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Lilly Pulitzer fits a model with one of her creations.

Lilly Pulitzer: Remembering the ‘Queen of Prep’

Her tropical slashes of color enlivened the old-money crowd

Hikers attempting to walk the entire Pacific Crest Trail face some serious mileage—whichever way they’re going. This trail sign is near Mount Hood, in Oregon.

Going the Distance on the Pacific Crest Trail

One of America’s great long-distance hiking trails, the PCT meanders 2,650 miles through three states

Combining chia seeds, a nutrient-rich food naive to Mexico and Central America, with water creates a gel-like mixture.

Five Ways to Cook With Chia Seeds

The nutty-flavored seeds responsible for Chia Pets provide a nutrient boost to smoothies, burgers and soups

See the moon up close through a 16-inch telescope this Wednesday at the Air and Space Museum’s observatory.

Events April 9-11: Tarantulas, Star Gazing and an Award-winning Film

This week, hold some creepy crawlers, look at craters on the moon and watch a film based on Joseph Conrad’s first novel

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What’s in Century-Old ‘Snake Oil’ Medicines? Mercury and Lead

A chemical analysis of early 1900s medicines, billed as cure-alls, revealed vitamins and calcium along with toxic compounds

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New Web Tool Helps Avoid Flooding by Finding the Best Spots to Build Wetlands

Specifically placed small wetlands can help capture watershed runoff, helping city planners to guard against flood disasters

Doughy goodness is impossible to resist.

Kolaches: The Next Big Thing in Pastries and The Tex-Czech Community Behind Them

Rural Czech communities in Texas have been enjoying the buttery pastry for more than a century, now homesick Texans bring kolaches to the rest of us

Cosmetics have a long history.

Miss Piggy, My Feather Boa and A Moment to Consider Makeup’s Greasy Past

No Fools Need Apply to the Smithsonian’s Curatorial Conference On Stuff, A Sometimes Annual Scholarly Gathering on a Subject Rarely Considered

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Would You Like to Browse an Edo-Period Japanese Bookstore?

The brush to block revolution saw a flowering of Japanese popular culture that still intrigues and enchants

Portion of a magazine ad for Friedman-Shelby shoes showing an American family watching TV (1954)

TV Will Tear Us Apart: The Future of Political Polarization in American Media

In 1969, Internet pioneer Paul Baran predicted that specialized new media would undermine national cohesion

April 4, 2013: Taylor Swift, by Klari Reis

Every Day a Different Dish: Klari Reis’ Petri Paintings

This year, a San Francisco-based artist will unveil 365 new paintings, reminiscent of growing bacteria, on her blog, The Daily Dish

“Where there’s smoke there’s fire” by Russell Patterson, 1920s

The History of the Flapper, Part 5: Who Was Behind the Fashions?

Sears styles sprung from the ideas of European artists and couturiers

Imagine them without the blades

Do Wind Turbines Need a Rethink?

They’re still a threat to bats and birds and now they even have their own “syndrome”. So, are there better ways to capture the wind?

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Video: Researchers Produce Human Tissue-Like Material Using 3D Printing

Using droplets coated in oil as “ink,” a 3D printer can construct a network of synthetic cells that mimics brain and fat tissue

A learning algorithm, coupled with MRI readings, was able to predict the images seen by dreamers with a 60 percent accuracy.

Scientists Figure Out What You See While You’re Dreaming

A learning algorithm, coupled with brain scans, was able to predict the images seen by dreamers with a 60 percent accuracy

Holographic home computer game of the future from the 1981 book Tomorrow’s Home by Neil Ardley

Disney Kills LucasArts, My Childhood

When LucasArts was first starting out in the 1980s, the future of video games included holograms, virtual reality headsets and worldwide networking

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, a National Historic Landmark, was designed in the 1870s by Calvin T.S. Brent, Washington, DC’s first black architect. Learn more about famous black architects and how they shaped the city in “Master Builders”at the Anacostia Community Museum on Sunday.

Events April 5-7: Japanese Art, Poetry Month and African-American Architects

This week, experience Japanese design, celebrate poetry with your family and learn about African Americans’ roles in shaping Washington, DC’s architecture

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Photos: Scenes From Life Under the Sea

Three decades in and photojournalist Brian Skerry is still getting acquainted with the ocean’s many characters

A trident lined with shark teeth, used in the study.

19th Century Shark Tooth Weapons Reveal A Reef’s Missing Shark Species

Lashed to swords and spears from the Pacific’s Gilbert Islands are teeth from two shark species that were never known to have swam in the area

Earthworms may play a crucial role in helping plants defend themselves from being devoured by slugs.

Earthworms: A Nightmare for America’s Orchids?

Though assumed to be great for soil, earthworms actually may be killing off orchids by ingesting their seeds

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