CURRENT ISSUE
December 2012
Features
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Light & Magic
In his Beasts of the Southern Wild, the young filmmaker assembled a new myth out of Hurricane Katrinam a 6-year-old actress and a bathtub
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Natural Selection
A rollerblading physician-scientist-rockstar blazes a new view of infectious disease by probing the evolution of genes
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New Life
The legal crusader has given thousands of young people in America's prisons the most valuable gift - a second chance
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The Prodigy
A Maryland high school sophomore who reads science journals for fun may have invented a new diagnostic test for a deadly form of cancer
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Rocket Science
He's launching private cargo into space, churning out upscale electric cars and changing the way we think about solar power
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Beyond Jazz
A musical phenom is creating an entirely new direction - and a new generation of fans - for the quintessential American art form
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Solar Flair
With high-altitude spy planes, a Harvard chemist soars into the stratosphere and discovers an alarming link between climate change and ozone loss
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Mapping the Past
The scholar is applying cutting-edge technology to geography - changing our perspective on events from Gettysburg to the Holocaust
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Class Uprising
An expert in artificial intelligence is now turning his expertise to humans, revolutionizing the way people around the world learn
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The Gonzo Neurologist
His latest investigations of the mind explore the mystery of hallucinations—including his own
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The Father of Invention
Meet Dr. NakaMats, the most famous inventor you’ve never heard of—whose greatest invention may be himself
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Dream Machine
Visionary inventor Preston Tucker risked everything when he tried to create the car of the future
Departments
From the Editor
Our editor-in-chief introduces the inaugural Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards
From the Castle
The Secretary of the Smithsonian draws the connection between the Clovis tools and Silicon Valley
Sculpting with Fire
An artist who burns her creations
Fast Forward
Over 43,000 square feet of exhibit space will tell the story of the isthmus and the diverse species who live there