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The Quadrantid meteor shower, as visible at twilight

How To See Tonight’s Meteor Shower

Take advantage of this rare chance to see the Quadrantid meteor shower

The X-Box Kinect is one of the ABCs to watch in 2012

The ABCs of 2012, Part II

Here are more of the terms you should know if you want to feel plugged into innovations changing the way we live this year

Laborers working at the face of the Thames Tunnel were protected by Marc Brunel's newly-invented "Shield"; behind them, other gangs hurried to roof the tunnel before the river could burst in. Nineteenth century lithograph.

The Epic Struggle to Tunnel Under the Thames

No one had ever tunneled under a major river before Marc Brunel began a shaft below London’s river in the 1820s

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Events Jan 3-5: Discovery Room, Creating a Totem Pole and Tarantula Feedings

This week, participate in hands-on science activity, watch a totem pole being made and see live tarantula feedings

Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe by Elliott & Fry in 1896

One Newspaper to Rule Them All

Lisa's post on why other countries don't use ice cubes was the most-read post on Food and Think in 2011

Food and Think’s Greatest Hits of 2011

A look at the most popular posts among our readers from the past year

The reconstructed skeleton of a Deinonychus, representing the modern image of dinosaurs, in front of Rudolph Zallinger's 'Age of Reptiles' mural in Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History.

Creating the Age of Reptiles

Why is an image of the Garden of Eden considered art, while an exquisitely detailed depiction of Jurassic life is derided as juvenile junk?

Carole Lombard and John Barrymore in Twentieth Century

National Film Registry Selections for 2011

From Forrest Gump to silent comedies, 25 titles have been added to a list of our country’s most significant films

Lisa's last Food and Think post

The Food & Think Year in Review

Beer batter, doggie bags, culinary crimes, beer koozies… Lisa Bramen says farewell with a list of her favorite 2011 posts

The mountain lion is one of the most common large cats but also one of the hardest to see.

Best Bets to See a Big Predator

Get your grizzlies, polar bears, big cats, wolves and crocs here

Fireworks can startle birds so badly they become disoriented

Birds Have No Reason to Like Fireworks

New Year’s Eve fireworks can badly startle and disorient birds

Come see the ZooLights holiday festival on January 1st

Weekend Events Dec. 30-Jan 1: Treasures at the Museum, Flights of Fancy, and Last Day of ZooLights

This New Year’s weekend, meet a children’s book author and archivist, come to aviation story time, and catch ZooLights before it’s over

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The Greatest Dinosaur Hits of 2011

This was a big year for dinosaur discoveries and debates. Here are a few highlights

One in a series of 1930s promotional cards for Max Cigarettes

The Future’s War on Cancer

Scientific progress during the 20th century prompted a number of predictions about an impending cure

Packing light for the new year

Traveling Light in the New Year

Don’t overpack is a rule to live by. So why not declutter on New Year’s Eve

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Four Food-Themed Resolutions For 2012

Never mind losing weight. Isn’t it possible to make a few resolutions that embrace food?

Will 2012 be the year the electric car takes off?

The ABCs of 2012, Part I

Here are terms you should know if you want to show you’re already plugged into the new year

Coya Knutson campaigning for Congress

Friends in the House, Hostility at Home

Coya Knutson won a seat in the U.S. House in 1954 but was undone by a secret she brought to Washington

A white rhino in Kruger National Park, South Africa

Ten Great Science Stories You Might Have Missed

From zebras in the Kalahari to satellites pointed at the Sun, the magazine has covered a host of interesting science topics this year

A budding star spits out jets of superheated gas and dust in the Carina Nebula

A Guided Tour of the Universe

A new exhibition at the Natural History Museum gives visitors a dazzling view of our evolving universe

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