Culture
Shared traditions, belief systems and values among a social group
Problem Solved: The Egg Came First
Time to find a new brain teaser - the chicken and egg question has been solved. The egg wins
March 21, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Events March 22-24: Flying Lessons, the Garrison Dam and Dream Folk-Rock
This weekend, have your kids learn the science of flight, hear the history of a displaced North Dakota tribe and listen to local folk-rockers Kindlewood
March 21, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
It’s Pineapple Season, But Does Your Fruit Come From Hawaii?
While Hawaii was once the big kahuna in pineapple production, it's since been overtaken by other global powers
March 20, 2013 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Events March 19-21: Poetry Lessons, Nam June Paik Films and a Native Ballet
This week, unlock your inner poet, see films by the first video artist and take in the history of the Osage people performed in dance
March 18, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
The Perils of Wearing Clothes
From toxins in textile dyes to torturous corsets, beauty has a long history of coming at a high cost
March 18, 2013 |
By Emily Spivack
Coffee Here, and Coffee There: How Different People Serve the World’s Favorite Hot Drink
Coffee is black and bitter—but global travelers find a surprisingly wide range of forms of the world's favorite hot beverage
March 15, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Is Corned Beef Really Irish?
The rise and fall and rise of the traditional St. Patrick's Day meal
March 15, 2013 |
By Shaylyn Esposito
A Woman With Five Transplanted Organs Has a Baby
A woman whose liver, pancreas, stomach, large intestine and small intestine all began their lives in another person's body has just given birth to a life of her own
March 14, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Cannibals of the Past Had Plenty of Reasons to Eat People
For a long time cannibalism was a survival technique, a cultural practice, and a legitimate source of protein
March 14, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Events March 15-17: Three Movies, the Persian New Year and Native Story Time
This week, see free films, celebrate the Persian New Year by jumping over fire and hear children's stories from different Native communities
March 14, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Hey Vegans! There May Be Fish Bladder in Your Guinness
Isinglass, a gelatine collected from the air-bladders of freshwater fish like the sturgeon, is used in the clarification process of some stouts
March 13, 2013 |
By K. Annabelle Smith
These Little Robot Bees Could Pollinate the Fields of the Future
If the bees can't be saved, maybe these little robobees can assume their role
March 12, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
This Giant Snail Is Giving Australia Terrible Flashbacks to the Last Giant Snail Takeover
The giant African snail is a true nightmare. So when Australian officials found one in a shipping container yard in Brisbane, they destroyed it as quickly as possible
March 12, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Faces From Afar: One American’s Endeavor to Kick Ecuador’s Vegetable Oil Habit
Coconut oil is healthy. It smells and tastes like sweet tropical butter. Yet almost nobody in Ecuador uses it
March 12, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Top Ten Afterlife Journeys of Notable People
Why Beethoven, Galileo, Napoleon and others never truly rested in peace
March 07, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
How to Make a Sandwich in Space
Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield has been described as "the International Space Station's ambassador to the internet." Now, he's showing you how to make a sandwich, in space
March 06, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Snowy Day, But Smithsonian D.C. Museums Open, Zoo Closes
Bad weather threatens the metro area, but the Smithsonian museums Will Open, National Zoo is Closed
March 06, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
That’s Some Pig!
An Iowa farmer's quest to breed the perfect pig
March 05, 2013 |
By Angela Serratore
One Hundred Years Ago, 5,000 Suffragettes Paraded Down Pennsylvania Avenue
On the eve of Woodrow Wilson's inauguration, suffragists descended upon Washington
March 04, 2013 |
By Angela Serratore
Biking Ecuador’s Spectacular Avenue of the Volcanoes
Home to a string of high peaks, including 20,564-foot Chimborazo, the area offers some of the finest cycling, hiking and adventuring country anywhere
March 03, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
