CURRENT ISSUE
April 2011
Features
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Sifting Sacred Ground
As Israeli archaeologists recover artifacts from the religious site, ancient history inflames modern-day political tensions
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Something New Under the Sun
Scientists are probing deep beneath the surface of our nearest star to calculate its profound effect on Earth
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Living on the Edge
Rare cranes have flourished in the world's unlikeliest sanctuary, the heavily mined demilitarized zone between North and South Korea
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The Painting in the Cellar
Sorting through old canvases in a storeroom, a Yale curator discovered a painting believed to be by the Spanish master
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Velázquez: Embodiment of a Golden Age
The magic of Velázquez has influenced artists from his contemporaries to Manet and Picasso
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The Lure of Capri
What is it about this tiny, sun-drenched island off the coast of Naples that has made it so irresistible for so long?
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Opening Salvo
Nearly a century of discord between North and South finally exploded in April 1861 with the bombardment of Fort Sumter
Departments
Spokes and Splinters
Photographer A.F. Van Order captured the thrills and spills of board-track motorcycle racing in the 1910s
Interview: Bettany Hughes
The biographer and author of a new book discusses what new there is to learn about the ancient Greek philosopher
Second Acts
Returning to his native Ohio, author Charles Michener marvels at the city’s ability to reinvent itself
Bloom Time at the Smithsonian
Attack of the Giant Pythons
The Smithsonian's noted bird sleuth, Carla Dove, eyes smelly globs to identify victims in Florida
Lincoln's Loss
The first Union officer killed in the Civil War was a friend of President Lincoln's
What's Up
Turn on, Log in, Wise up
If the internet is dumbing us down, how come I've never felt smarter?