CURRENT ISSUE
December 2006
Features
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Antarctica Erupts!
A trip to Mount Erebus yields a rare, close-up look at one of the world's weirdest geological marvels
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The Treasures of Timbuktu
Scholars in the fabled African city, once a great center of learning and trade, are racing to save a still emerging cache of ancient manuscripts
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Pay Dirt
When self-taught archaeologists dug up an 1850s steamboat, they brought to light a slice of American life
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Time Capsule
A riverboat's telltale contents included 133-year-old pickles. Want one?
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Rembrandt at 400
Astonishing brushwork, wrinkles-and-all honesty, deep compassion. What's the secret of his enduring genius?
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An Almost Mystical Feeling
Master painter Rembrandt was also a talented draftsman and printmaker
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Waging Peace in the Philippines
With innovative tactics, U.S. forces make headway in the "war on terror"
Tumult in the Philippines
A timeline of the country's conflicts
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Diamonds Unearthed
In the first installment of a multi-part series, Smithsonian diamond expert Jeffrey Post explains how the rare crystals form
Departments
Beard's Eye View
When elephants began dying, Peter Beard suspected that poachers were not entirely to blame
Tony Hillerman's Mile-High Multiculturalism
Creator of savvy Native American sleuths, author Tony Hillerman cherished his Southwestern high desert home
Man of the Century
But 100 years after writing his classic memoir, the question about Henry Adams remains: Which century?
Eminent Domain
The Institution's Regents include the Vice President, the Chief Justice and other national leaders
Finding the Sacks Appeal in a Collection of Holiday Shopping Bags
The Cooper Hewitt's collection of some 1,000 bags reveals a few with some very cheery holiday scenes
Wild Things: Life as We Know It
Parasitic plants, zebra tarantulas and wobbles in Earth's orbit
Interview: Margaret Lowman
Bugs in trees and kids in labs get their due in a new book by "Canopy Meg"