Articles

More Than Three Years Later, Oil From the Deepwater Horizon Persists in the Gulf

Continued testing has found evidence of oil in the water, sediments and marine animals of the Gulf

StarCraft II Player Is Now Officially an Athlete, According to the U.S. Government

Kim Dong-hwan, a competitive StarCraft player, was just issued a P-1A visa—the type that's usually given to athletes

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Powering the 21st Century

Powering the 21st Century

Two Scientists Share Credit for the Theory of Evolution. Darwin Got Famous; This Biologist Didn’t.

When the Linnean Society of London hears the case for natural selection in 1858, Darwin shared credit with biologist A.R. Wallace

The sun sets on the River Thames winding its way between the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament. The 210-mile river flows through several small English towns before it reaches the center of London, and eventually spouts into the North Sea. The 184-mile Thames Path, which hugs the river’s banks, is the longest riverside walkway in Europe.

Top Cities for the Cultural Traveler: London

Iceland in wintertime

Meet the Thirteen Yule Lads, Iceland’s Own Mischievous Santa Clauses

The Yule Lads used to be a lot more creepy than they are today, too, but in 1746 parents were officially banned from tormenting their kids with the stories

NSA Metadata Collection Is Unconstitutional, Judge Says

A U.S. District Court Judge ruled that the NSA's metadata surveillance violates the Fourth Amendment

Forget Bulky Smart Watches, Slip On a Smart Ring

A team of developers is taking orders for a ring that displays incoming text and email messages and helps locate lost phones

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Energy Innovation

Energy Innovation

Stop Ruining Your Christmas Cookies! Follow These Tips to Better Baking

Here are a few pointers on making the perfect cookies this holiday season

Cats have graced Asian households for millennia, as depicted in this 12th century print by Mao Yi.

Domestic Cats Enjoyed Village Life in China 5,300 Years Ago

Eight cat bones discovered in an archeological site in China provide a crucial link between domestic cats' evolution from wildcats to pets

The inside of a newly assembled Ikea temporary home.

Ikea’s Getting Into the Refugee Shelter Business

Ikea's latest installments are popping up in Lebanon, where around one million Syrians have sought refuge from the violence plaguing their own country

The Andromeda Galaxy

Think Big

What Does the Future of the Universe Hold?

The collision of our galaxy with the Andromeda galaxy is billions of years away, but it’s never too early to wonder what will happen

The crossword turns 100 this week.

What's a 9-Letter Word for a 100-Year-Old Puzzle?

The crossword puzzle turns 100 this week -- here's how it rose to popularity

Villagers construct a new bridge over the Apurimac River, in Huinchiri, Peru, in 2012.

The Earliest and Greatest Engineers Were the Incas

Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough treks to Peru to see how Machu Picchu was built

Some Olympic Athletes Have To Crowd-Source Money to Get to Russia

While Olympic athletes may be our heroes, they aren't getting rich off their work, and some have to crowd-source funding for their trips to Sochi

Every Year, a Swedish Town Builds a Giant Straw Goat, And People Just Can't Help Burning It Down

In the 47 years that the town has erected Gävlebocken, it's been set on fire 26 times

We All Experience Smells Differently From One Another

A difference of a single amino acid on one gene can cause that person to experience a smell differently than someone with another amino acid

Stop Freaking Out About Lead in Backyard Chicken Eggs

Urban hens' eggs have elevated levels of lead, but the levels are still pretty low

Santa could make his home on floating sea ice, but the Arctic may be ice free as early as 2016, according to the U.S. Navy.

Six Ways Climate Change Is Waging War on Christmas

If Santa really lived at the North Pole, he would have drowned long ago--his icy abode is slowly melting

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