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The artist says he paints to music, improvising his brushstrokes in the manner of a jazz soloist.

How Peter Wayne Lewis Infuses His Artwork With the Spirit of Jazz

A new exhibit explores bebop and the Buddha

Photo Contest Featured Photographer

From Skinning Coconuts to Tire Recycling, This Photographer Captures Vietnam at Work

Huynh Thanh Huy presents a striking portrait of a nation undergoing a dramatic shift from agriculture to manufacturing

Amble is launching a program next month at Glacier National Park in Montana.

Take a Sabbatical to Help America’s National Parks

The startup Amble offers monthlong programs connecting creative professionals with needy park nonprofits

More than 50,000 empty plastic bottles were used to construct Panama's Plastic Bottle Village.

From Bottles to Newspapers, These Five Homes Were Built Using Everyday Objects

Open for visitors, these houses model upcycling at its finest

A rooftop view with gargoyles on the left and other statuary, circa 1860.

A Hymn to Notre-Dame

In which the renowned author of thrillers and mysteries praises the Gothic beauty, damaged by fire but destined to inspire again

People gathered to watch a giant peach as it is moved through the center of Cardiff in September 2016—part of a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl's birth.

Exploring Roald Dahl’s Wondrous Wales

Follow in the footsteps of the beloved children’s book author by visiting these four locales in the United Kingdom

The National Zoo's female panda Mei Xiang (above in 2019) is exhibiting signs of a possible pregnancy. These same behaviors could also mean she is experiencing a pseudopregnancy.

Pandamonium

14 Fun Facts About Giant Pandas

Mother Mei Xiang’s annual ambiguous maternal behaviors always deliver heightened anticipation at the National Zoo

Fishermen in Milwaukee during the salmon run.

Milwaukee’s Secret Salmon Runs

In the spring and fall, watch huge salmon fly up two rivers in Milwaukee to spawn with the city as a backdrop

Coney Island Boardwalk, Day to Night, 2011

How Photographer Stephen Wilkes Captures a Full Day in a Single Image

In his new book ‘Day to Night,’ the photographer uses technology to play tricks on the eye

Gladstone’s Library welcomed its first overnight guests on June 29, 1906.

I Spent the Night at a Library in Wales, and You Can Too

Housing more than 150,000 written works, Gladstone’s Library is the only residential library in Great Britain

A small but vocal group of Molokai residents has aggressively opposed plans for economic development, including cruise ship visits.

Why Molokai, With All Its Wonders, Is the Least Developed of Hawai‘i’s Islands

Even centuries before Captain Cook’s arrival, its resources were exploited by outsiders

Mining amber at the Kaliningrad Amber Combine in Russia

Follow the Ancient Amber Road

See the remnants and relics of key routes between Venice and St. Petersburg for transporting amber through the ancient world

Wyss Institute engineers selected works from the collections to illustrate a "new approach to Design Science." The clusters of polyhedrons in the 1954 textile Time Capsule reflects the 1950s sentiment for a brighter future built on scientific progress.

How Biology Inspires Future Technology

Bioengineers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute showcase their ingenious medical, industrial and environmental designs at the Cooper Hewitt

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Breakfast at the Zoo and 25 Other Things to Do at the Smithsonian in September

Breakfast at the Zoo and 25 Other Things to Do at the Smithsonian in September

The Valley of the Names is located in an isolated patch of desert in Southern California.

This Desert Is Covered in Rock Graffiti

Just remember: You can look but don’t touch, and here’s why

Over the past 13 years, The Great Salt Lick Contest in Oregon has raised more than $150,000 for charity.

Who Says Horses and Cows Can’t Be Artists?

The sculptures on display at the Great Salt Lick Contest in Oregon are the work of cattle, horses, sheep and deer

A view of the Sea of Cortez from an unnamed barrier island in Baja California.

John Steinbeck’s Epic Ocean Voyage Rewrote the Rules of Ecology

A legendary writer, a quirky biologist and their jolly adventure in the Sea of Cortez

In a 21st-century tribute to antiquity, bronze sculptures by the late Igor Mitoraj, including this centaur, grace the public grounds of the archaeological site.

The New Treasures of Pompeii

From gorgeous artworks to grimacing corpses, archaeologists are still uncovering the truth about life—and death—in the doomed city

Peterhof Palace.

From Nazi Prisons to Cat Sanctuaries, Explore the Many Lives of These Russian Palaces

Follow the footsteps of doomed royals and revolutionaries through these architectural marvels

Bobbleheads of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League teams

Virtual Travel

Visit the World’s Only Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum

The Milwaukee attraction showcases the oldest and rarest of all the bobbleheads—and thousands more

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