CURRENT ISSUE
August 2005
Features
Shark
Recent attacks on people off the Florida coast are a reminder of the animal's fierce nature. Yet scientists say the predator is itself in grave danger
It's Over
We asked readers to tell us where they were and how they reacted to the news that World War II had ended. And what a response we got!
Mystery Man of Stonehenge
The discovery of a 4,300-year-old skeleton surrounded by intriguing artifacts has archaeologists abuzz
Return to Da Lat
A veteran Vietnam correspondent revisits the romantic retreat where he, and so many others, sought respite from war in Indochina
World's Unlikeliest Bestseller
Fifty years ago a brewer's bet spawned a compelling compendium of feats, stunts and trivia
E-Gad!
Americans discard more than 100 million electronic devices each year. As "e-waste" piles up, so does concern about this growing threat to the environment
Building the Bomb
A book about atomic scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer charts the debate over deployment of the first A-bomb and the anxiety that suffused its first live test
Departments
Footloose
The image of Bruce McCandless' spacewalk two decades ago still amazes. It was the first untethered walk everand was among the last
In the Fast Lane
Drivers gear up to set speed records at Utah's desolate Bonneville Salt Flats
Baked Alaska
A unique study documents the disappearance of Alaska's glaciers, blamed on global warming
Ghost of a Chance
How did the ivory-billed woodpecker, which was feared extinct, hang on all these years?
The Price of Ambition
From the beginning, the cost of increasing and diffusing knowledge exceeded even Smithson's generosity
A Bittersweet Homecoming
As the corps finally makes contact with the Shoshone Indians, interpreter Sacagawea reunites with her family
Give Weeds a Chance
How a cultivated dislike of gardening can lead to more time on the porch