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March 2013

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Features

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Lost Tribes of the Amazon

Deep in the jungles of Colombia, shadowy groups of Indians believed to have vanished long ago are living the way their ancestors have for thousands of years – And refusing to encounter the modern world

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Amazon Warriors

Napoleon Chagnon’s new memoir reignites the firestorm over his study of the Yanomamö

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Light Fantastic

Why do so many undersea creatures glow in the dark? A pioneering scientist dives deep to explore the dazzlingworld of bioluminescence

Billy Collins

The Deep

A new poem from the former poet laureate of the United States

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The Beauty of Life

From a bunny that glows to a cathedral that grows, artists are borrowing from biology to create dazzling “biodesigns” that challenge our aesthetics—and our place in nature

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Mean Girls

Female elephants have long been celebrated for cooperation and altruism. But new research reveals a shocking amount of pachyderm competition—and even bullying

Egret

No Egrets

100 years ago, two society women ended the slaughter of birds

Angkor Wat

Roots of a Naturalist

She’s spent much of her life among the chimpanzees of Gombe, unraveling the mysteries of the primate world. Now Jane Goodall reveals her long-time fascination with plants

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First Blood

One of our greatest historians shines his light on America’s Dark Ages

Departments

Contributors

Contributors

Letters to the Editor

Discussion

Discussion

From the Editor

From the Editor

From the Editor

From the Castle

From the Castle

Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough journeys to Front Royal, Virginia, to find out the latest in animal research

Phenomena

Light

Light reveals the world around us—and also casts shadows on it

Alone in the Dark

Nature overshadows man-made light

Phenomena

Liquid Light

At 50, the legendary lava lamp is still groovy after all these years

Phenomena

Power to the People

How much electricity can your roof really produce?

Phenomena

Dark Truths

Illuminating Inequality

Phenomena

Rhapsody in Blue

The one gem that can rival the Hope Diamond is finally on display

Phenomena

Night Games

Modern games find inspiration in the techniques of classic film noir

Phenomena

50 Shades of Gray Matter

Neuroscientists prove what we always suspected: Men and women see the world differently.

Phenomena

Flashes of Light

As the fastest thing in the universe, light certainly gets around

Around the Mall

No Fluke

Brian Skerry dives deep to capture the beauty, and fragility, of sea life

Around the Mall

Playlist

A new album from Smithsonian Folkways will brighten anyone’s St. Patrick’s Day

Around the Mall

This Just In

A dress for success

Around the Mall

Ask Smithsonian

Your questions answered by our experts

Around the Mall

Spotlight

Books

Books

Cooperative dolphins, heartbroken cheetahs and thinking chimps. Plus: the ruins of Detroit and the science of competition

Fast Forward

The AMS can detect and sort hundreds of billions of high-energy particles whizzing through space