Internet

The Path to Being a Scientist Doesn’t Have to Be So Narrow

A radical new college model could change the rigged obstacle course of the world’s education system, expanding opportunity for millions of students

Kevin Carey

June 6, 2013

Any Two Pages on the Web Are Connected By 19 Clicks or Less

There are more than 14 billion pages on the web, but they are linked by hyperconnected nodes, like Hollywood actors connected through Kevin Bacon

Joseph Stromberg

February 18, 2013

A Valentine for Sci-Art Lovers

A clever print by designer Jacqueline Schmidt pays homage to 12 different species with one thing in common—they mate for life

Megan Gambino

February 14, 2013

What Turned Jaron Lanier Against the Web?

The digital pioneer and visionary behind virtual reality has turned against the very culture he helped create

Ron Rosenbaum

January 2013

Holiday Gift Guide: Ideas for the Design Enthusiasts in Your Life

In preparation for the holiday season, a selection of gift ideas related to some of our favorite Design Decoded posts

Jimmy Stamp

December 6, 2012

How Artificial Intelligence Can Change Higher Education

Sebastian Thrun, winner of the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for education takes is redefining the modern classroom

Tom Vanderbilt

December 2012

Happy Birthday Rodin, Sculptor And Breaker of Women’s Hearts

Rodin's contribution to society lives on in his artistic works, but he wrecked a few lives in his time

Rachel Nuwer

November 12, 2012

Designing a 51-State Flag

Even in 1958, the American flag was designed through crowdsourcing amateurs. If Puerto Rico joins the union, who will design the 51-star flag?

Sarah C. Rich

November 12, 2012

Happy Birthday to the Father of the Modern Vampire

If Bram Stoker were alive today, he'd be 165—pretty young for a vampire

Rachel Nuwer

November 8, 2012

161 Years Ago Today Ahab First Battled the White Whale, and Critics Hated It

Today marks the 161st anniversary of Moby Dick, the epic seafaring tale by Herman Melville, and Google is celebrating with its own Doodle

Rose Eveleth

October 18, 2012

Yesterday’s Google Doodle Celebrates Little Nemo, Takes You Back to Childhood Fantasy Land

Yesterday's Google Doodle celebrated the 107th anniversary of Little Nemo in Slumberland, a comic strip by Winsor McCay that hit the presses for nine years

Rose Eveleth

October 16, 2012

Top 5 “Science Done Wrong” Moments in Movies

From asteroids to cloning, author and scientist David Kirby weighs in

Megan Gambino

September 19, 2012

Julia Child Loved Science but Would Hate Today’s Food

It's her birthday today, and while the master chef loved science she would have hated today's laboratory produced food

Rose Eveleth

August 15, 2012

Olympic Hurdling Record Broken in 1.5 Seconds – On Google Doodle

Programmers use a few lines of code to crack the Google Doodle hurdling puzzle. The rest of us still press the arrow keys frantically.

Rose Eveleth

August 10, 2012

Amelia Earhart, Fashionista

A few highlights of coverage celebrating Amelia Earhart's 115th birthday

Rachel Nuwer

July 24, 2012

Where Do All Those Facebook Photos Go?

On the outer boundaries of the Arctic Circle lies a massive construction project funded by Facebook: the future home of thousands of server farms

Mark Strauss

July 2012

The Evolution of the Homepage

Using the WayBack Machine, we looked back at how the homepage has changed since the early days of the Internet

June 3, 2012

From the Smithsonian Collections: Famous Footwear

Famous footwear of the Smithsonian collections, from Chinese foot-binding booties to Dorothy's ruby slippers

Sarah C. Rich

April 10, 2012

Richard Clarke on Who Was Behind the Stuxnet Attack

America's longtime counterterrorism czar warns that the cyberwars have already begun—and that we might be losing

Ron Rosenbaum

April 2012

Top Ten Most-Destructive Computer Viruses

Created by underground crime syndicates and government agencies, these powerful viruses have done serious damage to computer networks worldwide

Sharon Weinberger

March 19, 2012