CURRENT ISSUE

August 2005

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Features

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Shark

Recent attacks on people off the Florida coast are a reminder of the animal's fierce nature. Yet scientists say the predator is itself in grave danger

It's Over

We asked readers to tell us where they were and how they reacted to the news that World War II had ended. And what a response we got!

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Mystery Man of Stonehenge

The discovery of a 4,300-year-old skeleton surrounded by intriguing artifacts has archaeologists abuzz

Return to Da Lat

A veteran Vietnam correspondent revisits the romantic retreat where he, and so many others, sought respite from war in Indochina

World's Unlikeliest Bestseller

Fifty years ago a brewer's bet spawned a compelling compendium of feats, stunts and trivia

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E-Gad!

Americans discard more than 100 million electronic devices each year. As "e-waste" piles up, so does concern about this growing threat to the environment

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Building the Bomb

A book about atomic scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer charts the debate over deployment of the first A-bomb and the anxiety that suffused its first live test

Departments

Indelible Images

Footloose

The image of Bruce McCandless' spacewalk two decades ago still amazes. It was the first untethered walk ever—and was among the last

Points of Interest

In the Fast Lane

Drivers gear up to set speed records at Utah's desolate Bonneville Salt Flats

Phenomena & Curiosities

Baked Alaska

A unique study documents the disappearance of Alaska's glaciers, blamed on global warming

Presence of Mind

Ghost of a Chance

How did the ivory-billed woodpecker, which was feared extinct, hang on all these years?

Editor's Note

War Stories

Remembering the sound and fury—and the joy—of the end of World War II

From the Secretary

The Price of Ambition

From the beginning, the cost of increasing and diffusing knowledge exceeded even Smithson's generosity

Lewis and Clark

A Bittersweet Homecoming

As the corps finally makes contact with the Shoshone Indians, interpreter Sacagawea reunites with her family

Books

Bound for Canaan; The Perfectionist

The Last Page

Give Weeds a Chance

How a cultivated dislike of gardening can lead to more time on the porch