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Atlas of Eating

Local Lens: Our Favorite Instagram Tongue Teasers

Hailing from Vietnam, Turkey and Italy, these photographers show that a love of beautifully arranged food knows no borders

Smart Startup

Forget Substitute Teachers. “Parachute Teachers” May Be the Future.

When the teacher is out, why not have a local chef or engineer lead a lesson?

From top left: (A and B) The new species Pylopaguropsis mollymullerae in Bonaire; (C and E) the new species in a den with a broad banded moray (D) the new species' coral ledge habitat.

Smithsonian Scientist and a Reef-Diving Grandmother Team Up in Discovery of New Hermit Crab

A new species of hermit crab is named to honor her 7-year-old granddaughter Molly

Astrolabes were astronomical calculating devices that did everything from tell the time to map the stars. This 16th century planispherical astrolabe stems from Morocco.

Think Big

The Story of the Astrolabe, the Original Smartphone

Prosperous times likely paved the way for this multifunctional device, conceptual ancestor to the iPhone 7

Trajineras boats float long the canals of Xochimilco.

Mexico’s Famous Floating Gardens Return to Their Agricultural Roots

One of the capital city’s iconic tourist sites doubles as an experiment in urban farming

Beatrix Potter Books

How Beatrix Potter Invented Character Merchandising

Faced with rejection, the author found her own path to fame and fortune

The horse mandible marked by traces of stone tools, which might prove humans came to North American 10,000 years earlier than previously believed.

Humans May Have Arrived in North America 10,000 Years Earlier Than We Thought

A 24,000-year-old horse jawbone is helping rewrite our understanding of human habitation on the continent

Atlas of Eating

When Happy Hour Was “Green Hour” in Paris

When the clock struck five, 19th-century Parisians turned to absinthe

The manuscript notebook is comprised of astronomical observations with tables of viewing data, describing transit witnessed by King George III and others, 3 June 1769, with notes signed by Stephen Demainbray, astronomer.

The Royal Archives Reveals the Hidden Genius Behind George III’s “Madness”

Historians are salivating at the opportunity to gain new insights into the massively misunderstood monarch

The Experimental Lakes Area in Ontario is one of the world's leading long-term experiments tracking the effects of climate change, pollution and other factors on freshwater ecosystems.

Canadian Scientists Explain Exactly How Their Government Silenced Science

It wasn’t just climate research. Rock snot, sharks and polar bears: All were off-limits during the Harper administration

The structure of the battery is formed from a sheet of chromatography paper, divided into a grid of creases.

This Spit-Powered Biobattery Is Made From a Single Sheet of Paper

Researchers at Binghamton University are developing inexpensive paper biobatteries to power simple sensors that monitor things like blood sugar

Winter Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1917

Russian Revolution

On the Eve of the Russian Revolution, a Palace Coup Seemed Inevitable, But Where Would it Come From?

The elites were upset, but the working class was primed for insurrection

The Portal exhibition at the U.S. Holocaust Museum, offering a chance to have a conversation with refugees.

History of Now

What Is it Like to Be a Refugee? Here’s Your Chance to Ask One

At the U.S. Holocaust Museum, an immersive video chatting experience allows you to talk in real-time with refugees living in camps

President Clinton presents Fred Korematsu with a Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony at the White House Thursday, Jan. 15, 1998. Korematsu's legal challenges to civilian exclusion orders during World War II helped spur the redress movement for Japanese-Americans.

Fred Korematsu Fought Against Japanese Internment in the Supreme Court… and Lost

Nearly 75 years later, the infamous decision has yet to be overturned

While the peaks and valleys on people's ECGs may look identical to the untrained eye, they’re actually anything but.

Using Your Heartbeat as a Password

Researchers have developed a way of turning the unique rhythms of your heart into a form of identification

It may not be pretty, but meat eating has been a critical factor in creating the fossil record.

Why Paleontologists Should Love Meat-Eaters

… Particularly the ones that feasted on human flesh. Thanks, guys!

This Town in Iceland Is a Modern Pompeii

Iceland’s ‘Mountain of Fire’ volcano wreaked havoc with an island and the island fought back

Who in society gets to be viewed as "brilliant"?

New Research

By Age Six, Girls Have Already Stopped Thinking of Their Gender as ‘Brilliant’

The’re more likely to assume that someone who is ‘very, very smart’ is male, new research finds

While it has some kinks to work out, this sleek new device could help in the bid to limit landfill-bound waste.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Can This Trash Can Turn Food Waste Into Garden Treasure?

The Zera Food Recycler may not transform scraps into ready-to-use soil, but it could still help take a bite out of landfill-bound waste

Clarius is the first ultrasound developer to go wireless, pairing its handheld device with a smartphone.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

This Handheld Ultrasound Scanner Could Be the Next Stethoscope

Clarius co-founder and CEO Laurent Pelissier believes the affordable, wireless device could revolutionize health care

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