Articles

The Pebble smart watch is on a roll.

Next Up? The Smart Watch

If the crowd-funding spike for the Pebble smart watch is any indication, wearable tech is about to go mainstream

In 1882, years after an Apache encampment was massacred by Mexican troops, the tribe's legendary leader Geronimo and his men came to avenge the killings on a grassy hill just north of the town of Galeana in Mexico.

Geronimo’s Decades-Long Hunt for Vengeance

Close by the Mormon colony of Colonia Dublan is an unlikely tourist attraction: the small hilltop where the legendary Apache leader exacted his revenge

David Baggett, famed among noodlers, explodes from the water with a giant catfish in his hands.

Hand-Fishing for Swamp Monsters

"It's the most exhilarating thing I've ever done," says filmmaker Bradley Beesley, whose documentaries have popularized the ancient art of noodling

Peanuts

The Legumes of War: How Peanuts Fed the Confederacy

Food shortages were a problem for both military and civilians. But even in these hard times, people could find relief in peanuts

A study indicates that global yields of crops such as wheat and corn may already be affected by climate change.

10 Things We’ve Learned About the Earth Since Last Earth Day

We recap the most surprising, awe-inspiring and alarming things that we have learned about the Earth and the environment since last year's holiday

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What to See at the Tribeca Film Festival

The eleventh installment of the festival is underway in Manhattan

Hydrologic Commonwealths for the American West, proposed by John Wesley Powell, 1879

Design for a Water-Scarce Future

Design strategies for arid regions go back centuries, but in the face of climate change, drylands design is a whole new ballgame

Robot server at the Two Panda Deli in Pasadena, California

The Disco-Blasting Robot Waiters of 1980s Pasadena

In 1983, a Chinese fast-food restaurant hired a curious-looking pair of servers: Tanbo R-1 and Tanbo R-2

The Space Shuttle Discovery arrives at Dulles International Airport

Events April 20-22: Draw and Discover at Dusk, Welcome Discovery, Earth Day Party for the Planet

This weekend learn to draw at the American Art Museum, visit the space shuttle Discovery and celebrate Earth Day with the National Zoo

Paleontologists continue to find fascinating dinosaurs, such as this young Teratophoneus on display at the Natural History Museum of Utah. But will we ever see such creatures featured in a great dinosaur movie?

Will There Ever Be Another Great Dinosaur Movie?

Carefully crafted dinosaurs are an important part of any movie featuring the prehistoric creatures. But a good story is just as important, if not more so

Gone but not forgotten, the French franc

Plus Ça Change in France

The nation says au revoir to the franc and to "mademoiselle" and bonjourto a proposed new theme park—Napoleonland

Frank Costello testifying before the Kefauver Committee in March 1951

The Senator and the Gangsters

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Likely, British Columbia, Canada

A tiny town named after an early miner

Did egg-laying spell doom for non-avian dinosaurs, such as this crispy Troodon at the San Diego Natural History Museum?

How Eggs Shaped Dinosaur Evolution

Eggs may have been the secret to dinosaur success, but did they also lead to the dinosaurs' doom?

Selig's "Propane Tank Lips Bench" references Dali’s "May West Lips Sofa."

Thinking About Tanks at the Smithsonian Craft Show

Meet sculptor Colin Selig, who uses an interesting material for his benches: obsolete propane tanks

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Colonel Curmudgeon and KFC’s Mascot Problem

Colonel Sanders thought the quality of his chicken had "slipped mightily" and the whole culture of fast food appeared to disgust him

A piece of the elbow from Australopithecus anamensis found in northern Kenya.

The Top Seven Human Evolution Discoveries in Kenya

For more than 40 years, fossil hunters in Kenya have been excavating a treasure trove of hominid fossils, including a few species found nowhere else

Reverse innovation in action: An ultrasound scanner shrinks to smartphone size.

When Innovation Flows Uphill

Think that all the best inventions happen in rich countries and trickle down to poor ones? Think again

Jorge Cham is the creator of Piled Higher and Deeper, one of many popular science-themed web comics

Science Comics Rule the Web

Where do Schrödinger's cat and lolcats collide? On the science-themed web comics that appeal to our inner nerd and inner child at the same time

Blacksburg, Virginia

Blacksburg, Virginia

Standing out in an American town

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