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Top 5 “Science Done Wrong” Moments in Movies

From asteroids to cloning, author and scientist David Kirby weighs in

Photo of the painting “Flowers in a blue vase” by Vincent van Gogh. The discoloration is located on the right side of the bouquet.

In a Van Gogh Painting, the Flowers Are Changing Color

Scientists have figured out why some of the “Flowers in a blue vase” became discolored over time

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Picture-Perfect Bonsai

In a new book, botanical photographer Jonathan Singer focuses his lens on the potted plants

All Ears! An Underwater Sculpture that Listens

A collaboration between sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor and marine biologist Heather Spence aims to track the development of a new coral reef

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It’s a Woman’s World With the End of Men

Men are floundering in the 21st century, according to Hanna Rosin, and the shift has wide-ranging implications for the workplace and the home

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What’s the Perfect Book to Get Over a Breakup?

Alain de Botton has provided a valuable service: giving reading prescriptions for a “shelf-help” approach to everyday problems

Bill Moggridge, Director, Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

Cooper-Hewitt Director Bill Moggridge Dies at Age 69

The Smithsonian mourns the loss of one of its visionary leaders

This summer, DNA 11 established the very first genetics lab devoted to art.

Genetics Lab or Art Studio?

DNA 11, based in Ottawa, has built the first high-tech genetics laboratory devoted solely to art making

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Collage of Arts and Sciences: Now In Session

Our newest blog explores the fertile ground where art and science meet

Studying animals can help greatly with the advancement of human medicine.

How Looking to Animals Can Improve Human Medicine

In a new book, UCLA cardiologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz reminds us that humans are animals too. Now, if only other doctors could think that way

The King himself, promoting “Jailhouse Rock”

Elvis Died 35 Years Ago and the Fans Still Can’t Help Falling in Love With Him

The King is dead. Long live the King

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Want to Get Rich? Win an Olympic Medal for Azerbaijan

How does the United States stand up against other countries in rewarding our Olympic athletes? Not well

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How Would You Rank the Greatest Presidents?

In a new book, political junkie Robert W. Merry shares his three-part test

In 1916, a great white shark attacked five people near the Jersey Shore.

The Shark Attacks That Were the Inspiration for Jaws

One rogue shark. Five victims. A mysterious threat. And the era of the killer great white was born

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Document Deep Dive: A Peek at the 1948 Games in London

Records at the National Archives in London show how organizers cobbled together the 1948 “Austerity” Games

In his new book, Wait: The Art and Science of Delay, Frank Partnoy claims that when faced with a decision, we should assess how long we have to make it, and then wait until the last possible moment to do so.

Why Procrastination is Good for You

In a new book, University of San Diego professor Frank Partnoy argues that the key to success is waiting for the last possible moment to make a decision

According to one evolutionary biologist, the modern family might look very different had some scrawny male hominids not found a clever workaround to having to physically compete against strong alpha males for mates.

Nerd Love and Why It’s Better For Everyone

In a new study, evolutionary biologist Sergey Gavrilets makes a fascinating claim for how monogamy took root several million years ago

Michael Pupa is the only living person featured in an exhibit at the National Archives that tells the stories of the men, women and children who struggled to both enter and exit the U.S. from 1880 to the 1950s.

Document Deep Dive: A Holocaust Survivor Finds Hope in America

Michael Pupa’s story, from orphan of Nazi Europe to American citizen, is a testament to the freedoms America offers

The Games may not exist at all were it not for the perseverance of the Brits.

The Little-Known History of How the Modern Olympics Got Their Start

Acclaimed sportswriter Frank Deford connects the modern Games to their unlikely origin—in rural England

We Owe Allegiance to No Crown, by John Archibald Woodside. c. 1814

“1812: A Nation Emerges” Opens at the National Portrait Gallery

To commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812, the museum debuts a curated collection of portraits and artifacts

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