Scholars
Leading intellectuals in the fields of history, philosophy and science
The Invasive Species We Can Blame On Shakespeare
There are 200 million European starlings in North America, and they are a menace
October 04, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Six Secrets of Polonium
This rare and dangerous element, discovered by Marie Curie, is found in cigarettes and was used to poison an ex-KGB agent
October 03, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Madame Curie's Passion
The pioneering physicist's dedication to science made it difficult for outsiders to understand her, but a century after her second Nobel prize, she gets a second look
October 2011 |
By Julie Des Jardins
Ten Historic Female Scientists You Should Know
Before Marie Curie, these women dedicated their lives to science and made significant advances
September 20, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Gavrilo Princip’s Sandwich
Was it really a lunch-hour coincidence that led to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914—and, by extension, to the great global catastrophes of the 20th century?
September 15, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
The First Supernova
In 185 A.D., someone in China looked up in the night sky and saw a new star
September 06, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
An Ode to Archaeopteryx
The many fuzzy and feathery dinosaurs that have been discovered reveal one of the most magnificent evolutionary transformations in the history of life
August 26, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
The Great New England Hurricane of 1938
Katharine Hepburn's Connecticut beach house and 8,900 other homes were swept into the sea
August 25, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Q and A: Smithsonian's Elizabeth Cottrell on the Virginia Earthquake
A Smithsonian geologist offers her expertise on the seismic event that shook much of the mid-Atlantic this week
August 24, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
Dinosaurs for Experts, or for Everyone?
Mounting a full dinosaur skeleton, some paleontologists believed, had more to do with art and architecture than with science
August 15, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
What is Killing the Bats?
Can scientists stop white-nose syndrome, a new disease that is killing bats in catastrophic numbers?
August 2011 |
By Michelle Nijhuis
Founding Fathers, Great Gardeners
In her new book, Andrea Wulf argues that the founding fathers' love of gardening shaped their vision of America
August 2011 |
By Erin Wayman
Tendaguru’s Lost World
The African fossil sites preserve dinosaur fossils that are strangely similar to their North American counterparts
July 28, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Barnum Brown’s Paleo Pick
Does "Mr. Bones" really deserve credit for inventing an essential field tool?
July 26, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
South America’s First Dinosaur Tracks
Tracks now readily recognizable as belonging to dinosaurs were once attributed to prodigious birds and other creatures
July 21, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
How the Great White Egret Spurred Bird Conservation
I was certain that the bird's plumage had to have been faked, but all the photographer did was darken the background. Those feathers were real
July 15, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
A Truly Exceptional Allosaurus
Cope did not know it at the time, but he had described an especially large representative of a species his rival had named just a year before
July 14, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Dryptosaurus’ Surprising Hands
This enigmatic tyrannosauroid may have had the novel combination of short arms with big hands
July 11, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
A Visit to Douglass’ Dinosaur
The site became a must-see dinosaur landmark in 1957, and in a few months, visitors will once again be able to see the spectacular quarry wall
June 28, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
Dinosaur Classics: Leidy’s Dinosaur Inventory
Contrary to a snarky review, this monograph is one of the most important works ever published in the history of vertebrate paleontology
June 27, 2011 |
By Brian Switek
