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Articles

Flower Garden Brooch

These Artists Turn Trash Into Wearable Treasure

Scott and Lisa Cylinder use retooled or found objects to create their clever, one-of-a-kind baubles.

Men riding on the back of a car, 1940.

Cool Finds

110 Years Ago, Times Square Got Its Name: Celebrate by Browsing Old Photos of NYC

Thanks to a new release of images from the New York City Municipal Archives, you can see what the city looked like before it was consumed by neon

Laurel Consuelo Broughton, "The World is Flat"

Architects Give the Classic Chess Set a Radical Makeover

The designer behind the traditional kings and queens would resign if he saw these avant-garde game boards

Suspended clock made from walnut, cherry wood, white oak and box elder

James Borden Doesn’t Just Build Clocks, He Creates Sculptures that Tell Time

At the 32nd annual craft fair, the art and craft of the traditional clock takes on a whole new tick tock

Marian Anderson performing at the DAR Constitution Hall.

Four Years After Marian Anderson Sang at the Lincoln Memorial, D.A.R. Finally Invited Her to Perform at Constitution Hall

A benefit concert presaged the opera singer’s eventual rapprochement with the Daughters of the American Revolution

A coqui frog perches on a branch in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico

Chirps of Coqui Frogs May Be Getting Shorter and Higher Pitched As Climate Warms

The shift in duration and pitch could impede females’ ability to pick up on mating signals, researchers say

Beneath Anderson's coat is a bright orange velour jacket, a form-fitting number trimmed in gold with turquoise buttons, now among the collections at the Smithsonian.

When Marian Anderson Sang at the Lincoln Memorial, Her Voice Stunned the Crowd, and Her Gold-Trimmed Jacket Dazzled

With no color photos of her famous performance in existence, the brilliance of Marian Anderson’s bright orange outfit has been lost, until now

Photo Contest

Announcing Our 11th Annual Photo Contest Winners

See our winners and finalists, selected from over 50,000 entries

Desmarestia herbacea, acid kelp; Santa Cruz, CA; c. 1898; Collection: University Herbarium, UC Berkeley, CA

Art Meets Science

These Delicate Images of Seaweed Were Captured Using a Flatbed Scanner

In a new book, photographer Josie Iselin highlights the exquisite colors and forms of kelp and other marine algae

The Donart

Afraid to Go Back to the Cronut? Here Are Five Pastries That Could Take Its Place as the Pastry of Choice

Satisfy your sweet tooth with these delicious treats

Warka Water towers are designed to take advantage of condensation.

Tech Watch

This Tower Pulls Drinking Water Out of Thin Air

Designer Arturo Vittori says his invention can provide remote villages with more than 25 gallons of clean drinking water per day

Could it be true vole love, or just a casual encounter? Depends on whether booze is involved.

New Research

Drunken Prairie Voles Help Explain Alcohol’s Demons

Why do some people become more prone to attachment and sentimentality when drunk, while others tend to stray?

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New York City’s Disappearing Mom-and-Pop Storefronts

Two photographers set out to see what happened to small family businesses in New York City in a decade

The Original Grenade Mugs

This Steampunk Pottery by a Man Named Beer is Not Your Usual Craft Fair Fare

Paveen “Beer” Chunhaswasdikul’s unique, hand-hewn stoneware will be showcased at the 32nd annual Smithsonian Craft Show

Peter Matthiessen’s Lifelong Quest for Peace

In one of his final interviews, the award-winning writer talks about what inspired him to travel to the farthest reaches of the globe

On December 10, 1941, Joy Cummings poses with one of the four cherry trees vandalized at Washington, DC's Tidal Basic.

Vintage Headlines

After Pearl Harbor, Vandals Cut Down Four of DC’s Japanese Cherry Trees

In response to calls to destroy all the trees, officials rebranded them as “Oriental” rather than “Japanese”

The GE + Quirky Aros air conditioner has the brains to keep you as comfortably cool as possible during summers while saving you money.

Tech Watch

An Air Conditioner Automatically Starts Cooling While You’re On The Way Home

With a host of automation features, the Aros air conditioner can help consumers save on utility costs and conserve energy

One day we could stop worrying about bumpy flights.

Tech Watch

Can New Technology Help Planes Dodge Turbulence?

Airlines are testing new technology that could even warn pilots of “clear air turbulence” in advance

Baridi, the Houston Zoo's two-month-old Masai giraffe.

Cute Baby Animals You Have To See This Spring

From tiny tapirs to pint-sized polar bears — America’s zoos are full of new baby animals

Noah's Ark by Edward Hicks, 1846.

New Research

Could Noah’s Ark Float? In Theory, Yes

Basic physics suggests that an ark carrying lots of animal cargo could float, but science doesn’t support other facets of the biblical tale

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