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Kandula, the zoo's resident genius, plays with enrichment items

Kandula Goes Where No Elephants Have Gone Before

The National Zoo’s Kandula demonstrates the skill of insight, using innovative problem-solving techniques in figuring out how to reach suspended fruit

Dried chili pepper wreath

Benevolent Maize and Ogre-Fart Chilis: Food Origin Myths

According to the Peruvian Yanesha people, plants originally had human forms that went through either “sublime” or “grotesque” transformations

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America — and Gary Powers — Caught Red-Handed

On this day in 1960, CIA pilot Gary Powers was shot down over the USSR. Read how a military maneuver became an international incident

One of Amani's five cubs at seven weeks age

Helping Older Cheetahs Become Moms

Researchers may soon be able to transfer embryos from older cheetahs into younger animals and give them a better chance of success

The new discovery: Protoanguilla palau

In the Pacific, Scientists Discover a Living Fossil

Smithsonian researchers announced yesterday the discovery of a primitive eel species, never before seen. See the video and learn about this remarkable find

Jackie Chan stars in Drunken Master

Events: August 19-21: Drunken Master, Hip Hop Kung Fu, Art + Coffee

This upcoming weekend, check out a Kung Fu classic, a hip hop performance and meet emerging musicians

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One Man Against Tyranny

Did two sub-moons collide to form our Moon?

Splat! Two Moons over Miami?

Captive zebra finches

Same-Sex Finch Couples Form Strong Bonds

The ties between same-sex couples can be just as strong as those in heterosexual birds

Nose Cone from B.F. Skinner's Pigeon-Guided Missile, on display in "Science in American Life."

B.F. Skinner’s Pigeon-Guided Rocket

On this date 21 years ago, noted psychologist and inventor B.F. Skinner died; the American History Museum is home to one of his more unusual inventions

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The Ghost of Slumber Mountain

Without this film, we might never have seen a giant gorilla hang from the Empire State Building

Bedroom + kitchen + bathroom

How to Cook in the Dorm Room

Lack of space and college rules don’t have to put the kibosh on your first adventures in cooking as an independent young adult

An underwater system generates power through blades that mimic the swaying motion of coral and kelp.

How Nature Makes Us Smarter

What to do with the corn from your local market?

Five Ways to Eat Fresh Corn

Eating it only buttered and salted would be like limiting Ben Franklin to a single pursuit of inquiry. Why squelch such potential greatness?

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The List: Get a Peek at the Zoo’s Latest Baby Boom

At the Zoo’s Virginia reserve for endangered species, a cluster of new births is evidence of the center’s success in the study of reproductive sciences

An artist's concept of what planet TrES-2b might look like

Faraway Planet is Blackest Yet Found

The planet, TrES-2b, is a gas giant about the size of Jupiter. But that’s where the similarities end

A hot pink Stegosaurus at the Dinosaur Ridge visitor's center

Dinosaur Sighting: A Stegosaurus of a Different Color

Is this what paleontologists see after having one too many?

I love ketchup

What Ever Happened to Homemade Ketchup?

By the mid-1800s, some cookbooks listed as many as 20 recipes. Today the homogenized condiment is due for a paradigm shift

A reconstructed Tyrannosaurus rex at the Museum of Ancient Life

Jim Lawson’s Lone Tyrannosaur

He is one hate-filled beast. Our star contemplates devouring the young of a nearby female tyrannosaur for no other reason than to quell his inner turmoil

Charles Steinmetz, circa 1915

Charles Proteus Steinmetz, the Wizard of Schenectady

His contributions to mathematics and electrical engineering made him one of the most beloved and instantly recognizable men of his time.

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