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Bottoms up: Wineglass Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula.

Nudity, Art, Sex and Death – Tasmania Awaits You

With one big bet, an art-loving professional gambler has made the Australian island into the world’s most surprising new cultural destination

When the future president journeyed to Kogelo in 1987, it was, he said, as if “a circle was beginning to close.”

A Journey to Obama’s Kenya

The dusty village where Barack Obama’s father was raised had high hopes after his son was elected president. What has happened since then?

In Janos, Mexico, Mormon guide John Hatch chats with a youngster at a 17thcentury Catholic church.

The Romneys’ Mexican History

Mitt Romney’s father was born in a small Mormon enclave where family members still live, surrounded by rugged beauty and violent drug cartels

Off the coast of Cape Town, Robben Island is home to African penguins, whose future is by no means assured.

Make Way for the African Penguins

Few places let you get as close to the raffish birds—many of which are endangered—as South Africa’s Robben Island

Mandela returned in 1994 after being elected president.

A Visit to Robben Island, the Brutal Prison that Held Mandela, Is Haunting and Inspiring

To visit the brutal prison that held Mandela is haunting, yet inspiring

The narrow-gauge Durango & Silverton train steams through history above the Animas River.

Smithsonian Best Small Towns 2012

The 20 Best Small Towns in America of 2012

From the Berkshires to the Cascades, we’ve crunched the numbers and pulled a list some of the most interesting spots around the country

Billions of miles from Earth, the probes prepare to break out of the “bubble” of solar particles.

Timothy Ferris on Voyagers’ Never-Ending Journey

With the spacecraft poised to leave our solar system, the writer who helped compile the time capsules they carry reflects on our foray into outer space

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The Definition of Home

Be it ever so humble, it’s more than just a place. It’s also an idea—one where the heart is

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How Do Birds Find Their Way Home?

Birds must be geniuses because they use quantum mechanics to navigate

The species could self-destruct because of its biting behavior.

What is Killing the Tasmanian Devil?

The island’s most famous inhabitant is under attack by a diabolical disease

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Fast Forward: The Dark Energy Camera

Get a sneak peak at the new project that will search for mysterious cosmic energies that drive our universe

Matt Groening, creator of the Simpsons, was going to name the main character Matt, but didn't think it would go over well in a pitch meeting, so he changed the name to Bart.

Matt Groening Reveals the Location of the Real Springfield

Twenty-five years after The Simpsons made their TV debut, the show’s creator talks about Homer’s odyssey—and his own

Gripping Photos of Fallen Soldiers’ Bedrooms

A photographer’s images of domestic tranquility pay tribute to U.S. service members

This custom-made board carried Kelly Slater to victory in Australia in 2010; the champion got his first surfboard at age 8 and from that moment, he says, “I was hooked.”

Kelly Slater, the Chairman of the Board

An ode to surfing’s fiercest, most successful competitor – who now has a place in the Smithsonian collections

On May 6, 1937, the hydrogen-filled zeppelin burst into flames, shown here in a colorized photo, above a New Jersey field, killing 35 of 97 riders.

Found: Letters from the Hindenburg

A new addition to the Smithsonian collections tells a new story about the legendary disaster

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The Conversation

Readers Respond to the April Issue

A veterinarian examines a cheetah cub at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

Keeping the Smithsonian Sustainable

Secretary Clough writes on the benefits of being an environmentally savvy institution

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The Banana King, Surviving K2, the Allure of America and More Recent Books

The man who helped make the banana an American favorite also mercilessly used his company’s power to topple foreign governments

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What Types of Animals Have Been to Space and More Questions From our Readers

You ask, we answer – our Smithsonian experts fill you in on the truths behind your burning questions

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Spotlight

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