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Articles

Almost two-thirds of new teachers report that their training left them underprepared.

Round Table

How Do You Make a Great Teacher?

Push student teachers harder, stick with them once they’re in the classroom, and integrate them into their schools’ communities

Those who see Needle Tower often wonder how, with barely 14 inches of contact with the ground, the 60-foot tower stays upright.

How Does the Hirshhorn’s 60-Foot “Needle Tower” Stay Upright In A Stiff Wind?

In the 1960s, when artist Kenneth Snelson mingled architectural innovation with abstraction, the result was heavenly

Vote for the Star Wars Exhibition Hashtag

The traveling exhibition needs a hashtag. What will it be?

5 Umezebi Street, New Haven, Enugu, 2012

Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s Intimate Work Straddles Mediums And Oceans

The young Nigerian-American artist wins one of the Smithsonian’s most prestigious awards.

A full-size Boeing 757 tail equipped with sweeping jets was tested in a wind tunnel at the Ames Research Center.

Designing a Smaller, Lighter Airplane Tail

With engineers from Caltech, Boeing and NASA, Israel Wygnanski is ushering in a new era of fuel-efficient airplane design

The quantum realm can seem to defy common sense.

Five Practical Uses for “Spooky” Quantum Mechanics

Fifty years after Bell’s Theorem, tools that harness the weird properties of quantum mechanics are at work all around you

2014 Holiday Gift Guide

The Best Gifts of 2014 for Science Geeks

A roundup of unique science gifts, from space dog lockets to mathematical bottle openers

Looking for a unique, useful gift for a traveler on your list? The Ostrich pillow may look unusual, but it's great for catching up on rest.

2014 Holiday Gift Guide

What to Give to the Traveler in Your Life

From clothespin reading lights to a clear-bottom kayak, gifts for every traveler (and price point)

The Rubbee electric drive turns your bike into an e-bike.

2014 Holiday Gift Guide

Eight Tech Gifts for Early Adopters

From a personal drone and a 3D printer to sleep and sport performance trackers, these gadgets will please the technophiles in your life

The Range cooking thermometer for iPhone/iPad could be the perfect gift for a tech-inclined foodie.

2014 Holiday Gift Guide

What to Give to Your Favorite Foodie This Holiday Season

Special sauces, spices and tools will delight the amateur chef in your life

2014 Holiday Gift Guide

Best Gifts of 2014 for Nature Lovers

Smithsonian editors, gardeners and scientists offer ideas to give the gifts that keep wildlife thriving

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends … "

Shopping on Black Friday Makes You Feel Like a Well-Loved Warrior

A powerful cocktail of social bonding and competitive adventure will compel more than 95 million people to hit the stores on one day

The Hunger Games cornucopia from the first movie.

The Architecture of the Hunger Games’ Horns of Plenty

What inspired the architectural object at the center of the Hunger Games arena?

English Settlers in America

The 17th-Century English Who Settled in the Southern U.S. Had Very Little to be Thankful For

Indentured servants, these immigrants suffered through malnutrition and horrible conditions upon arriving in America

Instead of pumpkin pie, consider serving boereg.

What Do America’s Top Chefs Cook for Thanksgiving?

A quick survey of some of the unique dishes that restaurant chefs prepare for their own family dinner

The T5 Gallery located inside London's Heathrow Airport.

Stuck at the Airport? Why Not Take In an Art Exhibit

A missed connection or delayed arrival doesn’t have to ruin your time at the airport, especially if your airport has an art show

A system in testing off the coast of Cape Town uses an electric field to safely ward off predators.

An Electric Fence Wards Off Sharks

South Africa has begun testing a humane way to make its beaches safer

Probably not a picky eater.

Why Are You a Picky Eater? Blame Genes, Brains and Breast Milk

The complicated science behind picky eating is giving experts plenty of food for thought

Belz Factory Outlet Mall, an abandoned shopping mall in Allen, Texas, United States.

The Death And Rebirth of the American Mall

Malls are dying—but a dead mall gives a community the chance to rebuild something that might have been doomed to begin with

Artist Yoshi Sodeoka envisions musical instruments carried in satellites orbiting the Earth that would be able to “neutralize nations at war."

How Will We Make Music in 200 Years?

A group of innovators were asked to imagine what music will be like in 2214. If they’re right, it could be pretty bizarre

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