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Bruce McCall Illustrates the Future That Wasn’t

According to past predictions, we should be living in an era of flying cars and other marvels. But be glad that some advances haven’t happened

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How to Become the Engineers of Our Own Evolution

The “transhumanist” movement says better technology will enable you to replace more and more body parts—even your brain

“Closer Than We Think”, May 11, 1958

Before the Jetsons, Arthur Radebaugh Illustrated the Future

In the 1950s and ‘60s, the newspaper cartoonist dreamed up a madcap American utopia, filled with flying cars and fantastical skyscrapers

Chart Sources: Meadows, D.H., Meadows, D.L., Randers, J. and Behrens III, W.W. (1972)

Looking Back on the Limits of Growth

Forty years after the release of the groundbreaking study, were the concerns about overpopulation and the environment correct?

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Dear Science Fiction Writers: Stop Being So Pessimistic!

Neal Stephenson created the Hieroglyph Project to convince sci-fi writers to stop worrying and learn to love the future

Tigers are thriving in and around India’s Nagarhole National Park, with a regional population of 250. “If we do everything right, we can have 500,” says big-cat biologist Ullas Karanth.

The Fight to Save the Tiger

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A Debate Over The Best Way to Protect the Tiger

Experts battle each other over a $350 million plan to keep the tiger from becoming extinct

The Prehistoric Giants Hall of Fame

What were the largest species of all time? Does the Tyrannosaurus rex make the list?

Wilson says our instinct to settle down both ensures our success and dooms us to conflict.

Edward O. Wilson’s New Take on Human Nature

The eminent biologist argues in a controversial new book that our Stone Age emotions are still at war with our high-tech sophistication

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Who Would Live on Wall Street?

In the wake of the financial crisis, New York’s financial district is getting something new: full-time residents

1950 depiction of a smoldering New York after a nuclear attack

Hiroshima, U.S.A.

In 1950, a popular magazine depicted what an atomic bomb would do to New York City—in gruesome detail

A selection of a new image of distant galaxies in the COSMOS field. Click to see the whole view.

Picture of the Week: A Deep View of the Universe

A new survey of a slice of the distant reaches of the universe reveals 200,000 galaxies

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When Runaway Planets Go 30 Million Miles Per Hour

A new discovery indicates some planets may be flung out of our galaxy at velocities a few percent of the speed of light

Naomi Braithwaite's footwear sketches for a design course at London College of Fashion

How Ideas Become Shoes: Creativity in Process

Using shoe design to understand human creativity

Current entrance to The Lot.

Historic Film Studios Gone, but Not Forgotten

The demolition of buildings in West Hollywood and New York City leads us to ask: “What parts of our film heritage are we going to keep?”

My Allosaurus ink

Allosaurus Ink

When I decided to get my first science tattoo, the choice was clear—it had to be Allosaurus

In northern Spain, pouring apple cider from bottle to glass is a sport requiring dexterity and skill, as demonstrated by this barman in La Calzada, Asturias.

More Brews and Booze from Around the Globe

Ignore everyone and beware of liquid that looks like water—because it’s probably chacha, and in the Republic of Georgia, locals will make you drink it

A new exhibition will examine the ecological and cultural ramifications of cell phones.

Coming Soon: A Natural History of the Cell Phone

An upcoming Natural History Museum exhibit will look at the cultural and ecological effects of mobile phones

Mahanoy Mountain shows the scars of strip mining.

A Short Trip to Coal Country

Some things never change: Disneyland's parking lot in the '50s.

Time to Reinvent the Parking Lot

Some urban planners and architects say we can do a lot better than asphalt slabs and concrete boxes

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