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Articles

A feral cat, just trying to get by.

Feral Cats Kill Billions of Small Critters Each Year

A new study shows that cats—especially feral ones—kill far more birds and small mammals than scientists previously thought

Falernum, a syrup that originates in Barbados, pairs nicely with rum.

Falernum: The Elusive Cocktail Syrup to Name Drop At Your Next Party

This tiki-era mixer, best served with rum, has a hazy past and an island-y bite

Coming Out of the Closet May Be Good For Your Health

For lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals, a new study suggests that coming out provides a tangible health benefit, both mentally and biologically

After Eleven Years, the DSM-5 Is Finally Finished

After eleven years, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has updated the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

A Baltimore staple.

The Berger Cookie is Baltimore’s Gift to the Chocolate World

For nearly 200 years, the true black-and-white cookie has been delighting residents of Charm City

If you can name these dashing gentlemen, you’re off to a good start for Thursday’s rock-and-roll trivia night at the National Portrait Gallery.

Events January 29-31: Ancient Chinese Artifacts, Opera Masters and Rock-and-Roll Trivia

This week, see chinese artifacts once collected in a New Jersey apartment, learn about two of opera’s greatest composers and show off your rock knowledge

A miniaturized George Jetson talks to his boss Mr. Spacely on a videophone (1963)

Future Calling: Videophones in the World of The Jetsons

If there’s one thing the Jetsons came closest to nailing, its the prevalence of being able to talk with your boss or family via video

Let your horse sleep in today. Smithsonian museums don’t open until noon due to weather.

Museums Delay Opening Due to Weather

Smithsonian museums in the Washington, D.C. area as well as the National Zoo will open at noon Monday, due to inclement weather

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Urban Heat Islands Can Alter Temperatures Thousands of Miles Away From a City

Ambient heat produced by a city’s buildings and cars often gets lifted into the jet stream and affects temperatures in places thousands of miles away

Artist Anatole Kovarsky’s image from the cover from the November 24, 1962 issue of The New Yorker

American Myths: Benjamin Franklin’s Turkey and the Presidential Seal

How the New Yorker and the West Wing botched the history of the icon

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Mona Lisa Travels by Laser, to Space And Back Again

To test the reaches of laser communication, NASA beamed a digital image of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous portrait to a satellite orbiting the moon

An on-site laboratory will let scientists check for microbial life in the subglacial water.

American Drilling Team Is About to Break Through 800 Meters of Ice to Reach Subglacial Lake

Sampling should be done late this evening, with scientific sampling of the subglacial waters beginning immediately

A new study suggests that lightning alone—even without the other elements of a thunderstorm—might trigger migraines.

Lightning May Trigger Migraine Headaches

A new study suggests that lightning alone—even without the other elements of a thunderstorm—might trigger migraines

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How to Tour Jane Austen’s English Countryside

Follow in the footsteps of Mr. Darcy and the Bennet sisters and take in the manors and gardens of rural England

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Ordering Pizza Online in the Retrofuture

In the 1980s and 90s, there we some really cheesy depictions of ordering food online

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Things to Do in Quito While Nursing Achilles Tendonitis

With its clean public parks, brewpubs, museums and tapas bars, Quito is a fine place to spend a week recovering from an injury

A new study shows the tiny insects orient themselves by the stars.

African Dung Beetles Navigate At Night Using the Milky Way

A new study shows the tiny feces ball-rolling insects orient themselves by the stars

Painting of an Inuit woman with face tattoos, 1654. See a film by an Inuit director attempting to reclaim this tradition in “Tunniit: Retracing the Lines of Inuit Tattoos.” Author unknown.

Events January 25-27: Persian Drama, Inuit Face Tattoos and Schubert’s Fantasy

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Who Designed the Seal of the President of the United States?

We see it on the President’s lectern and in the Oval Office, but who came up with the look and feel of it in the first place?

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Scientists Dismiss Geo-Engineering as a Global Warming Quick Fix

A new study shows that dispersing minerals into oceans to stem climate change would be an inefficient and impractical process

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