Blogs

Red Acorn, 40 years old

Covered in Ink, Cross-sections of Trees Make Gorgeous Prints

Connecticut-based artist Bryan Nash Gill uses ink to draw out the growth rings of a variety of tree species

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The Hot Condiment of 2013? Barrel-Aged Hot Sauce

Restauranteurs across the nation are feeding a new trend by feeding hot sauce into whiskey oak barrels

Inauguration History

If Only Hollywood Would Show Us Lincoln’s Second Inaugural

Our pop culture curator Amy Henderson strolls the halls of the Old Patent Building imagining the scene of Lincoln's 1865 inaugural ball

“Nostalgia Man” by Amy Crehore 1996, oil painting (9 1/2″ x 10 1/2″)

Garrison Keillor’s 1996 Predictions for the Future of Media

A woebegone tribute to the ending of an era

A new DNA analysis method reveals how ancient skeletons would have looked in the flesh.

Hair and Eye Color Can Now Be Determined for Ancient Human Skeletons

A new method based on DNA forensics can tell us about the appearances of those who lived long ago

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What Django Unchained Got Wrong: A Review From National Museum of African American History and Culture Director Lonnie Bunch

The museum director and former film studies professor examines Quentin Tarantino's take on slavery

Last summer, a study found that long-term cannabis use reduced cognitive skills. A new study seems to say the opposite.

Long-Term Marijuana Use Could Have Zero Effect on IQ

Last summer, a study found that long-term cannabis use reduced cognitive skills. A new study seems to say the opposite

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The Jetsons and the Future of the Middle Class

Living paycheck to paycheck in the techno-utopian future

Hurt says now when he visits soul food restaurants, he tends to fill his plate with vegetarian options, staying away from chicken and meats.

Is America a Nation of Soul Food Junkies?

Filmmaker Bryan Hurt explores what makes soul food so personal, starting with his own father's health struggle, in a PBS film premiering tonight

Each year, around 5,300 Golden Warblers – a threatened species – die from collisions with communication towers.

Communication Towers Are Death Traps for Threatened Bird Species

Nearly 7 million North American birds - including 13 threatened species - lose their lives through tower collisions each year

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VIDEO: The Story Behind the Emancipation Proclamation

You've seen Spielberg's "Lincoln," now hear director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture Lonnie Bunch talk about the forces behind the January 1, 1863 order and the eventual abolition of slavery

Astrophysicist Lawrence Krauss is in the house on Monday to explain why our understanding of physics in the past 50 years has been based on a particle whose existence we couldn’t prove.

Events January 14-17: Higgs Boson, Up “Close” with President Obama, Modern Origami and Shiny Pots

This week, learn why the Higgs Boson particle matters, see a huge portrait of President Obama, discover modern origami and stand in DC's most opulent room

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Scorchingly Hot 2012 Riddled With Extreme Weather

Drought, heatwaves, cyclones--even a tornado in Hawaii--mark last year as one filled with record-breaking severe weather

An illustration of the variety of planets in our galaxy being detected by NASA’s Kepler spacecraft. Research on their frequency suggests one in six stars in the Milky Way is orbited by an Earth-size planet, which means there would be at least 17 billion planets on which life might exist.

17 Billion Earth-Size Planets! An Astronomer Reflects on the Possibility of Alien Life

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The Fisher Space Pen Boldly Writes Where No Man Has Written Before

The Fisher Space Pen has been made famous by Apollo astronauts and Jerry Seinfeld. But just how does it work? And is NASA really spend millions making it?

Samsung TVs get smarter.

How Smart Should TVs Be?

Researchers have developed a breath-based test for bacterial infections, using the same concepts employed in a breathalyzer (above).

A Breathalyzer Test for Bacterial Infections

A new approach to detecting lung infections could be faster and less invasive

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Video: Tiny Artificial Muscles Dance Like Mexican Jumping Beans

MIT scientists have created thin polymer sheets that expand and contract when in contact with water, lifting several times their weight

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How Hot is That Pepper? How Scientists Measure Spiciness

How does the Scoville Scale rate the relative spiciness of a chili pepper?

Turkey feather

Beautiful Artwork Cut Out of Feathers

A clever artist uses a scalpel and tweezers to cut beautiful bird silhouettes out of feathers

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