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Arts & Culture

In the Future, You Will 3D Print Yourself as an Action Figure

In Tokyo, a reservation-only photo booth spits out three-dimensional replicas of its subjects

One suggested design for the 51-star American flag

Designing a 51-State Flag

Even in 1958, the American flag was designed through crowdsourcing amateurs. If Puerto Rico joins the union, who will design the 51-star flag?

Desmond Llewelyn as Q in License to Kill showing Bond (Timothy Dalton) the camera gun that, when put together, became a sniper rifle.

5 Essential James Bond Accessories

The stylish spy wore a Rolex and sunglasses that you can’t buy on Black Friday on any other day

Delphinium pergrinum

Amazing Close-Ups of Seeds

A scientist-artist duo creates stunning images, taken through a scanning electron microscope, of seeds in the Millennium Seed Bank

Monsaro’s snakefruit, freshly plucked from a nearby village.

Meet the Salak, the Ubiquitous Indonesian Fruit You’ve Never Heard Of

It may not be the biggest or brightest of southeast Asian fruits, but the snakefruit is the locals snack of choice

Roasted cauliflower

Five Ways to Cook With Cauliflower

Roasted, grilled or pureed, the versatile vegetable can be served many ways beyond one mother’s love of deep-frying it

Approaching Storm, by Ernest Lawson, 1919-20

Art as Therapy: How to Age Creatively

A new exhibition at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., showcases the work of elderly artists with memory loss and other chronic conditions

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Redesigning The Vote

Bad design can change the results of an election. But several professional design organizations have been working to ensure that every vote counts

Matchbook in the shape of a folded men’s shirt, with incised checkerboard-patterned weave, cuffs and bib, smiling child’s head peering out from opening at collar. Reverse inscribed “New York Clothing House, 102 & 104 Baltimore St., Baltimore.” Upper curved section swings open to reveal match compartment, c. mid-19th century.

Favorites From the Cooper-Hewitt’s New Online Collection

The museum’s clothing and textiles are unwrapped for view as never before

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The Science of Good Cooking: Tips From America’s Test Kitchen

The newest book from Christopher Kimball and company pairs good food with good science

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The Return of the Hand-Painted Sign

Hand-painted signs are making a comeback, but are they the work of artists or “mechanics”?

Beetles Invasion: One Artist’s Take on the Insect

A swarm of giant beetles, lovingly sculpted by Washington D.C.-based artist Joan Danziger, descends on the American University Museum

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Incredible Political Fashion Statements From Past Elections

Forget buttons and T-shirts. Check out these mini dresses, bell bottoms and digital watches from old campaign trails

Pan de muerto

Food During Times of Grief

In a funereal setting, food often servers a number of symbolic functions

Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat

The History of Cooking and Other New Books, Reviewed

Why should we consider the fork? And a new biography of the ill-fated George Armstrong Custer

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Spotlight

According to oral tradition, the Mayflower Pilgrims landed near Plymouth Rock in 1620—but first-person accounts of their arrival make no mention of it.

Did the Pilgrims Really Land on Plymouth Rock and More Questisons From our Readers

Where do hurricanes start, the Big Bang, sea gulls and other answers from the Smithsonian’s experts

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Listen to the Elizabeth Mitchell Experience

Listen to the Elizabeth Mitchell Experience

Langston Hughes is one of the many poets featured in the National Portrait Gallery's "Poetic Likeness" exhibition.

Who Are the Geniuses Behind Your Favorite Poems?

A new exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery unmasks the titans of modern American poetry

Lewis Lapham, the legendary former editor of Harper's, who, beginning in the 1970s, helped change the face of American nonfiction, has a new mission: taking on the Great Paradox of the digital age.

Lewis Lapham’s Antidote to the Age of BuzzFeed

With his erudite Quarterly, the legendary Harper’s editor aims for an antidote to digital-age ignorance

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