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April/May 2022

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Features

A vessel nears the commercial wind farm 3.8 miles off the coast of Block Island.

There's Plenty of Juice on Block Island

The historic community overcame controversy to lead the American revolution in offshore wind power

Male Svalbard walruses cluster by the shore

Welcome Back

A hunting ban has fostered the return of a nearly extinct walrus

Northern spring salamander

Why Did the Salamander Cross the Road?

To reproduce, of course. And a band of volunteers gathers at night to help it—and countless other amphibians—get to the other side

A wooden trestle bridge

Making the Connection

The Chinese immigrants who helped build the transcontinental railroad were soon forgotten. Now their achievement is finally coming to light

OPENER Church of Santa Lucia; Pentedattilo

Italian Renaissance

Ancient villas on sale for about a dollar? Italy goes the extra mile to revive rural towns

Opener - Letterboxed - jungle and guitar

The Legend of The Music Tree

Exotic lumber salvaged from a remote forest in Belize is the world’s most coveted tonewood

Opener - Letterboxed

Viking Village

A massive 1,100-year-old graveyard leads to a surprising new view of the Nordic legacy in Britain

Departments

Discussion

Readers respond to the March 2022 issue

America's Home Run

An exhibition at the National Postal Museum puts a new stamp on the history of the nation’s favorite pasttime

Prologue

Survivor

The true meaning of our national symbol

Prologue

More Than a Muse

She famously inspired Picasso, but a new book shows that her own paintings deserve renown

Prologue

Hot Type Makes News

The last of its kind, a small-town newspaper in Colorado is still slugging it out

Prologue

The Unequal Distribution of Health

A new Smithsonian Channel documentary shines a light on medicine’s biases

Prologue

Paris on the Potomac

The American visionaries rebuilding part of Notre-Dame using 12th-century tools

Prologue

Mother Country

Patsy Cline sported a homemade suit as spectacular as her voice

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