CURRENT ISSUE
April 2012
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Features
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Monster Discovery
A fierce, coldblooded predator, it dominated a world of giant creatures 58 million years ago. It was 40 feet long and weighed more than a ton. It could swallow a crocodile whole. Its existence has stunned scientists, forcing them to rethink the nature of prehistoric life. They called it Titanoboa
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The Rebellion's Secret Weapon
Libyan women smuggled arms for the insurgents, spied on government troops and put their lives on the line to topple Qaddafi. But their brave contribution to the uprising has been largely untold—until now
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The King of Béisbol
Forty years ago, superstar and humanitarian Roberto Clemente transcended baseball’s borders
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Casanova Slept Here
The personal memoir of history's most famous lover—recently bought for a record-breaking $9.6 million—reveals a misunderstood intellectual who befriended the likes of Ben Franklin and Catherine the Great. Tony Perrottet follows in the satin footsteps of the man who seduced the world
Venice
A poem
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American Prom
Awkward. Hilarious. Heartbreaking. Magical. The high-school prom is a very American rite of passage. Renowned photographer Mary Ellen Mark invites herself to the dance, capturing the poignant moment teenagers teeter on the edge of adulthood
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Eye of the Tiger
The great cat is fighting for survival throughout its range because of habitat loss and illegal hunting. But an innovative scientist in India may have discovered a way to save the species
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Cat Fight
Experts battle each other over a $350 million plan to save the world's tigers
Departments
Cassandra Syndrome
America's longtime counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke warns that the cyberwars have already begun—and that we might be losing
The Basque Revolution
They followed the sheep from Europe to the western United States. Fortunately, they brought with them their boardinghouse cuisine, which is now being hailed as an American classic
Cooperate Or Die
While some scientists say people are becoming more civilized, the eminent biologist E. O. Wilson argues in a controversial new book that our Stone Age emotions are still at war with our high-tech sophistication
Futurism
You don't need to be clairvoyant to predict the future. Bruce Sterling, the celebrated science fiction writer and author of Tomorrow Now, explains
You, Robot
Organs, schmorgans. The "transhumanist" movement says better technology will enable you to replace more and more body parts—even your brain
Before The Jetsons
A new generation is discovering the madcap American utopia dreamed up by 1950s newspaper cartoonist Arthur Radebaugh
Wall St. is Occupied
Once a desolate office park, now an upscale neighborhood: The financial district's transformation epitomizes a nationwide trend
The Future That Wasn't
According to past predictions, we should be living in an era of flying cars and other marvels. But be glad that some advances haven't happened
This Just In
The rock ’n’ roll artist donates his car to the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Ask Smithsonian
We brought your questions on paleontology, Civil War photography and other subjects to the Institution’s experts
NYPD Blues
TR’s rough ride as New York’s top cop shaped the man who became president just six years later