Blogs

How Samuel Morse Got His Big Idea

On this day in 1838, Samuel Morse publicly demonstrated his telegraph for the first time. But how did he get the idea in the first place?

January 6, 2012

Seeing a New South in Joyful Noise and Undefeated

Two new films show how far we’ve come since The Birth of a Nation and In the Heat of the Night

January 6, 2012

Mobsters Tremble Before the Crime-Fighting, Red Flying Gondola

Science-fiction pioneer Hugo Gernsback predicted that, as long as police officers were stuck on terra firma, criminals always would have the edge

January 6, 2012

Charles R. Knight’s Prehistoric Visions

Charles R. Knight, one of the greatest paleoartists ever, battled his boss, artistic society and his own eyesight to bring prehistoric creatures to life

January 6, 2012

Fish Mimics Fish-Mimicking Octopus

The black-marble jawfish takes advantage of its coloring to blend in with an octopus and stay safe from predators

January 6, 2012

Julia Child’s Kitchen Closes This Weekend

January 8 will be your last chance to see Julia Child’s kitchen for a while, so hurry by the American History Museum

January 6, 2012

Italy: Where the Olive Oil is the Most Flavorful

An organic farming network gave my niece the opportunity. Then she gave me the nectar of the gods

January 6, 2012

Weekend Events Jan 6-8: “This is Not a Film,” Stamps, Masterworks of Three Centuries

This weekend, watch an Iranian film, attend a stamp collecting workshop or listen to eclectic Baroque chamber music

January 5, 2012

Just How Free is Free Will?

Researchers are finding that our behavior may be more hard-wired than we’d like to believe. If so, can we handle the truth?

January 5, 2012

Into New Zealand’s Strange Waters and Prehistoric Forests

The absence of native mammals, aside from bats and pinnipeds, gives the impression that New Zealand is still in the age of dinosaurs

January 5, 2012

Law and Order: Four Food Crimes

After stealing $1,500 worth of cooking oil from a Burger King, two men were apprehended siphoning off oil from a Golden Corral

January 5, 2012

The Littlest Dinosaur Expert

This has to be the most adorable dinosaur correction I have ever seen

January 5, 2012

Why Not All Chili Peppers Are Hot

Being spicy helps a chili plant protect its fruit from fungal rot, but it has a downside in dry conditions

January 5, 2012

The Art of the Totem Pole

A father-and-son duo of master Tsimshian carvers create a totem pole for the American Indian Museum

January 5, 2012

The Prime Minister who Disappeared

January 4, 2012

Seeing Double Part 2: When Studios Collide

Why business enemies sometimes become partners

January 4, 2012

Why Do Humans Have Chins?

Scientists have several explanations for why modern humans are the only hominids that have chins

January 4, 2012

China’s Dinosaur Folklore

Dinosaur tracks aren’t just scientific curiosities—they have also inspired many legends in China

January 4, 2012

Journey to the Bottom of the Earth – Almost

Anyone would be a fool to visit the South Island and not see the cliffs and marine scenery of Milford Sound

January 4, 2012

Goofing Around in England’s Lake District

Now out on DVD, The Trip, with comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, takes the road movie into the storied English countryside

January 4, 2012