Articles

Events February 19-21: Native Voices, a Modern Silent Film and Trumpet Jazz

This week, watch films by American Indian youths, see Academy Award-winner “The Artist” and snap your fingers to some world-class jazz

February 19, 2013

The History of the Flapper, Part 3: The Rectangular Silhouette

Finally, women could breathe deeply when the waist-nipping corset went out of style

February 19, 2013

No Salt, No Problem: One Woman’s Life-or-Death Quest to Make “Bland” Food Delicious

The more salt we eat, the more we crave. This new approach to less-salty cooking might help you step off the treadmill

February 19, 2013

Into the Cave of Chile’s Witches

Did members of a powerful society of warlocks actually murder their enemies and kidnap children?

February 19, 2013

What Can We Do About Big Rocks From Space?

Last week’s close encounters with space rocks have raised concerns about how we deal with dangerous asteroids. Here’s how we would try to knock them off course.

February 19, 2013

It’s Raining Spiders in Brazil

A video captures images of thousands of spiders raining down on a Brazilian town, but it turns out this event is perfectly normal

February 18, 2013

Any Two Pages on the Web Are Connected By 19 Clicks or Less

There are more than 14 billion pages on the web, but they are linked by hyperconnected nodes, like Hollywood actors connected through Kevin Bacon

February 18, 2013

Know Your Presidents? Stabbings, Pet Raccoons, Cat Fights and Other Presidential Lore

Do you know which president liked to skinny dip in the Potomac or who had the first pet cat in the White House?

February 18, 2013

Parched Middle East Faces Severe Water Crisis

Drought and over-pumping has led to groundwater losses in the Middle East that equal almost the entire volume of the Dead Sea, a new study shows.

February 15, 2013

Libra: The 21st Century (Libertarian) Space Colony

The government can’t get their hands on you when you’re floating above Earth

February 15, 2013

Appreciate Weird, Adorable Pangolins Before They’re Gone

Across Asia, a plague of hunting has hit pangolins, though it’s not too late to save these intriguing creatures from extinction

February 15, 2013

From Virginia to Missouri to the Smithsonian: Jefferson’s Tombstone Has a Long Story

At the institution for a year of repairs, the president’s gravemarker calls the University of Missouri campus home

February 15, 2013

Climate Change’s Latest Victim: Canada’s Outdoor Ice Rinks

A new project asks citizens to monitor their backyard rinks, helping to track how a warming climate is affecting Canada’s skating tradition

February 15, 2013

How Does McCormick Pick the Top Flavors of the Year?

Ten years ago, the spice company identified chipotle as a taste on the rise. They’re back at it again with new predictions for 2013

February 15, 2013

The Drones of the Future May Build Skyscrapers

Innovative architects are experimenting with small unmanned aerial vehicles to prove that drones can do more than cause destruction

February 15, 2013

“Freakish Absurdities:” A Century Ago, An Art Show Shocked the Country

The Armory Show provoked reactions of love and hate; today it is recognized as changing American art forever

February 15, 2013

A Valentine for Sci-Art Lovers

A clever print by designer Jacqueline Schmidt pays homage to 12 different species with one thing in common—they mate for life

February 14, 2013

When Cane Juice Meets Yeast: Brewing in Ecuador

The sugarcane trail takes the author across the Andes, into liquor distilleries and from juice shack to juice shack as he pursues fermented sugarcane wine

February 14, 2013

Flushing Your Anti-Anxiety Pills Down the Toilet Could Affect the Behavior of Wild Fish

A study shows that wild perch are less fearful, eat faster and are more anti-social when exposed to a common pharmaceutical pollutant

February 14, 2013

Events February 15-17: Sketching Lessons, Arabian Jazz and Lincoln’s Dream

This week, indulge your creative side, hear Arab music, and meet a children’s book author

February 14, 2013