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Connections between the natural world, the divine and the erotic were a favorite theme for Colquhoun, who described Earth Process, 1940, as an “image from a half-conscious experience.”

A New Exhibition Brings Fresh Recognition to a Groundbreaking But Largely Forgotten Surrealist

At London’s Tate Britain, a major retrospective takes a long look at the work of Ithell Colquhoun

Vanilla producer Bertrand Côme displays bound and dried vanilla beans for sale at his Réunion farm. The beans generally grow as long as 6 to 11 inches.

The Bittersweet Beginnings of Vanilla Cultivation Can Be Traced Back to the Far-Flung Isle of Réunion

A journey to the remote Indian Ocean island reveals the story behind the fragrant, delicious, ubiquitous spice—and the enslaved youth who made it a commercial success

This volleyball-looking device is one of the glass flasks that Charles D. Keeling and others used to transport samples of atmosphere from Mauna Loa and beyond to a laboratory for precise analysis.

This Simple but Ingenious Instrument Helped the World Measure Carbon Dioxide Levels in the Atmosphere

Scientist Charles Keeling’s invention had a profound effect on scientists’ understanding of the severity of the climate change crisis

A seal catches a salmon off the coast of Washington State. Scientists are working to determine how much salmon the seals eat.

Salmon in the Pacific Northwest Are Facing a New Threat: Booming Populations of Seals and Sea Lions

The mammals’ return to the region represented a conservation success story, but their appetite for endangered fish is upsetting the balance of a delicate ecosystem

The Grand Ole Opry’s famous six-foot circle of wood was carefully carved from the previous stage at the Ryman Auditorium.

How the Grand Ole Opry Put Uniquely American Music at Center Stage

Through daring business decisions and an eye for talent, the vaunted country radio program still stands as a tastemaker for the fastest-growing genre in popular music

The last operating Woolworth lunch counter, in Bakersfield, California, seen in the 1990s.

The Last Operating Woolworth’s Lunch Counter Will Be Up and Running Once Again in California

A neighborhood icon, the Bakersfield luncheonette will mix modern design touches with classic decor

The Blomberg’s tree boa was recently documented in southwestern Colombia for the first time, even as it loses habitat in the nearby rainforests of Ecuador.

This Elusive Snake’s Habitat Is Under Threat in Ecuador. Here’s How Conservationists Are Fighting Back

How do you protect an endangered serpent with a special talent for hiding in plain sight?

Whatever happend to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's tradition of fireside chats?

What Happened to FDR’s Fireside Chats? And More Questions From Our Readers

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts

A jar made by H. Wilson & Company in Capote, Texas. Right, the muddy banks of Salt Creek, a tributary of the Guadalupe River about 50 miles northeast of San Antonio, where Wilson’s pottery company sourced its fine red clay. 

Three Formerly Enslaved Artists Created Beautiful Pottery 150 Years Ago, and Now Their Wares Are Coveted Around the World

The stunning vessels from the H. Wilson & Company were forgotten for generations, only to gain new appreciation for the craftsmanship that went into them

A shaft of golden light from the cave’s mouth provides warmth as the expedition’s scientists enjoy lunch 80 feet below the opening of Natural Trap Cave.

Rooted in the American West: Food, History and Culture

A Trove of Ice Age Fossils Buried in a Wyoming Cave Is Rewriting Our Understanding of Prehistoric Animals

At a site known as Natural Trap Cave, a team of scientists are rappelling down to uncover the secrets of what the Earth was like during the Pleistocene

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Amaze Yourself With the Unbelievable Story of Bessie Coleman, the Black Aviator Who Wowed the Nation With Her High-Flying Achievements

Long before the Tuskegee Airmen, Coleman inspired a generation of pilots to take to the skies

Made of wood and leather, this artificial toe, found in an ancient Egyptian tomb affixed to a noblewoman, is the oldest known prosthetic appendage.

The Innovative History of the Artificial Limb Stretches as Far Back as Ancient Egypt

Today, the technology has come so far that anyone with a 3D printer can create highly engineered and artful prostheses

Silas Deane, left, worked with Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, center, to secure gunpowder from Antoine Lavoisier, right. 

America's 250th Anniversary

How an American Merchant, a French Official and a Pioneering Chemist Smuggled Much-Needed Gunpowder to the Continental Army

The trio’s scheming became a crucial element of the fledgling nation’s success in the Revolutionary War

The Chicago Cubs host the San Francisco Giants in the friendly confines of Wrigley, June 2024.

Through Good Teams and Bad, Wrigley Field Remains the Coziest Park in Baseball

The Chicago landmark represents the purest form of the American pastime

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Readers Respond to the March 2025 Issue

Your feedback on a pioneering surgeon, a diligent historian and a sacred Southwestern site

Portrait of Doge Cristoforo Moro (ruler of Venice from 1462-1471), attributed to Lazzaro Bastiani; Ottoman-inspired fabric by 20th-century textile designer Mariano Fortuny.

Two Great Empires Traded for Financial Gain and Achieved a Brilliant Cultural Exchange as Well

A new show illuminates the rich artistic wonders that arose out of the 400 years of commerce between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire

Patrick Henry rallies armed Virginian farmers before marching toward Williamsburg, Virginia, May 1775.

America's 250th Anniversary

What Spurred the South to Join the American Revolution?

How a disagreement with a Scottish lord over westward expansion, a cache of gunpowder, and the future of enslaved labor helped kick-start the southern colonies’ embrace of the radical cause

During her clandestine efforts for the Italian Resistance, Anita Malavasi used these forged papers to travel under the identity of “Marta de Robertis.”

This New Book Reveals the Daredevil Lives of Four Italian Women Who Stood Up to Hitler and Mussolini

By delivering newspapers, munitions and secret messages to resistance groups, among many other incredible tasks, the brave fighters strove for a freer world

An 1896 illustration of Coffea stenophylla in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, which noted the species’ “superior flavor” and market potential.

How a Forgotten Bean Could Save Coffee From Extinction

One leading botanist is scouring remote corners of the earth to find new species that could keep our mugs full

 Winston Red Diamond.

See for Yourself One of the World’s Rarest Red Diamonds at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum

Unraveling the surprising science that gives colorful diamonds their special allure

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