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Folk artist Lavern Kelley's "Classroom with Three Figures"

The List: Seven “Back to School” Artifacts

As teachers and students head back into the classroom, we present a list of the Smithsonian Institution’s most interesting school-related objects

George Veditz

Using Movies to Debate Sign Language

A 1913 film mirrors contemporary conflicts over how best to teach the deaf

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Tracking the Fate of an Unseen Dinosaur Drama

Tippett’s “Prehistoric Beast” remains one of the best dinosaur films ever made. What could he have accomplished with “Dinosaur”?

Perhaps it's time to start teaching kids useful kitchen skills in home economics classes.

Is Home Economics Class Still Relevant?

“Too many Americans simply don’t know how to cook,” says a historian, and that has contributed to a health crisis

The Bryan's Shearwater

A New Hawaiian Bird Species Discovered

Thanks to efforts by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, the first bird species discovered in the United States in decades has been described

A male elephant at Etosha National Park in Namibia

Male Elephants Queue in Dry Times

Researchers believe the hierarchy helps elephants avoid injuries that could result from competing for water

Inspired by recent archaeological research, the people in the Cuzco region of Peru are rebuilding terraces and irrigation systems and reclaiming traditional crops and methods of planting.

Farming Like the Incas

The Incas were masters of their harsh climate, archaeologists are finding—and the ancient civilization has a lot to teach us today

When Pride Still Mattered, a biography of Vince Lombardi, is as much about the man as it is about the coach.

The Essentials: Five Books on Football History

Sports columnist Sally Jenkins picks out the books that any true sports fan would want to read

Thoreau daguerreotype

Thoreau Leaves Walden Pond

On this day in 1847, Henry David Thoreau ended his celebrated time in solitude and took up the great task of writing about it

Car sharing in Rome

Will Sharing Replace Buying?

Thanks to social media and wireless networks, we have less reason to own things. Welcome to the sharing economy

Bookzilla at the Decatur Book Festival

Dinosaur Sighting: Bookzilla

The monster got its start as a science experiment that escaped to Decatur, Georgia—although, technically, I am not sure if Bookzilla counts

A combined image from the Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observatories of RCW 86, which was determined to have started out as SN 185

The First Supernova

In 185 A.D., someone in China looked up in the night sky and saw a new star

The Leaf-tailed Gecko

Events September 6-8: Zoo Photo Club, Hands-on Astronomy and ASL Art Tour

This week, learn how to photograph exotic animals, get a telescopic look at the sky, and see American Art through a new perspective

Nobody can pass up a delicious dessert tray.

Inviting Writing: Top Class Cafeteria

This is unlike any cafeteria I’ve ever seen, and I make a mental note that I need to see about getting a transfer

Marm Mandelbaum, the "Queen of Fences"

The Life and Crimes of “Old Mother” Mandelbaum

She had the eyes of a sparrow, the neck of a bear and enough business acumen to build an empire as the “Queen of Fences”

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The Dinosaur Revolution Will Be Televised

A new miniseries is more dinosaur tribute than scientific documentary

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A Trip to the Moon as You’ve Never Seen it Before

Frame enlargement from Le Voyage Dans La Lune/A Trip to the Moon

A Trip to the Moon as You’ve Never Seen it Before

One of the landmark films in cinema can now be seen in color

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What the Goofy “More Dinosaurs” Got Right

A new DVD release of an old program is something of a dinosaur mixtape, with science and pop culture blended together

A cinnamon apple muffin

More Official State Foods

Texas has more than a half-dozen, including a state snack (tortilla chips and salsa)

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