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What Makes Rain Smell So Good?

A mixture of plant oils, bacterial spores and ozone is responsible for the powerful scent of fresh rain

Darius Brubeck with students from Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, 2007

Dave Brubeck’s Son, Darius, Reflects on His Father’s Legacy

As a global citizen and cultural bridge-builder, Dave Brubeck captivated the world with his music, big heart and a vision of unity

Jupiter’s innermost large moon, Io, is extremely volcanic. “If you look closely on the upper left and upper right horizon, you can see eruptions in the process of happening,” says Benson. “We know that at least 400 volcanos are continuously blasting magma into space from Io.” Mosaic composite photograph. Galileo, July 3, 1999.

Michael Benson’s Awe-Inspiring Views of the Solar System

A photographer painstakingly pieces together raw data collected by spacecraft to produce color-perfect images of the Sun, planets and their many moons

New research says olive oil is one healthy fat.

10 New Things We Know About Food and Diets

Scientists keep learning new things about food, from the diet power of olive oil’s aroma to how chewing gum can keep you away from healthy foods

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Why Geckos Don’t Slip Off Wet Jungle Leaves or Hotel Ceilings

A surface’s ability to attract and repel water heavily influences the degree to which a gecko can cling overhead, new research shows

Gerhard Richter (above) is one of the world’s most accomplished living painters. Watch a documentary about him and his creative process at the Hirshhorn Museum this Thursday.

Events April 2-4: Native Sousa Music, Free Art Lessons and Gerhard Richter

This week, learn about a little-known Native American musical tradition, make something creative and see a world-class painter in action

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How Crisco Went From Cryst to Disco

The American History Museum covers all things grease for its April Fool’s Day conference open to the public

Super low-slung pants

Sagging Pants Butt Up Against the Law

Yet the droopy trousers trend lives on

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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