February 2013
Smithsonian magazine delivers trusted and incisive reporting on history, science, nature, culture and travel.
Features
The First Americans
Who were they? When did they arrive? How did they get here? Recent scientific findings and a new book spark controversy with bold new answers
See for Yourself
Five places to encounter fossils and other evidence of the continents original settlers
The Dragon King
The Komodo is an all-purpose killing machine-and he’s just waiting for you to pay him a visit
America’s Dinosaur Playground
Countless bones and a billion years of geological action make Dinosaur Monument the go-to park for fossil finds
Darwin In The House
The estate where the naturalist lived for 40 years reflects the evolution of a home, a family and a man
"Evolution of the Host"
"Evolution of the Host"—A New Poem by Robert Pinsky
Art Attack
On his way to becoming an international icon, the subversive and secretive street artist Banksy turned the art world upside-down
Lincoln Must Die!
In which newly elected Abraham Lincoln makes the perilous train ride from his home in Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C., and along the way, the world’s most famous detective foils an assassination plot by a mysterious cabal whose leader vowed:
Last Words
Geoffrey Khan is racing to document Aramaic, the language of Jesus, before its native speakers vanish
Departments
From the Castle
Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough looks at how our scientists are studying our changing climate
In the Beginnings
An artist paints the world’s creation myths
Books
Cooperative dolphins, heartbroken cheetahs and thinking chimps. Plus: the ruins of Detroit and the science of competition
Fast Forward
The future in the making