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William Shatner, who turned 81 in March, still seems possessed of boundless energy and bluster.

What William Shatner Would Put on His Gravestone

The modern-day Renaissance man, known for his work on the stage and the screen, provides insights from the Tao of Captain Kirk

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The Messy History of Tacos

There’s so much more to the humble taco than meets the hungry North American consumer’s eye - or palate

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The End of Swimsuit Design Innovation

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Sugar Placebo Pills Can Make You Feel Worse

Lurking in the shadows around any discussion of the placebo effect is its nefarious and lesser-known twin, the nocebo effect

3 Ways Emergency Preparedness Is Like Wedding Planning

Last week, the CDC released its Wedding Day Survival Plan, a document which reads like a natural disaster preparedness checklist

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These Adorable Lemurs Are On the Verge of Extinction

Lemurs are the most threatened group of vertebrates on the planet

A mother’s DNA contains enough information to sequence a fetal genome.

Fetal Genome Sequenced Without Help From Daddy

Researchers now need only a blood sample from a pregnant mother to construct a fetus’ entire genome

Wurman describes TED as the conference of the 20th century. He says WWW will be the conference of the 21st century.

Why TED Founder Richard Saul Wurman Thinks TED Is So Last Century

The creator of the popular speaker series spent Friday at the Smithsonian talking about the next step in his prolific design career

A map of Chicago, Illinois, imprinted in 1913 from the United States Geographical Survey’s historical topographic map collection.

A Treasure Trove of Old Maps at Your Fingertips

Soon, all of the United States Geographical Survey’s old topographical maps will be available online

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Sahelanthropus tchadensis: Ten Years After the Disocvery

A decade ago, scientists unearthed what may be the oldest hominid ever found

Computers predict a city’s crime hot spots.

Can Computers Predict Crimes?

A lot of police departments hope so. They’re starting to invest in software that uses algorithms to forecast where crimes are most likely to happen

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Should Pluto’s Planet Status Be Reinstated? Not Yet

Discovery of a fifth moon circling Pluto has some questioning where the “dwarf planet” category still applies to this faraway member of the Solar System

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Dino Beatdown is Boring

Even though Dino Beatdown delivers on the jetpacks and Velociraptor, that’s not enough to make it a fun game

The covered Kogod Courtyard provides the perfect setting for Thursday’s jazz concert with the Freddie Redd-Butch Warren Quintet celebrating the legacy of Thelonius Monk.

Events July 17-19: Virtual Caving, Air Force Strings and a Tribute to Thelonius Monk

This week at the Smithsonian: take a virtual tour beneath the earth’s surface, see the Air Force Strings perform and honor the genius of Thelonius Monk

Butch Johnson draws his bow during the Olympic Men's Archery competition in 2000 in Sydney, Australia.

Butch Johnson’s Guide to Watching Archery

The gold medalist offers a cheat sheet on his sport’s rules, maneuvers and slang

Greg Louganis competes in a diving event held in August 1984 at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

Greg Louganis’ Guide to Watching Diving

The gold medalist offers a cheat sheet on his sport’s rules, maneuvers and slang

Sada Jacobson Baby (right) of the United States battles with Leonore Perrus of France in the bronze medal match in the Women's Team Sabre event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Sada Jacobson Bâby’s Guide to Watching Fencing

The silver medalist explains the equipment, rules and maneuvers of her sport

Tara Nott Cunningham attempts a snatch during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Tara Nott Cunningham’s Guide to Watching Weightlifting

The gold medalist offers a cheat sheet on her sport’s rules, maneuvers and slang

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WWII Navy Corpsman Collected Birds Between Pacific Theater Battles

Americans Are Really Bad At Living Green But Aren’t Too Upset About It

Americans are “confident that individual actions can help the environment,” while simultaneously, “trailing the rest of the world in sustainable behavior.”

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