week, see Nicole Kidman melt down, celebrate women's rights and learn about great African American women you've never heard of
February 28, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Could Spider Silk Stop a Moving Train?
Spiderman really could have stopped that train from falling, so long as his silk resembled that produced by the Darwin's bark spider
February 28, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
In 1989, Life Magazine Said Goodbye To Video Stores, Mailmen and Pennies…
In 1989, Life magazine predicted that, by the year 2000, many staples of modern American life might find themselves on the scrapheap of history
February 27, 2013 |
By Matt Novak
Geneticists Try to Figure Out When the Illiad Was Published
When was The Iliad actually written? To answer that question, you might turn to a historian or a literary scholar. But geneticists wanted a crack at it, too
February 27, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Why Do We Care Whether Animals Appreciate Our Art?
In a recent study, researchers put seven Java Sparrows in a cage with a bunch of artwork and watched them to see which ones they preferred
February 27, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
This Is Your Brain on Movies
Innerscope Research recently did a study claiming that by looking at viewers "emotional engagement threshold" during a trailer, they can predict just how well it will do at the box office. But neuroscience isn't that easy
February 27, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
How to Survive China’s Pollution Problem: Masks and Bubbles
The air quality in China's biggest cities is famously atrocious, but designers think they may have found a way to combat the issue
February 26, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp


