Blogs

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, a National Historic Landmark, was designed in the 1870s by Calvin T.S. Brent, Washington, DC’s first black architect. Learn more about famous black architects and how they shaped the city in “Master Builders”at the Anacostia Community Museum on Sunday.

Events April 5-7: Japanese Art, Poetry Month and African-American Architects

This week, experience Japanese design, celebrate poetry with your family and learn about African Americans' roles in shaping Washington, DC's architecture

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Photos: Scenes From Life Under the Sea

Three decades in and photojournalist Brian Skerry is still getting acquainted with the ocean's many characters

A trident lined with shark teeth, used in the study.

19th Century Shark Tooth Weapons Reveal A Reef’s Missing Shark Species

Lashed to swords and spears from the Pacific's Gilbert Islands are teeth from two shark species that were never known to have swam in the area

Earthworms may play a crucial role in helping plants defend themselves from being devoured by slugs.

Earthworms: A Nightmare for America’s Orchids?

Though assumed to be great for soil, earthworms actually may be killing off orchids by ingesting their seeds

Need a break from mountains, wine and cheese? The CERN lab near Geneva, like many other research facilities, offers tours of the premises.

How to Tour the World’s Greatest Science Labs

Around the globe, physics and astronomy labs—some on mountaintops, others underground—welcome visitors to tour the premises

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When New York City Tamed the Feared Gunslinger Bat Masterson

The lawman had a reputation to protect—but that reputation shifted after he moved East

Traditional chess pieces in the Staunton design

How the Chess Set Got Its Look and Feel

The vaunted Staunton Chess Set, the standard chess set you probably grew up with, has its roots in neoclassical architecture

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Play Ball (and Tunes): Sheet Music from the Game’s Early Days

From celebrating championships to begging teams to stay, baseball music has a lot more than Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Poet Marianne Moore, 81, threw out the first pitch at the opening of the 1968 baseball season at Yankee Stadium on April 10th, against the Los Angeles Angels.

Poetry Matters: In Baseball, No Poet Has Yet to Do the Game Justice

Smithsonian historian David Ward umpires the field of poetry, honoring the boys of spring, and calls a strike

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

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What Makes Rain Smell So Good?

A mixture of plant oils, bacterial spores and ozone is responsible for the powerful scent of fresh rain

Darius Brubeck with students from Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, 2007

Dave Brubeck’s Son, Darius, Reflects on His Father’s Legacy

As a global citizen and cultural bridge-builder, Dave Brubeck captivated the world with his music, big heart and a vision of unity

Jupiter’s innermost large moon, Io, is extremely volcanic. “If you look closely on the upper left and upper right horizon, you can see eruptions in the process of happening,” says Benson. “We know that at least 400 volcanos are continuously blasting magma into space from Io.” Mosaic composite photograph. Galileo, July 3, 1999.

Michael Benson’s Awe-Inspiring Views of the Solar System

A photographer painstakingly pieces together raw data collected by spacecraft to produce color-perfect images of the Sun, planets and their many moons

New research says olive oil is one healthy fat.

10 New Things We Know About Food and Diets

Scientists keep learning new things about food, from the diet power of olive oil's aroma to how chewing gum can keep you away from healthy foods

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Why Geckos Don’t Slip Off Wet Jungle Leaves or Hotel Ceilings

A surface's ability to attract and repel water heavily influences the degree to which a gecko can cling overhead, new research shows

Gerhard Richter (above) is one of the world’s most accomplished living painters. Watch a documentary about him and his creative process at the Hirshhorn Museum this Thursday.

Events April 2-4: Native Sousa Music, Free Art Lessons and Gerhard Richter

This week, learn about a little-known Native American musical tradition, make something creative and see a world-class painter in action

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How Crisco Went From Cryst to Disco

The American History Museum covers all things grease for its April Fool's Day conference open to the public

Super low-slung pants

Sagging Pants Butt Up Against the Law

Yet the droopy trousers trend lives on

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The Greening of the Arctic is Underway

As the climate changes, trees and shrubs are poised to take over tundra and alter the Arctic's ecosystems

The gooey confections can be used to measure the speed of light and demonstrate relationships between the volume of a gas and its pressure and temperature.

Marshmallows: The Perfect Media for Demonstrating Principles of Physics

The gooey confections turn out to be a must-have for at-home science experiments

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