Literature
Amazing Close-Ups of Seeds
A scientist-artist duo creates stunning images, taken through a scanning electron microscope, of seeds in the Millennium Seed Bank
November 09, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Happy Birthday to the Father of the Modern Vampire
If Bram Stoker were alive today, he'd be 165—pretty young for a vampire
November 08, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
The Science of Good Cooking: Tips From America’s Test Kitchen
The newest book from Christopher Kimball and company pairs good food with good science
November 05, 2012 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Who Are the Geniuses Behind Your Favorite Poems?
A new exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery unmasks the titans of modern American poetry
November 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Alan Dudley’s Wondrous Array of Animal Skulls
A new book delivers fascinating photographs of over 300 skulls from the British taxidermist's personal collection—the largest in the world
October 31, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Guilt-Free Meat-Eating Strategy: Hunt Invasive Species
A new book describes how invasive species may provide vegetarians a welcome meat-eating freebie
October 29, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
In Honor of Wikipedia’s Near-Completion, Here Are Its Most Awesomely Weird Entries
Many of the main articles that the encyclopedia might have, from history to math and science, are almost complete. Thankfully we still have the weird Wikipedia entries to keep us entertained
October 26, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Young People Still Love Libraries
Most Americans between 16 - 29 still use the library to get books—real, paper books
October 23, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Dress Codes and Etiquette, Part 2: Diana Vreeland vs. Emily Post on Vulgarity
How much drama is too much? These two famous women, who wielded power over how we dress, could have debated the subject
October 23, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
Designing Lives and Building Stories, Chris Ware’s Comic Book Epic
In Building Stories, cartoonist Chris Ware presents the banality of everyday life as a stunning comic epic
October 18, 2012 |
By Jimmy Stamp
161 Years Ago Today Ahab First Battled the White Whale, and Critics Hated It
Today marks the 161st anniversary of Moby Dick, the epic seafaring tale by Herman Melville, and Google is celebrating with its own Doodle
October 18, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Scientific Reason Lena Dunham Got a $3.5 Million Book Advance
Last week, Random House offered a whopping $3.5 million for Lena Dunham's first book, Not That Kind of Girl - but why?
October 15, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Sounding Smart with SmartNews: Your Cheat Sheet to the Nobels
Here, in Twitter-sized bites, are descriptions of the work that won the Nobel this week
October 12, 2012 |
By Sarah Laskow
The Traumatic Birth of the Modern (and Vicious) Political Campaign
When Upton Sinclair ran for governor of California in 1934, new media were marshaled to beat him
October 11, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
You Don’t Know As Much As You Think You Do
Basically, most of what you think you know might be wrong
October 09, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Snakes: The Good, the Bad and the Deadly
With venom so potent it can kill a person in just 30 minutes, the black mamba is a snake to avoid—while others are worth learning about before you cast your judgment
October 03, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Antonio’s World: The Life and Work of a Celebrated Fashion Illustrator
Antonio Lopez's electrifying art defined the style of the times, 1960s-'80s. Now, a gallery show and book call renewed attention to his accomplishments
October 02, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack

