Culture
Shared traditions, belief systems and values among a social group
Shattered: Christchurch After 10,000 Earthquakes
The abandoned boulevards and blocks of condemned buildings look like a scene from an unhappy future in which the world's cities are only inhabited by ruins, ghosts and silence
February 09, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Weekend Events Feb 10-12: Mourning, The Power of Chocolate Festival, and the Emerson String Quartet
This weekend, go to the Iranian Film Festival, taste and learn why chocolate was called the "food of the gods" by the Aztecs and Mayans, and enjoy a performance by the Emerson String Quartet.
February 09, 2012 |
By Aviva Shen
Charles McIlvaine, Pioneer of American Mycophagy
"I take no man's word for the qualities of a toadstool," said the man who took it upon himself to sample more than 600 species
February 08, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Sugar of Lead: A Deadly Sweetener
Did ancient Romans, Pope Clement II or Ludwig van Beethoven overdose on a sweet salt of lead?
February 07, 2012 |
By Jesse Rhodes
How Much the Hope Diamond is Worth and Other Questions From Our Readers
From American art, history and culture, air and space technology, contemporary art, Asian art and any of the sciences from astronomy to zoology, we'll find an answer
February 07, 2012 |
By Aviva Shen
Bedtime Reading From Beatrix Potter: Amateur Mycologist
Would Flopsy, Mopsy and Peter Cottontail have been conceived had it not been for the biases of Victorian era science?
February 06, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
The Squishy History of Bath’s Buns
Was Sally Lunn a 17th-century Huguenot refugee named Solange Luyon? Or just a great tall tale?
February 03, 2012 |
By Guest Blogger
Giants and Patriots at the Smithsonian
Just in time for the Super Bowl, take a look at giants and patriots of all kinds in the Smithsonian
February 03, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Questing for Calories in New Zealand’s High Country
There is something liberating in running out of food. Concerns about rationing are out the window and the world is simplified into a playground for foraging
February 02, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
The Battle for Food in World War II
A new book examines how food figured into the major powers' war plans
February 02, 2012 |
By Jesse Rhodes
To the Bottom of the World—and Back Again
When Felicity Aston, on skis, caught sight of Antarctica's coastal mountains, she told me, "they were like a neon sign flashing at me saying, 'You have finished!' "
February 01, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Where Jet Engines, Football Fans and Eggs Collide
Does the noise in a Super Bowl stadium create enough power to fry up a dozen eggs?
February 01, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Jose Andres and Other Toques of the Town Honor Alice Waters
What do you cook for famed chef Alice Waters? Washington's culinary celebrities faced this challenge at the unveiling of her portrait at the Smithsonian
January 31, 2012 |
By Jeanne Maglaty
Football or Rugby: Whose Players are Tougher?
Could football players last 80 minutes in a rugby match? The great debate continues
January 31, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Frito Pie and the Chip Technology that Changed the World
As we approach one of the biggest snack days of the year, meet the "Tom Edison of snack food" who brought us the "Anglo corn chip"
January 30, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Events Jan 31-Feb 2: Draw and Discover, Great Spies of WWII, and February Daily Films
This week, sketch at the Luce Foundation Center, learn about espionage during WWII, and enjoy a Cree film at the American Indian Museum.
January 30, 2012 |
By Aviva Shen
Sunday Funnies Blast Off Into the Space Age
When Dr. Athelstan Spilhaus met President Kennedy in 1962, JFK told him, "The only science I ever learned was from your comic strip."
January 27, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Saving the Whales (And Eating Them Too?)
What does whale meat taste like, and is it anything like jojoba oil, prosciutto or jellied crustaceans?
January 27, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Picnicking in the Polar Fog
In 1897, S. A. Andree took off for the pole on board his balloon, complete with a tuxedo he intended to wear upon his arrival in San Francisco
January 25, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
The World’s First “Carphone”
Meet the 1920 radio enthusiast who had the foresight to invent the annoying habit of talking on the phone while in the car.
January 25, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
