Articles

Zuni or not, every woman is obliged to pitch in for the Sha'lako corn-grinding ceremony. During the religious festival, says Morell (far right), "people are expected to set aside all feelings of ill-will and hostility."

Mystery and Drama

Virginia Morell, author of "The Zuni Way," on the mystical ceremonies of the Zuni pueblo

A player wearing an old-fashioned catcher's mask

April Anniversaries

Momentous or Merely Memorable

The Old Bailey (in 1809) was the venue for more than 100,000 criminal trials between 1674 and 1834, including all death penalty cases.

Digitizing the Hanging Court

The Proceedings of the Old Bailey is an epic chronicle of crime and vice in early London. Now anyone can search all 52 million words

Adhering to tradition is a way of life among the Zuni Indians of northwestern New Mexico, whether it's dryland farming or wedding ceremonies. "The Zuni's complex social web seems to hold people," says Dennis Tedlock. "Their religion and language provide...ethnic identity."

The Zuni Way

Though they embrace computers and TV, the secret of the tribe's unity lies in fealty to their past

The Egyptian queen frequently surrounded herself with splendor, but luxury was less an indulgence than a political tool.

Who Was Cleopatra?

Mythology, propaganda, Liz Taylor and the real Queen of the Nile

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Talking to the Feds

The chief of the FBI's organized crime unit on the history of La Cosa Nostra

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Roy Richard Grinker

His new book offers a scholar's— and father's— perspective on autism

Lawler, upriver from Alexandria in the Sudan: "The feeling of Alexandria was more evocative of the ancient world than anywhere else."

City of the Imagination

Andrew Lawler, author of "Raising Alexandria" talks about the hidden history of Egypt's fabled seaside capital

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Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Ape tools, flying dinosaurs and emperor penguins

May 6, 2006: Barbaro, with Edgar Prado aboard, nears the finish of the Kentucky Derby. He won the "Run for the Roses" by six and a half lengths, the largest margin in 60 years.

Barbaro's Legacy

The effort to save the fallen champion shows how far equine medicine has come in recent years. And how far it still has to go

A member of an underwater archaeology team inspects a sphinx that is at least 3,000 years old.

Raising Alexandria

More than 2,000 years after Alexander the Great founded Alexandria, archaeologists are discovering its fabled remains

Among the best hunters in Africa, wild dogs have a higher kill rate than lions and can take down antelope that weigh as much as 500 pounds. They are notorious for a grisly efficiency that has made some people fear and hate them, if not shoot them on sight.

Curse of the Devil's Dogs

Viewed as pests, Africa's wild dogs have nearly been wiped out. But thanks to new conservation efforts, the canines appear ready to make a comeback

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The Nic Fix

Put down your lighters and pick up your health care cards—, nicotine vaccines are in the works

Nudibranchs (seaslugs) are favorite with amateur divers. The advent of SCUBA diving and digital photography has revolutionized how we document and describe these soft-bodied, shell-less gastropods.

Species Explosion

What happens when you mix evolution with climate change?

Covering the Earth

A collection of Smithsonian's recent environmental stories

Conspiracists try to decode Masonic symbols, like those in the temple's stained-glass window.

The Lost Symbol's Masonic Temple

Conspiracy buffs, including author Dan Brown, tour the lavish Washington, D.C. temple of the Freemasons

Outer slope of the Rano Raraku volcano, the quarry of the Moais with many uncompleted statues.

The Mystery of Easter Island

New findings rekindle old debates about when the first people arrived and why their civilization collapsed

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Seal Hunt Goes on Despite Melting Ice

Stencil by Banksy on the waterline of The Thekla

Graffiti: A Second Look

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Mr. Chambers, Don't Get On That Ship!

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