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February 2008

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Features

The Parthenon, said the 19th-century French engineer Auguste Choisy, represents "the supreme effort of genius in pursuit of beauty."

Unlocking Mysteries of the Parthenon

Efforts to restore the ancient temple of Athena are yielding new insights

Acropolis Museum in Athens

Acropolis Now

A modern museum of ancient Greece rises near the Parthenon

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Monumental Mission

Assigned to find art looted by the Nazis, Western Allied forces faced an incredible challenge

Looting Iraq

No one was prepared for the pillaging of Baghdad's Iraq Museum in 2003, but Marine officer Col. Matthew Bogdanos, improvised an investigation

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Big Love

In a mating ritual, male humpback whales leap, splash and fight. But researchers ask: just what does a female whale want?

Songs from the Deep

Tuning in to why humpbacks sing

The Tonan Maru No. 2 whaling factory ship

Blood in the Water

Japan's lethal whale research draws criticism

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Being Funny

How the pathbreaking comedian got his act together

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Portraits of Resistance

The inaugural show of the National Museum of African American History and Culture

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Heaven Scent

A 600-year-old pharmacy started by Florentine monks is now a trendy global marketer of perfumes and medieval elixirs

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Trials of a Primatologist

How did a renowned scientist who has done groundbreaking research in Brazil run afoul of authorities there?

Departments

Indelible Images

Gaga Over a Gargoyle

From Margaret Bourke-White to Annie Leibovitz, photographers have scaled dizzying heights to frame the perfect prop

Interview

Amy Chua

The key to the rise of the Romans, the Mongols—and the U.S.? Ethnic diversity, Chua says in a new book

From the Editor

Bound and Determined

Reflecting on resistance

Letters to the Editor

Letters

Readers Respond to the December Issue

Wild Things

Wild Things

Life as We Know It

Points of Interest

Points of Interest

This month's guide to notable American destinations and happenings

This Month in History

February Anniversaries

Momentous or Merely Memorable

Around the Mall

Aerosol Art

Largely dismissed as vandalism, graffiti migrates from city streets and subway cars into major galleries

From the Castle

From the Castle

Barcoding 101

Around the Mall

Jukebox

Jazz Requiem

The Object at Hand

Breuer Chair, 1926

Marcel Breuer's Bauhaus minimalism redefined a household basic

Q&A

Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks donated mementos to the American History museum, including his trademark cowboy hat, a gold record and a handwritten lyric sheet

Around the Mall

Making History

The Dirt on Mud

What's Up

What's Up - February 2008

The Last Page

Infinite Jest

Stop me if you've heard this one...