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March 2011

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Features

Rapper J Me graffiti art show

Myanmar's Free Thinkers

Young artists and activists—buoyed by the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi—are stirring things up in their repressive, isolated nation

Zebras at Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

Kalahari Journey

In Botswana, a 150-mile-long fence appeared to threaten one of Africa's great seasonal migrations. Nearly a decade later, wildlife experts have a new understanding of the zebra's resilience and fortitude

Magnetic resonance imaging

Beauty of the Brain

Stunning new images reveal order in the cortex

John Ross and Major Ridge

The Holdouts

Under the unique leadership of John Ross and Major Ridge, the Cherokee Indians fought to keep their traditional homelands. And then Andrew Jackson was elected president

Gauguin Te Nave Nave Fenua

Gauguin's Gambit

Of all the images created by the French artist, none was more striking than the one he crafted for himself

Inambari and Araza rivers

Quandary in the Amazon

A huge dam nearing construction will bring much need development to the region. But at what cost?

Departments

From the Editor

Less Traveled Roads

In Tahiti and Botswana

Letters

Letters

Readers Respond to the January Issue

Smithsonian magazine

Wild Things: Giant Pandas, an Ancient Ibis and More...

Panda-friendly forests, one bizarre bird and foxes on junk food

Indelible Images

Speed Demons

Typewriters may have more in common with Twitter than you think

Michael Shapiro
This Month in History

March Anniversaries

Momentous or Merely Memorable

Digs

Blackbeard's Treasure

Cannons. Gold dust. Turtle bones. For archaeologists researching the notorious pirate's flagship, every clue is priceless

From the Castle

Collaborations

Around the Mall

An African Island in Georgia

Descendants of slaves, the Gullah people strive to preserve their culture

The Object at Hand

Different Drummer

Gene Krupa's star power put percussionists center stage

Q&A

Q & A: Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt

What's Up

What's Up

Presence of Mind

King Ludd's War

In the Luddite protests, which began 200 years ago this month, technology wasn't really the enemy

The Last Page

Spoken Like a Native

Learning a minority language opens doors—and hearts

Thomas Swick