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Beginning July 23, at Natural History, see examples of technologies that endow researchers with X-ray vision. Shown here is Selene vomer by David Johnson, 2008.

What’s Up

Before there were fruit patents, there were pictures. Shown here is The Red Astrachan apple.

How to Trademark a Fruit

To protect the fruits of their labor and thwart “plant thieves,” early American growers enlisted artists

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Dazzling Displays: 8th Annual Photo Contest Winners

Out of more than 50,000 photographs submitted, editors – and readers – picked seven showstoppers

"The most hated show of the year" is how a critic described Eggleston's landmark 1976 exhibition.

William Eggleston’s Big Wheels

This enigmatic 1970 portrait of a tricycle took photography down a whole new road

Guidelines for advertising on U.S. currency.

On the Money

Advertisers discover the value of a dollar

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Letters

Readers Respond to the May Issue

Ned Kahn's Rain Oculus is a 70-foot-wide whirlpool at the Marina Bay Sands complex in Singapore. The huge whirlpool can circulate 6,000 gallons of water per minute and funtions as a kinetic sculpture, skylight and waterfall.

Ned Kahn: The Limits of the Knowable

By channeling the elements of wind and water, the environmental sculptor’s designs inspire awe and curiosity in museum visitors

"I will not live in silence," said Thomas A. Drake, in Washington, D.C. in May. He was charged with retaining national defense information.

Leaks and the Law: The Story of Thomas Drake

The former NSA official reached a plea deal with the government, but the case still raises questions about the public’s right to know

Ancient cultures used an array of ingredients to make their alcoholic beverages, including emmer wheat, wild yeast, chamomile, thyme and oregano.

The Beer Archaeologist

By analyzing ancient pottery, Patrick McGovern is resurrecting the libations that fueled civilization

Ruins in front of the Capitol in Richmond showing some of the destruction caused by a Confederate attempt to burn Richmond.

Battlefields

Casualties mounting on two fronts

In her new book, Founding Gardeners, London-based historian Andrea Wulf argues that the founders' love of gardening and farming shaped their vision of America.

Founding Fathers, Great Gardeners

In her new book, Andrea Wulf argues that the founding fathers’ love of gardening shaped their vision of America

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This Month in History

Momentous or Merely Memorable

Scores of high-spirited civilians carried picnic baskets and champagne to the battlefield to watch what would turn out to be the first major land engagement of the Civil War. Shown here is the battlefield as it appears today.

The Civil War

The Battle of Bull Run: The End of Illusions

Both North and South expected victory to be glorious and quick, but the first major battle signaled the long and deadly war to come

Many of the West's outdoor towns lie farther south, and closer to larger population centers. Missoula, Montana still has space around it.

Missoula: A Perfect Mix of Town and Country

Author Rick Bass trades wilderness for city life, Montana style

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What Is on Your Life List?

Now that you’ve seen our list, tell us the places that you think everyone should visit at least once in their lifetimes

No. 5, by Takiguchi Kazua

At the Sackler, an Underground Gallery Glows with Sunlight

New exhibit at the Sackler: “Reinventing the Wheel,” celebrates an era when Japanese potters abandoned the wheel to pursue new expressive forms of the art

The Vine With Its Own Bat Signal

Specially shaped leaves lure the flying mammals. The bats get a meal, and the flowers get pollinated

Sometimes you feel like a nut...

Marrons Glacés: $4 a Nut, But Worth Reminiscing Over

The ultra-sugary confections, popular in France and Italy, have a creamy texture and unmistakable warm chestnut flavor

The head of Coelophysis - a close relative of Camposaurus - as restored by John Conway

The Intriguing, Frustrating Camposaurus

Paleontologists have reexamined the paltry bones and affirmed that the creature is an important link to the early days of theropod dinosaurs

Santorini’s villages cling to red-and-black cliffs, looking out on a nearly enclosed 400-foot-deep lagoon; this deep harbor was formed when a catastrophic volcanic eruption occurred some 3,600 years, creating a massive crater.

The Smithsonian Life List: 43 Places to See Before You Die

From wonders of the world to thrills for adventure seekers, we’ve compiled a list of sites that any true world traveler cannot miss

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