Arts & Culture

Locking Eyes With Spiders and Insects

Macrophotographer Thomas Shahan takes portraits of spiders and insects in the hopes of turning your revulsion of the creatures into reverence

February 20, 2013

Birds and Bards: Beautiful Japanese Images from the Edo Period

Everything from parrots to gossipy novels influenced art in Japan between 1603 to 1868

February 20, 2013

The History of the Flapper, Part 3: The Rectangular Silhouette

Finally, women could breathe deeply when the waist-nipping corset went out of style

February 19, 2013

No Salt, No Problem: One Woman’s Life-or-Death Quest to Make “Bland” Food Delicious

The more salt we eat, the more we crave. This new approach to less-salty cooking might help you step off the treadmill

February 19, 2013

How Does McCormick Pick the Top Flavors of the Year?

Ten years ago, the spice company identified chipotle as a taste on the rise. They’re back at it again with new predictions for 2013

February 15, 2013

The Drones of the Future May Build Skyscrapers

Innovative architects are experimenting with small unmanned aerial vehicles to prove that drones can do more than cause destruction

February 15, 2013

“Freakish Absurdities:” A Century Ago, An Art Show Shocked the Country

The Armory Show provoked reactions of love and hate; today it is recognized as changing American art forever

February 15, 2013

A Valentine for Sci-Art Lovers

A clever print by designer Jacqueline Schmidt pays homage to 12 different species with one thing in common—they mate for life

February 14, 2013

Outrageous Taxidermy, the Subject of a New Show on AMC

Former Smithsonian taxidermist Paul Rhymer is a judge on “Immortalized,” a TV competition that pits up-and-comers against superstars in the field

February 14, 2013

The Origins of Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve

Valentine’s Day can be an occasion for quirky expressions of love

February 14, 2013

10 Fresh Looks at Love

Don’t understand love? Not to worry. Scientists continue to study away to try to make sense of it for the rest of us

February 13, 2013

Korea’s Black Day: When Sad, Single People Get Together And Eat Black Food

Each year on April 14, singles in South Korea drown their sorrows in a bowl of black noodles

February 13, 2013

World War I: 100 Years Later

Unmanned Drones Have Been Around Since World War I

They have recently been the subject of a lot of scrutiny, but the American military first began developing similar aerial vehicles during World War I

February 12, 2013

The Masked Merriment of Mardi Gras

For centuries, the day’s revelry has featured the liberated feeling of hiding in plain view

February 12, 2013

This Artist Uses Meat As His Medium

Dominic Episcopo’s red and raw images capture the spirit of Americana.

February 11, 2013

Imagining a Drone-Proof City in the Age of Surveillance

As drones become common as tools of the military and intelligence agencies, how are architects and designers responding?

February 8, 2013

The Unsettling Beauty of Lethal Pathogens

British artist Luke Jerram’s handblown glass sculptures show the visual complexity and delicacy of E. coli, swine flu, malaria and other killing agents

February 7, 2013

The History of the Flapper, Part 2: Makeup Makes a Bold Entrance

It’s the birth of the modern cosmetics business as young women look for beauty enhancers in a tube or jar

February 7, 2013

The Privacy Wars: Goggles That Block Facial Recognition Technology

For designers, the battle over what it means to be private in a very public world is a new frontier to be conquered

February 6, 2013

The Year’s Most Outstanding Science Visualizations

A juried competition honors photographs, illustrations, videos, posters, games and apps that marry art and science in an evocative way

February 5, 2013