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November 2021
Features
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The Dive to 1495
In the frigid Baltic Sea, archaeologists probing the surprisingly well-preserved remains of a revolutionary warship are seeing the Age of Discovery in a new way
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New Chapter
At the nation’s most innovative public library, you can play the ukulele, learn photography or record a song in a top-flight studio. You can also check out a book
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Welcome to Mars
A hostile landscape. Cramped quarters. Dehydrated food. A photographer takes part in experiments to live on another planet
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The Righteous Defiance of Aristides de Sousa Mendes
In 1940, as thousands of desperate refugees flooded into Bordeaux, one diplomat in the city had a choice. Follow orders and stop them from escaping German-occupied France. Or disobey—and risk everything
Departments
A Sustainable Planet
As a hub for research and education, the Smithsonian is poised to help the world find solutions to climate change
Discussion
Your feedback on sake, astrophysicist Avi Loeb and diphtheria
High and Dry
Behold the gnarly Joshua tree, a beloved desert denizen that is feeling the heat
The Sauce Detectives
From Pompeii to modern laboratories, scholars dig deep to recreate a weird taste that delighted ancient Rome
In Defense of King George
The author of a new biography shines a humane light on the monarch despised by the colonists
Slam-Dunk Design
The world is bonkers for sneakers. This pivotal 1996 concept for Michael Jordan is a big reason why
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