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December 2013

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Features

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The 2013 Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards

We recognize nine of the past year's shining achievements and the innovators behind them

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Mars Attack!

A nine-year project to land the $2.5 billion Curiosity rover on Mars came down to seven nail-biting minutes

St. Vincent

Notes from the Edge

She brings new sophistication to top composition, conjuring ethereal dreamscapes from her suburban roots

ingenuity

Voices Carry

By capturing the stories of those who've survived crises, voice of witness is changing the way we record history

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Quantum Mechanic

A teenager harnesses cutting-edge physics and nanotechnology for a new kind of radiation detector with possible applications ranging from automobiles to astronomy

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Warp Factor

A revolutionary materials scientist pushes the boundaries of medicine with electronics that melt in your body

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Visualizing Ben

How one historian is harnessing big data to map Ben Franklin’s world of Enlightenment ideas

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Climb Higher

New research is revolutionizing the way the best colleges reach out to talented low-income students

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Escape Artist

He uses video, music, mirrors, railroad cars, even entire buildings to create works that make every viewer a participant

Michael Skinner

Code Breaker

He enraged the chemical community and shocked his peers by discovering that DNA changes aren’t the only way the environment can affect future generations

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Can You Hear Me Now?

One of the earliest examples of ingenuity in the Western Hemisphere is a 1,200-year-old phone

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Dreaming of Shakespeare

For renowned director Julie Taymor, the Bard is a fantasy and a nightmare

Departments

Contributors

From the Editor

From the Editor

Discussion

Discussion

Phenomena

Growth

We can nurture growth, but never really control it

A State of Equinimity

Photographer Tim Flach explores the serene beauty of horses before birth

Phenomena

Look Out Below

The frontier of 21st-century architecture may be the basement

Phenomena

How to Grow a Robot

Scientists are creating machines that can evolve on their own

Phenomena

Invasion!

Climate is a game-changer in the plant wars

Phenomena

Ice Maker

A scientist might have finally solved the mysetry of the Antarctic Sea's big chill

Around the Mall

U.S.A.-Made

A voluminous new exhibition highlights Latino art as American art

Around the Mall

The Phone That Helped Andy Carvin Report the Arab Spring is Now in the Smithsonian

The NPR reporter talks about how he was able to factcheck tweets amid the rush of information in 2011

Around the Mall

Ask Smithsonian

Your questions answered by our experts

Dive into Jen Lewin's Interactive Light Pool

"The Pool" invites visitors to create dazzling light displays by jumping across 100 glowing pads