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Articles

Since laws limit the height of new structures in Mexico City, an architect has proposed building a 65-story Earthscraper.

The Next Frontier in Urban Design Will Send You Undeground

Move over Morlocks, humans are headed to your neighborhood

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Why Shakespeare is Julie Taymor’s Superhero

For the renowned director of the screen and stage, the Bard is a fantasy and a nightmare

Carlos, by Joseph Rodriguez: a sense of ownership of the city

Witnessing the Latino Experience at the American Art Museum

A voluminous new exhibition highlights Latino art as American art

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Dive into Jen Lewin’s Interactive Light Pool

“The Pool” invites visitors to create dazzling light displays by jumping across 100 glowing pads

Teaching a simulated robot to walk is significantly easier if it starts with a simple body plan and grows limbs as it learns.

Beware. Scientists are Creating Machines That Can Evolve on Their Own

Or to put it a nicer way, researchers have found a way for robots to grow on their own

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The Brilliance Behind the Plan to Land Curiosity on Mars

Adam Steltzner’s ingenious ideas were crucial to the most spectacular space mission of our time

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The Totally Original Sound of St. Vincent

The singer-composer brings new sophistication to pop composition, conjuring ethereal dreamscapes from her suburban roots

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Upending the Narrative of the Great Man of History

The Voice of Witness project spearheaded by Dave Eggers and Mimi Lok gives the victims of crisis a megaphone

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The Freshman at MIT Who is Revolutionizing Nanotechnology

Teenager Saumil Bandyopadhyay has harnessed cutting-edge physics to upend industries ranging from automobiles to astronomy

Electronics That Can Melt in Your Body Could Change the World of Medicine

John Rogers, a revolutionary materials scientist, is pushing the boundaries of the medical world

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Dear Sir, Ben Franklin Would Like to Add You to His Network

Historian Caroline Winterer’s analysis of Franklin’s letters applies big data to big history

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How Do You Get Poor Kids to Apply to Great Colleges?

Caroline Hoxby and her team of researchers are revolutionizing the way the best colleges reach out to talented low-income students

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Doug Aitken is Redefining How We Experience Art

The artist uses video, music, mirrors, railroad cars, even entire buildings to create works that make every viewer a participant

The Toxins That Affected Your Great-Grandparents Could Be In Your Genes

Biologist Michael Skinner has enraged the chemical community and shocked his peers with his breakthrough research

2013 Smithsonian Ingenuity Awards

The 2013 Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award Winners

We recognize nine of the past year’s shining achievements and the innovators behind them

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This Thanksgiving, Step Back in Time and into 17th-Century Plymouth Colony

Reenactors in this “living museum” bring the Pilgrim’s homestead back to life

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Step Inside Yayoi Kusama’s Dazzling “Infinity Rooms”

The artist’s New York exhibition, “I Who Have Arrived In Heaven,” invites viewers to get lost in new mirror-lined installations

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If Cockroaches Are Conscious, Would That Stop You From Smushing Them?

Research has shown cockroaches are adept communicators, and can even show individual personality

Microbes May Be Responsible For Wine Regions’ Distinctive Flavors

Wines’ regionally-distinctive flavors may be caused by the bacteria and fungi that live on the grapes

The Hunger Games Is Getting More People Interested in Archery

For Hunger Games fans, there’s a new hobby in town: archery

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