Marina Koren

Marina Koren

 

Marina Koren is a staff writer at The Atlantic. Previously, she was a digital intern for Smithsonian.com.

Periodical cicadas, like the one pictured above, have missed a lot of news about insects since they last appeared.

Leaproaches, Mutant Butterflies and Other Insect News That the 17-Year Cicadas Missed

Since 1996, scientists have found the oldest fossil insect, the largest living bug, a new taxonomic order and more

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Interactive: The 50 Largest Ports in the World

Investigate for yourself the mechanisms of global trade

Thousands of Dutch fans celebrate a soccer match between Netherlands and Germany in the Ukranian city of Kharkiv in 2012. The fans and their German counterparts likely share hundreds of genetic ancestors from the past thousand years.

My Big Fat European Family: What Genomics Tell Us About Shared Ancestors

Any two modern-day Europeans, even those living on opposite sides of the continent, may be more closely related than they might think

The creamy sticks of color seen here are just the latest in a long history of lipsticks—historical records suggest that humans have been artificially coloring their lips since 4,000 B.C.

Heavy Metals, Insects and Other Weird Things Found in Lipstick Through Time

From seaweed and beetles to lead and synthetic chemicals, lipstick has seen its share of strange—and dangerous—components

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Want to See How an Artist Creates a Painting? There’s an App for That

The Repentir app reveals an artist's creative process by allowing users to peel back layers of paint with the touch of their fingertips

Flamingos depend on plant-derived chemical compounds to color their feathers, legs and beaks.

For Some Species, You Really Are What You Eat

Flamingos, shrimp and many other animals use chemical compounds found in their diets to color their exteriors

A difference of nearly four decades: at top, a ski area in Aspen, Colorado last year, captured by Ron Hoffman; at bottom, the same location in 1974, shot by Dustin Wesley.

Before and After: America’s Environmental History

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What Modern Art Looks Like As Yummy Dessert

Pastry chef Caitlin Freeman uses inspiration from modern art to whip up cakes, cookies and other desserts

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Five Surprising Facts About the Common Cold

How far do germs travel after a sneeze? Can you really catch a cold if it's chilly outside? And does vitamin C actually help battle cold symptoms?

Technician Maggie Halloran explains to a group of high school students how DNA sequencing works at the National Museum of Natural History’s new Laboratories of Analytical Biology (LAB), a molecular biotechnology hub.

How Museums Are Fostering the Workforce of the Future

The Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum gives high school students an inside look at collections, labs and the people who run them

Combining chia seeds, a nutrient-rich food naive to Mexico and Central America, with water creates a gel-like mixture.

Five Ways to Cook With Chia Seeds

The nutty-flavored seeds responsible for Chia Pets provide a nutrient boost to smoothies, burgers and soups

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Video: Researchers Produce Human Tissue-Like Material Using 3D Printing

Using droplets coated in oil as "ink," a 3D printer can construct a network of synthetic cells that mimics brain and fat tissue

Astronauts float in zero gravity outside the Challenger space shuttle in 1984.

How IMAX Pulled Spaceflight Down to Earth

The 1985 film that famously revealed the lives of astronauts in zero gravity returns to the big screen

An estimated 2 million Peeps are produced each year. Many find homes in Easter baskets, but some are incorporated into drinks and desserts.

Five Ways to Cook with Peeps

From brownies and milkshakes to casseroles and salads, Easter's favorite marshmallow can go a long way in the kitchen

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Sugar Cube-Sized Robotic Ants Mimic Real Foraging Behavior

Researchers use tiny robots to study how ants navigate a labyrinth of networks, from the nest to the food and back again

Psychologist B.F. Skinner taught these pigeons to play ping-pong in 1950.

B.F. Skinner: The Man Who Taught Pigeons to Play Ping-Pong and Rats to Pull Levers

One of behavioral psychology's most famous scientists was also one of the quirkiest

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Prehistoric Birds May Have Used Four Wings to Fly

A study of fossils of prehistoric birds suggests two sets of wings—one set on the creature's hind legs—helped avians stay aloft

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Scientists Map Buried Flood Channels on Mars in 3D

Deep channels, buried under lava but now mapped with satellite data, give hints to the planet's violent, wet and recent past

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Top Ten Afterlife Journeys of Notable People

Why Beethoven, Galileo, Napoleon and others never truly rested in peace

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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Dies at 58

The long-time leader, popular for his leftist views and tight control over oil, succumbs to cancer

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