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Ecologists warn that New England's maples could be at risk

Ecology Explains How the World Works

This is not a glamorous science; no one will ever accuse an ecologist of being in it for the money

Hominid fossils dating to 1.8 million years ago have been found in Dmanisi, Georgia. Researchers are using computers to find more fossils in the region.

Computers Are Good Fossil Hunters

New technology is allowing researchers to narrow their searches for places where ancient hominids were likely to have lived, traveled and left fossils

The Geobulb LED light bulb

Don’t Curse the Darkness, Get One of the Bright New Lights

It’s time to say good-bye to the iconic, but inefficient incandescent bulb and welcome in LEDs

The tyrannosaur Gorgosaurus in a classic death pose (although note that the tail is almost entirely missing and speculatively reconstructed).

SVP Dispatch: Dinosaur Round-Up

At the close of the annual paleontology meeting, dinosaur science seems more vibrant than ever

The "Chandos Portrait" of Shakespeare–dating to c.1600 and one of only two that may have been painted from life–is thought to be the work of the playwright's "intimate friend" John Taylor of the Painter-Stainers' Company (though it may not show Shakespeare at all). Its be-earringed playwright, pictured without the usual ruff, seems to show an altogether tougher character than the figure that appears in more familiar likenesses.

William Shakespeare, Gangster

Fireworks during Diwali

New York to Mumbai, By Way of Amsterdam

A flight of firsts.

Stanford Addison, the Arapaho horse whisperer featured in the film, "Silent Thunder."

Events Nov. 7-10: Silent Thunder, Cyborgs, Inventing the Internet and Andy Warhol Cinema

This week, see an inspiring film, learn about the future of biotechnology, hear stories from the Internet’s birth and examine Warhol’s innovative films

Do you freeze your jeans?

The Myth of the Frozen Jeans

Cold temperatures aren’t enough to kill off any bacteria on your clothing

Sign for Upper Jay

Inviting Writing: Thanksgiving

"Going West" by Thomas Hart Benton

Auctioning a Beloved Thomas Hart Benton Collection

Perhaps the nation’s best collection of Benton prints was assembled by an idiosyncratic Texan named Creekmore Fath

Cronkite’s untouchable aura of authority led droves of viewers to change their opinions on Vietnam (above, Hue, Vietnam, 1968).

Walter Cronkite and a Different Era of News

The legendary CBS anchorman was the “most trusted” man in America

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Not Finding the Lost Explorer Everett Ruess

A recent book only adds to the enduring mystery of a legendary Southwest wanderer

The skull of Utahceratops, one of the unusual dinosaurs from southern Utah

SVP Dispatch: Life on the Lost Continent

At the annual SVP meeting, paleontologists review just how western North America got so many weird dinosaurs

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Meet Rosebud, the Zoo’s Black-Footed Ferret

Smithsonian readers help the zoo name a young creature

From Cops

From D.W. Griffith to the Grapes of Wrath, How Hollywood Portrayed the Poor

In the era before the Great Depression and ever since, the film industry has taken a variety of views on the lower classes

A false-color image of flooding in Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand’s Flooding, As Seen From Space

Bangkok residents have to avoid the crocodiles let loose by the flood

A loaf of parkin

Treacly Treats for Guy Fawkes Night

The anniversary of a failed assassination is celebrated with fireworks, bonfires, effigy burning and some very sweet desserts

Arthur Radebaugh's jetpack mailman of the future

Arthur Radebaugh’s Shiny Happy Future

For five years, a popular comic strip gave us a preview of life in Suburbatopia

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Spinning off a Comic With a Reference Book

In a new web comic series from “This is Indexed” artist Jessica Hagy discovers new ways of looking at famous quotes

The setting sun showers Spil Dag National Park in a dusky, rosy red.

The Final Sprint to Istanbul

The townspeople ogled the tourist he’d captured. “From America,” the cop boasted, like he’d shot me at 400 yards with a rifle

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