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Articles

Researchers Hope a Treatment that Creates New Hair Follicles Cures Male Baldness

A specific protein called fibroblast growth factor 9, when overstimulated in mice, increased new hair follicle formation by a factor of two or three

Americans Check Their Emails Even When They’re Sick And on Vacation

A new study confirms what we all shamefully know: even when we’re sick or on vacation, we check our emails

Melting Greenland glaciers will have an effect on the global climate by affecting the strength of ocean circulation patterns. Exactly how much of an effect they’ll have is stlll up in the air.

We Know Humans Are Causing Global Warming; Here Are Some Things We’re Less Sure About

Here, gleaned from the IPCC’s briefing, are some of the things we still don’t know much about

Martin Klimas captures “Sonic Sculptures” of songs by setting paint atop a speaker and cranking the volume. Above: “Time,” by Pink Floyd.

The Sounds of Pink Floyd, Daft Punk and James Brown, As Expressed by Flying Paint

Photographer Martin Klimas sets paint atop a speaker and cranks the volume, snapping shots as the boom of music pulses paint into the air

An Incredibly Detailed Size Comparison Chart of Science Fiction Spaceships

What would it look like if you put nearly every famous science fiction spaceship next to one another? This image

Microbes Can Tell Scientists Exactly How Long a Body’s Been Decaying

In addition to helping determine time of death, microbes may be able to tease out causes of death and place of death

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The Civil War

In Lines of Long Array, 12 Poets Reflect on the Civil War

The National Portrait Gallery commissioned 12 modern-day poets to consider the harsh realities of battles that continue to haunt

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The National Selfie Portrait Gallery Is a Real Thing, And It’s Art

Made up of solely selfies, the gallery attempts to explore how people see themselves

The National Museum building, now known as the Arts and Industries building, wouldn’t open to the public until October 1881, but made an exception for a big debut: President James A. Garfield’s inaugural ball on March 4, 1881. The building’s West Hall, which faces the central Rotunda, was decorated with “festive buntings, state flags and seals.” Workers constructed a temporary wooden floor for the event’s 7,000 guests (and 10,000 bins for their hats and coats).

The Arts and Industries Building: Innovation Through The Years

A look at the evolution of the second-oldest building on the National Mall

Image courtesy of Christie's Images Ltd.

Cracking the Code of the Human Genome

Document Deep Dive: Francis Crick Explains the ‘Secret of Life’

In a heartfelt letter to his son, the scientist who helped discover DNA explains his earth-shattering findings

A green sea turtle

Sea Turtles Are Nesting in Record Numbers

Once pushed to endangerment, nesting sea turtle numbers are soaring

Chromosomes Aren’t Actually X Shaped

So much for all that memorizing you did in high school

There Are Obese Dogs, So, Naturally, There Are Dog Weight Loss Camps

For these companions, shedding hair is easy, shedding the pounds, not so much

Osmia chalybea, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia

Bee-utiful! The Stinging Insect Gets a Close-Up

Biologist Sam Droege’s sharply-focused photographs of bees, used for identifying different species, make for fine art

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Listen to the Entire Evolution of the Guitar Solo in Six Minutes

The guitar is a symbol for rock and roll, and the lead guitarist its champion

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There Used to Be an Entire Museum Full of Weird, Old Robots, And You Can Still Take a Video Tour

Today, people can get their old creepy robot fix on the internet. But there was once a whole museum devoted to old bots

The Pepsi Pavilion at Expo ’70

When PepsiCola Allowed a Team of Artists to Wreak Creative Havoc

In 1970, the soft drink company commissioned artists, musicians, and engineers to design an interactive pavilion that could disappear in a puff of smoke

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Remembering an Iconic Era Lost to Time: The Stars and Films of the Silent Pictures

Curator Amy Henderson reminds us of power and influence and glory of the celebrities that pioneered the silent film era

“Another Voice for Cleveland,” September 1884

President Cleveland’s Problem Child

Not even a specific allegation of philandering, illicit pregnancy and coverup barred Grover Cleveland from the White House

Rolly-polly trilobite

Meet the First Creature Ever to Roll Up in a Ball for Self-Defense

A species of tiny trilobite has taken the ball-rolling champion lead by millions of years

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