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August 2010

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Features

The Obamas worship at African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.

Anticipation

We salute the basic human urge to remember the future

Northeast Pacific sea nettles Monterey Bay Aquarium

The New King of the Sea

As the world's oceans are degraded, will they be dominated by jellyfish?

Nancy Knowlton marine biologist

Marine Advisory

Scientists say the outlook for the world’s oceans is bleak—unless we stop overfishing and reduce air and water pollution. Here’s an update on the marine environment and its possible future

Shai Agassi

Charging Ahead

An entrepreneur hits the road with a new approach to the electric car that overcomes its greatest shortcoming

Richard Branson

Q and A: Richard Branson

Industry in Orbit

Salt tolerant trees

Buying Time

For scientists in a remote corner of coastal North Carolina, ignoring global warming is not an option

kipunji

Meet the Species

Scientists have discovered thousands of new species in recent years. And there are many more to come

Farewell-Cat-Ba-Langur-631.jpg

Five Species Likely to Become Extinct in the Next 40 Years

Experts estimate that one-eighth of all bird species, one-fifth of mammal species and one-third of amphibian species are at risk

Living skyscraper

Farms Go to Town

Grow fruits and vegetables in urban towers? Advocates give a green thumbs up

President Barack Obama at White House Correspondents Dinner

Why I'm Optimistic

Americans' restless searching for solutions bodes well for the future

Population growth places the United States in a radically different position from that of Russia, Japan and Europe.

Ready, Set, Grow

The U.S. population will expand by 100 million over the next 40 years. That's a good thing, the author argues

George Friedman

Q and A: George Friedman

The U.S. Stays On Top

What Will America Look Like in 2050?

A Smithsonian/Pew poll finds optimism about science and social progress despite worries about the environment and population growth

Rosamond Naylor

Q and A: Rosamond Naylor

Feeding Everyone

Crops to feed the hungry

New Fields

Food security experts say these crops, if grown more widely, could help feed the hungry

Japan aged population

The Age of Peace

Maturing populations may mean a less violent future for many societies torn by internal conflict

Bonnie Bassler

Listening to Bacteria

By studying microbial communications, Bonnie Bassler has come up with new ways to treat disease

Melinda French Gates

Q and A: Melinda French Gates

Saving Lives

Regeneration ear

Organs Made to Order

It won't be long before surgeons routinely install replacement body parts created in the laboratory

Titan moon

Next in Space

Probes and landers sent into the final frontier will bring us closer to answering cosmic mysteries

Rik Hill

Masters of Disaster

Asteroid hunters are determined to protect human beings from outer space invaders

Melvin Konner

Q and A: Melvin Konner

Catching Up With Kids

Doug Aitken

Interaction and Adventure

Artists + digital technology = bold new ways of engaging viewers

Rita Dove

Q and A: Rita Dove

Speed Reading

Tod Machover Rock Band

­­Q and A: Tod Machover

Make Your Own Music

Adolf Hitler and his deputy Rudolf Hess

The Future of History

Archives opening in coming decades will shed new light on pivotal 20th-century figures and events

James Cameron Avatar

Q and A: James Cameron

Movies Get Deeper

Comedian George Lopez

Q and A: George Lopez

Comedy Wises Up

Free Fall Emily Schiffer

Powwows and Karaoke

The movie director, descended from Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples, says Native pride will embolden the next generation of the first Americans

Sabhia Al Khemir

Q and A: Sabiha Al Khemir

Islam and the West

Carl Hiassen

Q and A: Carl Hiaasen

Slipping Backward

Polymer fronds and spheres

The Genius of Small Things

If George Whitesides thinks nanotechnology can save lives, you better believe it

Angela Belcher chemist at MIT

Invisible Engineers

A researcher recruits microscopic workers to manufacture high technology

Laurie Anderson

Q and A: Laurie Anderson

Higher Fidelity

contact lense with computer screen

Power From the People

Energy harvested from our bodies will make possible mind-boggling gadgetry

Solar panels Solucar facility

Shining Example

Solar technologies being pioneered in Spain show even greater promise for the United States

Google Vinton Cerf

Vinton Cerf

Google's View

iPad with Smithsonian magazine first cover

From Print to Pixel

As digital screens proliferate, people are reading in a whole new way

Departments

From the Editor

Curveballs at the Un-Magazine

From the first issue 40 years ago, Smithsonian has blazed its own path through the media landscape

Letters

Letters

Smithsonian magazine

Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Cobras, sharks, lemurs, hermit crabs and more...

Indelible Images

Unmasked

The 1970 photograph became an instant Earth Day classic, but its subject has remained nameless—until now

Timothy Dumas
Around the Mall

Vaulting Into the Future

How poor countries can build sturdy structures from inexpensive, local materials

Logan Ward
From the Castle

Forward Thinking

Q&A

Q and A: Nina Simon

What's Up

What's Up

The Last Page

Married, With Glitches

Survey finds human-robot unions undone by technical difficulties

Bruce McCall