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Nike's new Flyknit running shoe

The High-Tech Minimalist Sock-Shoe

Nike’s latest innovation promises to improve runners’ comfort, help the environment, and revolutionize shoe manufacturing

Starchy staple of the tropics, the breadfruit is often fried or baked and eaten like potatoes.

Exotic Fruits to Eat Locally When Traveling Globally

The crimson fruits occur by the millions, and fishermen, tequila-sipping cowboys, and even a few tourists take to the desert to pursue the pitahaya

Madelia, Minnesota is a small town with a big plan to produce fuel made from local materials for local markets.

A Little Independent Energy Experiment on the Prairie

If you can fight your way through the dirt storms of Madelia, Minnesota, you may be able to find the future of renewable energy

The skull of Yutyrannus

Scientists Discover a Gigantic Feathered Tyrannosaur

A newly described dinosaur confirms that even the formidable tyrannosaurs were covered in feathers

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Sicilian Easter Sweets

On the Italian island, marzipan figures—pears, plums, Paschal lambs—are a favorite holiday treat

Does what you are hearing affect how you taste?

What Does Sweetness Sound Like?

Lab experiments show that we associate different sounds with different flavors, and that sounds influence how foods taste

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, travel writer and historian Tony Horwitz is telling tales about his new book on John Brown at the American Art Museum.

Events April 6-8: Kyoto Kimonos, American Pictures: Tony Horwitz, Castle Highlights Tour

This weekend check out the Kyoto Kimono: Spring Trunk Show, American Pictures: Tony Horwitz and take a tour of the Institution’s first and oldest building

1928 article about astrologers predicting that 1929 will be a year of prosperity

Astrologers Predict 1929 Will Be Year of Prosperity

The world without the Great Depression looks a lot rosier in hindsight

The ballpark of the future in Miami

Welcome to the 21st Century Ballpark

The new Marlins Park in Miami isn’t another retro stadium. No, it’s high-tech and arty and a little bit wacky

As part of the Google Art Project, you can now virtually wander the halls of the American Art Museum and see remarkably detailed reproductions of hundreds of works

The Portrait Gallery and American Art Get the Google Art Project Treatment

As part of the Google Art Project, you can now virtually wander the halls of the museums and see remarkably detailed reproductions of hundreds of works

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Infographic: The Rise and Fall of Scoring in Baseball

From the dead-ball era to the steroids era, the balance between pitchers and hitters has always been in flux

Bugs Bunny pitches in Baseball Bugs.

Baseball on the Screen

In honor of baseball’s Opening Day, here’s a list of baseball-related films that may be new to you

New research suggests hominids were building fire by at least one million years ago.

The Earliest Example of Hominid Fire

New research reveals hominids were building fires one million years ago, pushing back the origins of controlled fire by more than half a million years

Were the arms of Tyrannosaurus adapted for catching and inspecting fish? No way.

Paleontologists Sink Aquatic Dinosaur Nonsense

Tales of aquatic dinosaurs have proliferated through the news, providing one more sad example of failed reporting and the parroting of fantastic claims

Huntley and Palmers biscuit tins that were found in Antarctica.

The Art of the Biscuit Tin

Double-baked biscuits with a long shelf life were the food of choice for European travelers, and the tins they were packaged in are now collector’s items

The Women in Science Edit-a-Thon in progress.

How Many Women Does It Take to Change Wikipedia?

Smithsonian Archives’ Wikipedian-in-Residence Sarah Stierch is determined to bridge the gender gap on Wikipedia

Better Feet Through Radiation: The Era of the Fluoroscope

A margarita at Margaritaville in Key West

A World of Cocktails

Unmixed feelings about mixed drinks, from the Singapore Sling to the Spritz con Aperol, courtesy of a thirsty traveler

Today, 245 floating homes nose into the five docks at Sausalito's Waldo Point Harbor.

Livin’ on the Dock of the Bay

From the Beats to CEOs, the residents of Sausalito’s houseboat community cherish their history and their neighbors

El Capitan, as seen here from the floor of Yosemite Valley, was once considered almost unclimbable.

A Short Talk With a Legend of Rock

“Climbing without risk isn’t climbing,” says Yvon Chouinard, American rock climbing pioneer and founder of Patagonia

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