CURRENT ISSUE
April 2011
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Features
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Sifting Sacred Ground
As Israeli archaeologists recover artifacts from the Temple Mount—a site revered by three religious faiths—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 effects 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
He wasn't searching for a lost masterpiece, but when the curator came across a damaged canvas in a Yale University storeroom, it threw scholars into a tizzy
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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
Since antiquity the Italian island's natural beauty has drawn visitors—from emperors to bohemians, and lately, day-trippers
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Opening Salvo
How would the United States resolve the clash between its founding ideals and slavery? The explosive answer came on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor
Departments
Spokes and Splinters
Photographer A.F. Van Order captured the daredevil days of early motorcycle racing
Wild Things: Mongooses, Bladderworts and More...
Fairy-wrens, wasps, and a nearly 3,000 year old big toe
Attack of the Giant Pythons
Famed bird sleuth eyes smelly globs to I.D. Sunshine State victims
Lincoln's Loss
The first Union officer killed in the Civil War was a friend of the president's
Turn on, Log in, Wise up
If the internet is dumbing us down, how come I've never felt smarter?