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Subjects including the arts and humanities, government, nature, people, recreation, science and societyDiscover Smithsonian articles related to the arts, history, science and popular culture.
Why Did the Lights Go Out in the Superdome?
What actually caused the power outage in the 73,000 seat Superdome? Well, it's unclear
February 04, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Rise and Fall of Nikola Tesla and his Tower
The inventor's vision of a global wireless-transmission tower proved to be his undoing
February 04, 2013 |
By Gilbert King
This Computer Program Uses Old Headlines to Predict the Future
By analyzing old news, this artificial intelligence program can predict the future
February 04, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Don’t Get Duped: Six Foods That Might Not Be The Real Deal
Colored sawdust instead of saffron? Corn syrup instead of honey? It's all in the newly updated USP Food Fraud Database
February 04, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Timbuktu’s Priceless Manuscripts Are Safe After All
Rebels set fire to the library, but the precious documents were already gone
February 04, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Welcome to Blackdom: The Ghost Town That Was New Mexico’s First Black Settlement
A homesteading settlement founded out of reach of Jim Crow is now a ghost town, but postal records live on to tell its story
February 04, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Searching for the Russian Loch Ness Monster in a Frozen Siberian Lake
In a record-breaking dive, the head of the Russian Geographical Society sunk to the bottom of Lake Labynkyr in Siberia, one of the coldest lakes in the world
February 04, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Honey, I Blew Up the Bugs
Italian artist Lorenzo Possenti created 16 enormous sculptures of giant insects, all scientifically accurate, now on display at an Oklahoma museum
February 04, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Events February 5-7: Tachyons, Middle Eastern Landscape and Ai Weiwei
This week, hear about the one thing in the world that may be faster than light, consider Western media's depictions of the Middle East and discuss Ai Weiwei's art
February 04, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Scientists Think They’ve Found Richard III’s Body Under a Parking Lot
Researchers announced this morning that the bones found beneath a parking lot in England are likely those of King Richard III
February 04, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Strange Ball in a Strange Place: Watching the Super Bowl in Ecuador
America's Biggest Game brings excitement, curiosity and some boredom to Ecuador
February 04, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Are Punch and Judy Shows Finally Outdated?
For a wife-beating, baby-squashing scofflaw, Mr. Punch has done pretty well for himself
February 04, 2013 |
By Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
Obesity Could Be the True Killer for Football Players
Head injuries have received much deserved attention in the news, but there’s a 350-pound problem that few are discussing
February 04, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Top Ten Cases of Nuclear Thefts Gone Wrong
These thieves would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn’t been for those meddling anti-smuggling authorities
February 04, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
Scientists See Insect Outbreaks From Space
A new tool uses satellite imagery to help researchers track small disturbances such as bug infestations, which may increase in scope as climate changes
February 01, 2013 |
By Claire Martin
Grand Central Terminal Turns 100
The iconic New York building, which celebrates its 100th birthday this weekend, has a storied past
February 01, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
A Brief History of the Buffalo Chicken Wing
How the wing went from a throwaway to a delicacy in 50 years
February 01, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
This Japanese Theater Company Has a Robot Actress
No, it’s not Brent Spiner. It's an honest-to-goodness robot
February 01, 2013 |
By Lauren Kirchner
Quantum Physicists Show What Time Travel Could Look Like
Quantum physics professors at the University of Ulm in Germany, have created a mathematically-accurate visual approximation of the hypothetical Gödel model of the universe. That is, they show what it would look like if you could simultaneously see past, present, and future versions of physical objects. Sandrine Ceurstemont of New Scientist, who compiled the video [...]
February 01, 2013 |
By Lauren Kirchner
Andy Warhol’s Having a Really Big Few Months
When Andy Warhol famously said that “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes,” he couldn’t have been talking about himself. Two and a half decades after his death, he shows no sign of leaving the spotlight
February 01, 2013 |
By Lauren Kirchner
