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"Old City Hall, Wall St., N.Y." Steel engraving by Robert Hinshelwood

George Washington’s Congress Got Off to an Embarrassing Start

The new federal government was plagued with absences and excuses—until James Madison helped kick things into gear

Neuroscience is giving new meaning to the phrase "get on my wavelength."

New Research

Students’ Brains Sync Up When They’re in an Engaging Class, Neuroscience Shows

What does it really mean to get our brains on the same wavelength?

Unlikely savior: The remarkable properties of spaghnum moss help preserve long-dead bodies, sequester carbon and even heal wounds.

World War I: 100 Years Later

How Humble Moss Healed the Wounds of Thousands in World War I

The same extraordinary properties that make this plant an “ecosystem engineer” also helped save human lives

American South

Each Spring, the World’s Punniest Humans Head to Texas

The 40th Annual O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships comes to Austin in May

Roadmap is a new idea whose aim is to facilitate action on climate change without any of the usual suspects—governments, countries, international bodies, negotiating parties.

Using a New Roadmap to Democratize Climate Change

A new tool aims to bypass governments and put the power of climate action in the people’s hands

Maria Bochkareva

The Women Warriors of the Russian Revolution

Soldier Maria Bochkareva proposed all-female battalions, in part to shame men into continuing the fight

Synchronous fireflies put on a show each spring in the Great Smoky Mountains. Photinus carolinus is the only firefly species in the U.S. that flashes in unison.

National Parks

If You Want to See Thousands of Fireflies Light Up at Once, Head to the Great Smoky Mountains

A firefly mating ritual turns into a synchronized light show

Ernestine Rose championed abolition and women's rights in her adopted land.

The Immigrant Activist Who Loved America’s Ideals, If Not Its Actions

By the 1850s, Ernestine Rose was a well-known public figure, far more famous than her allies Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony

From the tiniest to the most massive of poos, physics predicts we should all spend the same amount of time on the john.

New Research

A Grand Unified Theory of Pooping

Why you and an elephant spend the same amount of time on the john

Roughly 70 pink pigeons exist in captivity around the world, including this one at the San Diego Zoo.

Future of Conservation

Threatened Species? Science to the (Genetic) Rescue!

This still-controversial conservation technique will never be a species’ panacea. But it might provide a crucial stop-gap

In a post-9/11 world, border walls between countries have become more common. But the science is severely lacking in our understanding of how they impact species and fragment ecosystems. Here, a continuous wire fence marks the border between the U.S. and Mexico near Tijuana.

Future of Conservation

How a Border Wall Could Wreak Ecological Havoc

Also in this episode of Generation Anthropocene: The case of U.S. Navy ships, beached whales and deadly sonar pings

The National Portrait Gallery commissioned a poem from the Pulitzer Prize winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa for the museum's new exhibition, "The Face of Battle."

A New Poem is Commissioned to Honor the Soldiers Who Fight America’s Wars

Pulitzer Prize winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa writes “After the Burn Pits” for the National Portrait Gallery

The Innovative Spirit fy17

In an Emergency, You’ll Want This Hi-Tech First Aid Kit

Ram Fish, founder and CEO of 19Labs, talks about developing his clinic-in-a-box

"Intensive XX" contains 78 reproductions of paintings by notable Russian artists. Their display space: the Moscow Metro.

This Moscow Subway Car Brings an Art Museum to Commuters

Experience some of Russia’s most notable pieces of art while traveling by train

The surface of mastodon bone showing half impact notch on a segment of femur.

New Research

Remarkable New Evidence for Human Activity in North America 130,000 Years Ago

Researchers say prehistoric mastodon bones bear human-made markings

Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was a Prussian soldier designated inspector general of the American Continental Army. He was in charge of training the troops in 1778 during the period of the American Revolutionary War.

The Prussian Nobleman Who Helped Save the American Revolution

When American troops faltered, Baron von Steuben helped whip them into shape

Ensilicated proteins

Innovation for Good

Keeping Vaccines Safe in Tiny “Cages”

By encasing vaccines in silica, researchers could eliminate the need to refrigerate them during transportation

Scientists studying the bones of the Hawaiian petrel, which flies great distances over the north Pacific Ocean to feed, are collecting an invaluable long-term story dating from thousands of years ago.

Bones of the Hawaiian Petrel Open Up a Window Into the Birds’ Changing Diet

Industrial fishing may play a role in the shift

The Fears That Fueled an Ancient Border Wall

When Hadrian built a mighty wall in his most remote territory, he got more than he bargained for

Ujala Baoli, Mandu, Madhya Pradesh. Late 15th/Early 16th century. Location: 22°21’29.87’’ N, 75°23’45.36’’ E.

Photos Capture India’s Ancient, Vanishing Stepwells

These intricate architectural marvels are in danger of disappearing

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