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Aviation, curiously, is the same age as the motion picture business.

How David Mamet Became a Memorabilia Addict

The famed playwright reminisces about how he got hooked on collecting artifacts from the golden era of air travel

Cooked is a from-the-atom-on-up exploration of the ways in which ingredients are transformed.

Michael Pollan, World War II and More Recent Books Out This Month

Read about the transformation of food and what happens to it once its in the digestive system

In late 1938, the revolutionary DC-3 plane departed Newark Airport for Glendale, California.

How the DC-3 Revolutionized Air Travel

Before the legendary aircraft took flight, it took 25 hours to fly from New York to Los Angeles

A toy Statue of Liberty was one of thousands sold to raise funds to build the real statue's pedestal.

America’s Got a Case of Souvenir Mania

A new book from a Smithsonian curator looks at the culture and business of memorabilia

Ever wonder how much water is in a cloud?

How Much Water Is in a Cloud and More Questions From Our Readers

Imaginary numbers, Roy Lichtenstein and much much more

Night Raid, by Louie Palu.

Spotlight

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The Greening of the Arctic is Underway

As the climate changes, trees and shrubs are poised to take over tundra and alter the Arctic’s ecosystems

The gooey confections can be used to measure the speed of light and demonstrate relationships between the volume of a gas and its pressure and temperature.

Marshmallows: The Perfect Media for Demonstrating Principles of Physics

The gooey confections turn out to be a must-have for at-home science experiments

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What Major World Cities Look Like at Night, Minus the Light Pollution

Photographer Thierry Cohen tries to reconnect city dwellers with nature through his mind-blowing composite images—now at New York City’s Danziger Gallery

Beneath the seafloor, there is an ecosystem of microbes living in the oceanic crust, independent of sunlight. Here, the seafloor of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica.

Microbes Buried Deep in Ocean Crust May Form World’s Largest Ecosystem

Far below the ocean floor, scientists have discovered a microbial community away from undersea vents, beyond the reach of the sun

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The Jetsons Get Schooled: Robot Teachers in the 21st Century Classroom

Elroy gets in trouble with his robot teacher as we recap the final episode from its first season

Will going to class become quaint?

Free Online Courses Mean College Will Never Be the Same

They’re the biggest innovation in higher education in years, but are they a threat to small universities and community colleges?

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Now You Know the History of G.I. Joe. And Knowing Is Half The Battle

The evolution of the All American Hero from artist’s mannequin to action figure

An island of ice breaking away from Greenland’s Petermann Glacier (in the center of the photo) in the summer of 2010.

Greenland’s Glaciers Are Hemorrhaging Ice, Best Seen By Photos from Space

Satellites snap pictures of Greenland’s glaciers, which a new study shows are vanishing at an accelerated pace, helping to spike global sea levels

An estimated 2 million Peeps are produced each year. Many find homes in Easter baskets, but some are incorporated into drinks and desserts.

Five Ways to Cook with Peeps

From brownies and milkshakes to casseroles and salads, Easter’s favorite marshmallow can go a long way in the kitchen

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Sugar Cube-Sized Robotic Ants Mimic Real Foraging Behavior

Researchers use tiny robots to study how ants navigate a labyrinth of networks, from the nest to the food and back again

Baby-Making Efforts May Produce Best Results in Winter And Early Spring

Men produce more and healthier sperm during this time of year

In a type Ia supernova, and the new Iax mini-supernova, a white dwarf star (the one with the disk) eats a nearby star. When it grows big enough, it explodes.

Astronomers Discover Baby Supernovae

This new type of mini-supernova doesn’t destroy the star

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Research Shows That True Fame Lasts Longer Than 15 Minutes

Contrary to the cliché, an analysis of news articles over the years shows that celebrity has lasting power

The tiny parasitic wasps flourish by laying eggs inside other insects (above: a wasp punctures a fruit fly).

Events March 29-31: Parasitic Wasps, Joseph Henry and Victorian Portraits

This weekend, learn about wasps that live inside their prey, meet Smithsonian’s first secretary from 1846 and see living rooms from 150 years ago

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