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Frito Pie and the Chip Technology that Changed the World

As we approach one of the biggest snack days of the year, meet the “Tom Edison of snack food” who brought us the “Anglo corn chip”

The view from the Dirt Mulholland

L.A.’s Answer to the Yellow Brick Road

A group including the actor Jack Nicholson has tried to get Dirt Mulholland on the National Register of Historic Places

Who is headed to the Moon next?

Going to the Moon…Or Not

Is that what it will take for NASA to get its mojo back? Or are there better ways to spend its money?

How do boa constrictors know when to stop constricting?

Boa Constrictors Get a Feel for Their Prey

What makes a snake stop squeezing? We do science to prove ourselves wrong, because the answer people predicted is not the correct answer

The American Indian Museum features two daily films through the month of February

Events Jan 31-Feb 2: Draw and Discover, Great Spies of WWII, and February Daily Films

This week, sketch at the Luce Foundation Center, learn about espionage during WWII, and enjoy a Cree film at the American Indian Museum

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How an Ankylosaur Went Out to Sea

How did a heavily armored dinosaur wind up at the bottom of Alberta’s Cretaceous sea?

The last photo of Mawson's Far Eastern Party, taken when they left the Australasian Antarctic Party's base camp on November 10, 1912. By January 10, 1913, two of the three men would be dead, and expedition leader Douglas Mawson would find himself exhausted, ill and still more than 160 miles from the nearest human being.

The Most Terrible Polar Exploration Ever: Douglas Mawson’s Antarctic Journey

A century ago, Douglas Mawson saw his two companions die and found himself stranded in the midst of Antarctic blizzards

Jean Dujardin and Missi Pyle in Michel Hazanavicius's The Artist

The Never-Ending Tussle Between Box Office Hits and Award Winners

Blockbuster movies often lose out at the Oscars, while winners can’t find enough viewers

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Sunday Funnies Blast Off Into the Space Age

When Dr. Athelstan Spilhaus met President Kennedy in 1962, JFK told him, “The only science I ever learned was from your comic strip.”

Best of the Worst Roadside Dinosaurs

From New York to California, America’s roads are haunted by bad dinosaurs

A recent study indicates that ancient peoples in Peru were eating popcorn.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Inca Road

Ancient Popcorn Unearthed in Peru

New discoveries indicate people were eating our favorite movie snack far longer ago than we thought

Saving the Whales (And Eating Them Too?)

What does whale meat taste like, and is it anything like jojoba oil, prosciutto or jellied crustaceans?

The Martin Agency has created the jingles for Freecreditreport.com, "Peggy," the worthless customer service agent for Discover Card and the caveman, shown here, for Geico.

What Makes an Ad Successful?

With over 30 years of experience in the industry, John Adams shares what it takes to make a great Super Bowl advertisement

Dale Nichols, Navigating Icebergs, 1941 oil on canvas panel, 22 x 25, From the Collection of Valentino Chickinelli, Omaha, Nebraska.

Go Behind the Red Barn and Rediscover Dale Nichols

Though snubbed by scholars, the American realist painter produced surprisingly symbolic works, as a striking new exhibition makes clear

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Stephen Fry Inside the World of Dinosaurs

British actor Stephen Fry narrates a new interactive dinosaur encyclopedia

Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's trilogy kicks off with "Where is the Friend's Home?"

Weekend Events Jan 27-29: Iranian Film Festival, Renwick Birthday Party, and Silkscreening Demo

This weekend, the Iranian Film Festival features Abbas Kiarostami, the Renwick Gallery turns 40, and artist Kristina Bilonick leads a silkscreening demo

Are Apple's digital textbooks going to change the industry?

Teacher’s Got a Brand New Bag

Whether it’s iPads replacing textbooks or college courses being offered free around the world, education is moving into some uncharted territory.

After decades of space exploration, there are now more than 500,000 pieces of artificial debris greater than half an inch in size.

Space Garbage: The Dark Cloud Above

A mass of debris from satellites and space missions is orbiting our planet—and it may be growing all the time

Rango (Johnny Depp) in Rango, from Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies

A Post-Mortem on the Oscar Nominations

Who were the winners and losers in yesterday’s announcement of the Oscar nominees?

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This Week’s Breathtaking Aurora Borealis

Recent solar storms have triggered northern lights of unprecedented color and intensity

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