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The Mystery of the Missing Acorns

I was surprised to read in the Washington Post yesterday that oak trees from northern Virginia to Nova Scotia failed to produce any acorns this year

Fried chicken: the last meal of choice.

What Would You Choose for Your Very Last Meal?

That’s what the National Museum of Crime and Punishment asked 500 of its visitors

A crocheted coral reef

Smithsonian Events Week of 12/1-7

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Dinosaur Blog Carnival Edition #2, Part I

Angel Watkins and co-workers in Colorado blame many culprits in the decline of the Aspen.

What’s Killing the Aspen?

The signature tree of the Rockies is in trouble

Climate change causes carbon dioxide to dissolve in ocean water making it more acidic and efficient at transmitting sound waves.

Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Chewing dinosaurs, climate change, self-sacrificing ants and black bears

Despite receiving critical acclaim, the Curtis film was a box office failure.

Around the Mall: Old Documentary on Western Tribes Restored

How a Film Helped Preserve a Native Culture

NASA's Stardust capsule returned from a seven-year, three-billion-mile trip to collect dust from comet Wild 2.

Stardust Memories

Cosmic dust may reveal some of the uncovered secrets of our universe

"First lady of the children's folk song," Ella Jenkins.

Holiday Spirit

The only known image of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg was uncovered in 1952 at the National Archives. It was taken by photographer Mathew Brady.

Gettysburg Address Displayed at Smithsonian

Lincoln’s timeless speech during the Civil War endures as a national treasure

Installation artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Together they built "Running Fence", a 24.5-mile fabric divide through Northern California.

Q and A: Christo and Jeanne-Claude

The artists discuss Running Fence, their 1976 fabric installation that ran through Northern California and subject of an upcoming Smithsonian exhibition

North African artisans combined gold and silver to forge jewelry like the khamsa.

What’s Up

Lincoln’s face, African alchemy, and Victory Mail are all on display at Smithsonian museums

Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia

Big Deals

Revelry and Architecture

"Years later, in the Kremlin," Karsh would recall, "[Leonid] Brezhnev agreed to sit for me only if I made him as beautiful as Audrey Hepburn."

From Castro to Warhol to Mother Teresa, He Photographed Them All

Yousuf Karsh took a singular approach to fame and the famous

Thanks to the Internet, everyone's a book critic.

Amazon Warriors

Thanks to the Internet, everyone’s a book critic

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Letters

Readers Respond to the November Issue

A Sufi pilgrim dances at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, in Sehwan Sharif, Pakistan, in 2006.

Pakistan’s Sufis Preach Faith and Ecstasy

The believers in Islamic mysticism embrace a personal approach to their faith and a different outlook on how to run their government

Pier M. Forni's book, The Civility Solution: What do Do When People Are Rude.

Choosing Civility in a Rude Culture

Professor Pier M. Forni has devoted his career to convincing people to conduct their lives with kindness and civility

Author of Karsh Reality, Mathew Gurewitsch.

Matthew Gurewitsch on “Karsh Reality”

Mark Catesby's Blue Jay.

Mark Catesby’s New World

The artist sketched American wildlife for Europe’s high society, educating them on the creatures living among the unexplored lands

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