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Articles

Marcel Breuer's proposed Roosevelt Memorial

Washington, D.C.

The Failed Attempt to Design a Memorial for Franklin Roosevelt

The debacle of the Eisenhower memorial is only the most recent entry in a grand D.C. tradition of fraught monuments

Pat Millin eyes an unridden Arctic wave moments before he paddles out

Meet the Insane Surfers Who Travel to the Arctic Ocean to Catch a Wave

Photographer Chris Burkard takes pleasure in working through the misery of the ice-cold waters of Norway

Mount Fuji is beautiful when viewed from a distance. But it is also an active volcano that, if it erupts, could displace more than a million people in Japan.

What Makes A Volcano Dangerous? People

Millions of people worldwide live in the shadows of dangerous volcanoes

The equivalent caloric amount of chicken, pork or eggs would represent an order of magnitude less greenhouse gas emissions than what was required to produce this beef.

New Research

Raising Beef Uses Ten Times More Resources Than Poultry, Dairy, Eggs or Pork

If you want to help the planet but can’t bring yourself to give up meat entirely, eliminating beef from your diet is the next-best thing

An attendee at the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo, in Los Angeles, California, tries out an Oculus VR headset kit.

Can’t Picture a World Devastated by Climate Change? These Games Will Do it for You

Augmented and virtual reality games may help crack the code of getting humans to do something about the environment

The 3D-print surface on Orange Maker's prototype heliolithography printer.

Tech Watch

Coming in 2015: A Faster, Sharper Way to 3D Print

Orange Maker’s Helios One prints in a spiral, as opposed to layer by layer, making the entire process more efficient

Delicate Arch in Arches National Park near Moab, Utah.

New Research

How Does Nature Carve Sandstone Pillars and Arches?

Researchers say the right mix of erosion and stress creates Earth’s natural sandstone arches and columns

The descendants of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison donated ten items to the National Museum of African American History and Culture this month.

Breaking Ground

The Descendants of Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison Donate Family Heirlooms

Objects belonging to the anti-slavery advocate spent a century collecting dust in an attic. Now they’re on their way to the African-American history museum

The initiation ceremony for a 19th century secret society, as imagined by an artist.

The Cannibal Club: Racism and Rabble-Rousing in Victorian England

These 19th-century gentlemen of good standing let their inner boors loose in secret London backrooms

Actor Andy Serkis's motion-capture performance rendered into a photo-perfect computer-generated ape.

How New Motion Capture Tech Transformed Actors Into Creatures for “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”

The special effects team behind Gollum and King Kong took on its most-challenging feat yet: animating 2,000 apes in a real forest

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Cool Finds

An Abandoned Mall in Bangkok Has Turned into a Gigantic Fish Habitat

Though if it weren’t for the fish, the mall would be overrun with mosquitoes

The train after the initial police investigation in Cheddington, Buckinghamshire.

The Big Mystery Behind the Great Train Robbery May Finally Have Been Solved

Chris Long’s A Tale of Two Thieves examines the largest cash theft of its time

Elusive Indus River dolphins.

New Research

Why Freshwater Dolphins Are Some of the World’s Most Endangered Mammals

In Pakistan, dams and drainage has reduced the endangered Indus River dolphin’s range by 80 percent

2001 Anthrax Case

Washington, D.C.

Anthrax Letters, Now on View, Represent the Serious Threats Faced by the Post Office

The National Postal Museum’s “Behind the Badge” exhibit explores the history and legacy of the United States Postal Inspection Service

Scientists are looking to restore memory by stimulating neurons deep in the brain.

Tech Watch

Could Implants in the Brain Revive Memory?

The Defense Department is funding research to see if “neuroprosthetics” implanted in the brain can heal damaged memory.

The LACMA exterior as seen from Wilshire Boulevard.

Why Museums Don’t Need Gleaming New Buildings, Especially Not in Los Angeles

An award-winning architect suggests that the city reconsider its plans to raze its iconic art museum

A Citi Field hotdog. How does it compare with your home ballpark's?

The Hunt for the Best Ballpark Hot Dog

Tom Lohr has been traveling the country making his own list of All-Star franks. Who has the best one?

Looking for a New Place to Live? This Man Chose an Airplane

Oregon man Bruce Campbell created a home in a salvaged 727 aircraft

Legos can not only build great castles and towers for play — they could also offer the most affordable way to study plant root growth yet.

How Legos Could Change What We Know About Plants

Researchers are using toy bricks to study how plants react to environmental factors.

Soccer chants are an important part of the World Cup. German fans sang while watching their national team play against USA back in June.

World Cup 2014

What Makes Soccer’s Chants So Catchy?

Songs like “Olé, Olé, Olé” and “Seven Nation Army” are dominating soccer. Music experts weigh in on why that is

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