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Lego’s new Mindstorms EV3 kit lets users build 17 different robots and program them directly through an “intelligent brick.”

How Lego Is Constructing the Next Generation of Engineers

With programmable robots and student competitions, Lego is making “tinkering with machines cool again”

This wax-and-cardboard disc from 1885 contains a recording of Bell’s voice.

We Had No Idea What Alexander Graham Bell Sounded Like. Until Now

Smithsonian researchers used optical technology to play back the unplayable records

The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine prints ear, nose and bone scaffolds that can be coated with cells to grow body parts.

What Lies Ahead for 3-D Printing?

The new technology promises a factory in every home—and a whole lot more

Advances in genetic technology have opened a window into the populous and powerful world of microbial life in and around the human body.

Microbes: The Trillions of Creatures Governing Your Health


Scientists are just now beginning to recognize the importance of the vast community of microbes that dwells inside us


The Hirshhorn’s Bubble, which would be erected for two months each fall, would require about 60,000 square feet of membrane material.

The Real Deal With the Hirshhorn Bubble

The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum looks to expand in a bold new way

Journalist Mona Eltahawy isn't finished fighting Egyptian oppression.

Mona Eltahawy on Egypt’s Next Revolution

The Egyptian-American activist speaks out on the dangers women still face in a changing Mideast

Before There Was Photoshop, These Photographers Knew How to Manipulate an Image

Jerry Uelsmann and other artists manually blended negatives to produce dreamlike sequences

John Trumball's The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, 17 June, 1775.

The True Story of the Battle of Bunker Hill

Nathaniel Philbrick takes on one of the Revolutionary War’s most famous and least understood battles

The tin tube was more resilient than its predecessor (the pig bladder), enabling painters to leave their studios.

Never Underestimate the Power of a Paint Tube

Without this simple invention, impressionists such as Claude Monet wouldn’t have been able to create their works of genius

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What is Causing Iran’s Spike in MS Cases?


Vitamin D deficiency from lack of sunlight could be an unexpected long-term consequence of the Iranian revolution


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Egypt’s Murals Are More Than Just Art, They Are a Form of Revolution

Cairo’s artists have turned their city’s walls into a vast social network

30 is the number of trees, in millions, cut down annually to produce books in the U.S.

The Revolutionary Effect of the Paperback Book

This simple innovation transformed the reading habits of an entire nation

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The History of the Short-Lived Independent Republic of Florida

For a brief period in 1810, Florida was truly a country of its own

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Discussion

Discussion

A “laser cowboy” makes a 3-D scan of Lincoln’s life mask at the Portrait Gallery.

How the Smithsonian is Coming to You

Between smartphone apps and local exhibitions, the Institution is looking for great new ways to connect to our biggest fans

Many Americans think U.S. teens perform even worse on standardized science tests than they actually do, according to a new national survey.

Educating Americans for the 21st Century

How Much Do Americans Know About Science?

An exclusive poll shows Americans crave stronger mathematics, science schooling for U.S. kids

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From the Editor

From the Editor

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Contributors

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“Stem Cells”

A new poem by Amit Majmudar

PHOTOS: Life Along the Borders

The recent book On Borders features the work of photographers who captured images of boundaries both literal and metaphorical

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