Arts & Culture

These Redesigned Egg Cartons and Tea Bags Let You Play With Your Breakfast Meal

To reimagine your morning meal, one designer looks to bridge engineering and another to common sense.

January 21, 2014

The Untold Tale of Pow!, the Fourth Rice Krispies Elf

A look into the era when the cereal mascots were more than just Snap!, Crackle! and Pop!

January 16, 2014

Are You Ready For Protein Bars Made From Crickets?

They’re good for you and the environment, but are they good enough to eat?

January 15, 2014

There is No Shortage of History When it Comes to Velveeta

In the event of a full-blown Velveeta shortage, here’s a little history to ease your pain

January 15, 2014

Art Meets Science

See the Inner Anatomy of Barbie, Mario and Mickey Mouse—Bones, Guts and All

Artist Jason Freeny transforms familiar childhood characters into realistic anatomical models

January 13, 2014

A Book’s Vocabulary Is Different If It Was Written During Hard Economic Times

Books published just after recessions have higher levels of literary misery, a new study finds

January 9, 2014

Photo Contest Prize Details

Grand prize and category winners

January 8, 2014

Building Better Bricks by Brewing Beer

When form follows fermentation

December 31, 2013

Central Park’s Horse-Drawn Carriages Could Be Replaced With Old-Timey Electric Cars

Demand for horse-drawn rides has reportedly spiked as tourists and locals alike rush in for a chance to take one last buggy ride through the park

December 31, 2013

Art Meets Science

An Artist Imagines the Techno-Evolved Creatures of the Future

Vincent Fournier has seen the future of evolution, in which humans design animals for their own uses

December 27, 2013

It’s a Myth: There’s No Evidence That Coffee Stunts Kids’ Growth

The long-held misconception can be traced to claims made in advertisements for Postum, an early 1900s coffee alternative

December 20, 2013

The Tolkien Nerd’s Guide to “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”

As Peter Jackson ventures further from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original text, the source material becomes harder to pin down but is still satisfyingly nerdy

December 19, 2013

The Impressive Results of When You Ask Architects to Build With Gingerbread

From Modernist reconstructions to favorite museums, these confectionary constructions are sights to behold

December 19, 2013

Eggnog: It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Starts a Holiday Riot

When four gallons of whiskey were smuggled into a West Point Christmas party, a third of the academy erupted into chaos

December 19, 2013

Art Meets Science

Beautiful Anatomical Skeletons, Posed and Photographed As Sculptures

Photographer Patrick Gries transforms ordinary specimens, stripped of fur and flesh, into art that showcases motion, predation and evolution

December 18, 2013

Listen to Classic Holiday Music From Around the World

Go around the world this holiday with Smithsonian Folkways—no reindeer or sleigh required

December 17, 2013

Stop Ruining Your Christmas Cookies! Follow These Tips to Better Baking

Here are a few pointers on making the perfect cookies this holiday season

December 16, 2013

Art Meets Science

The Startling Beauty of the Microscopic

Olympus BioScapes announces ten winners of their 2013 Digital Image Competition, which honors some of the best images taken through a microscope

December 16, 2013

How America’s Most Popular Potted Plant Captured Christmas

On National Poinsettia Day, the third generation behind the Ecke Family Ranch talks about how his family developed a hundred varieties of the plant

December 12, 2013

Traveling in Style and Comfort: The Pullman Sleeping Car

The 19th century’s definition of luxury came as a train car designed by a Chicago carpenter

December 11, 2013