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Introducing Ask Smithsonian

http://smithsonian.com/ask Now it's your turn to ask the Institution's experts your questions about science, history, art or culture




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E-Line Never Alone Video Game




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This London Blacksmith Forges Replicas of Medieval Swords

A London blacksmith has perfected a technique known as pattern welding to create elaborately-designed replica Saxon swords and knives. He demonstrates his technique on camera.




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An Egg Hatches

A chick in the process of hatching as the female adult looks on




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The Architect of Notre Dame's Astounding Football Success

Under exuberant coach, Knute Rockne, Notre Dame set the standards for football excellence. But off the field, the Fighting Irish was a PR sensation, capturing the hearts of a riveted nation.




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SmartNews: Apps for Apes

Zookeepers at the National Zoo keep orangutans mentally stimulated with an innovative use of iPads




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Did New Orleans Invent the Cocktail?

Cocktail historians differ on the birthplace of the word "cocktail," but they cherish America' invention of drinks like the mint julep (Meredith Bragg)




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MIT's New Water-Powered Artificial Muscles

Scientists have created thin polymer sheets that expand and contract when in contact with water




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The Future Is Bright If More Teens Think About High School the Way Kavya Kopparapu Does

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma talks with the founder of the Girls Computing League about the promise of her generation




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The T-Rex's Journey to D.C

Follow the "Nation's T-Rex" as it travels from Montana to Washington




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Charles Babbage's Difference Machine No. 2

The first computer is thought to be the invention of a 19th century mathematician




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Fridays in Floyd

Every week, the Floyd Country Store draws musicians and their fans from across southwest Virginia




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Coming July 27: There's More to That from Smithsonian magazine and PRX

Smithsonian magazine covers history, science and culture in the way only it can — through a lens on the world that is insightful and grounded in richly reported stories. On There's More to That, meet the magazine's journalists and hear how they discover the forces behind the biggest issues of our time. 




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Ask Smithsonian: How Does Skin Heal?

Our skin is an endlessly complex organ. Luckily, in this one-minute video, our Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze is here to explain exactly what happens after you get a scrape.




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Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence




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SmartNews: 3D Printers in Space

If you need something while up in space, soon all you'll have to do is print it.




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Simon Johnson on Over-the-Counter Derivatives

The MIT professor believes many of the financial products sold today will be rightly regarded as not in the best interest of consumers




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Driving Art Around

Art car designers tour the country with their cars, some thousands of miles a year, not for fame or money, but just to make people smile. (Produced by: Abby Callard and Ryan Reed)




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Poaching the Venus Flytrap

Researchers are able to track Venus flytrap plants that were stolen from protected areas




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Building the Udvar-Hazy Center

Find out what it takes to build a museum large enough to house 130 aircraft




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How Coffee Breaks Became a Staple of American Life

Coffee - it's a staple of American life, and inside the vaults of the National Museum of American History, they know the secret to its wide spread success: packaging




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Helping Underprivileged Children Hear

By 2020, the Starkey Hearing Foundation plans to donate one million hearing aids to kids in the developing world




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Academy Award Nominee Kathleen Turner Discusses Political Journalist Molly Ivins

More on Kathleen Turner and her show at Arena Stage: http://j.mp/T0IkkZ Before taking the stage in "Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins," Academy Award nominee Kathleen Turner discusses the woman who inspired the show.




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Rare Apollo 11 Footage, Remixed and in HD

In 1969, three men traveled to the moon cameras documented their every move




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Down Under in Georgia

Take a virtual tour of the Kangaroo Conservation Center in Dawsonville, Georgia




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This Bandit-Faced Dino Hid From Predators Using Multiple Types of Camouflage

Credit: David Marshall, University of Bristol




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The Invisible Enemy Wiping Out Entire Species of Frogs

To save a species from extinction, scientists scour the Panamanian jungle for the few remaining frogs. But will they be too late?




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How Lizzie Borden Became the Main Suspect in Her Family's Murder

How did a god fearing church-goer like Lizzie Borden become a suspect in the gruesome crime of the century? Her inconsistent account, and an eerie nonchalance, immediately damaged her credibility with investigators.




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The Smithsonian in 2050

We asked visitors to the National Mall what they thought should be in the Smithsonian collections in 2050. The consensus? Lady Gaga and much more...




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Indiana's Secret Parties and Perfect Popcorn

A large portion of Indiana's economy relies on an invaluable crop: corn. Popcorn plants like Pop Weaver have perfected the production of our favorite movie snack down to a science.




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This Pendant Is Britain’s Oldest Piece of Iron Age Art

A small pebble with ornate markings is Britain’s earliest piece of Mesolithic art—but what do the markings denote, and was it worn for cosmetic purposes or spiritual ones?




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How a 'Non-Hazardous' NASA Mission Turned Deadly

In 1967, a horrific fire broke out during a routine pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission at Cape Kennedy, Florida. It would claim the lives of three NASA astronauts




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Ask Smithsonian: What Would Happen if a Solar Flare Hit the Earth?

"Be prepared” might not cover it when it comes to super storms.




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Jose Gomez-Marquez Wants to Turn Every Doctor and Nurse into a Maker

Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter interviews the co-founder of MIT’s Little Devices Lab about democratizing health technology




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Take a Ride on a Norry

In the jungles of Cambodia, villagers travel along abandoned railway tracks on a norry, a rickety transport of spare lumber with a speedy (and loud) motor attached Video, Photographs and Narration by Russ Juskalian




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This Church Has an Eerie Visual Record of the Black Death

The Black Death of 1348 was a devastating event, wiping out half the population of Britain. And in churches like this one, drawings on the wall provide a haunting visual record of the scale of the tragedy.




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The Smithsonian Channel Commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act

Aerial America: Wilderness premieres Sunday, Sept. 7 at 9PM ET/PT




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Street Painting the Book of Omens

Artist Michael Kirby spent four days painting an image from "Falnama: The Book of Omens" in front of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Read more at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/muralist-uses-the-sidewalk-outside-the-sackler-gallery-as-canvas-20678724/




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Ask Smithsonian: How Do Noise-Canceling Headphones Work?

Our host, Eric Schulze explains how 1 + 1 = 0 when it comes to sound




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SmartNews: Why Are These Mice Unafraid of Cats?

Scientists are researching how the rodent can become less susceptible to its feline foe.




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Feeding the Leopards

Caretakers feed the new baby clouded leopards at the Zoo's research facility in Virginia




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Boston and New York Competed for America’s First Subway

In March 1895, Boston and New York City began an epic and highly competitive race to become the first American city with a working subway system.




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Did the Spanish Flu Impact America's Ability to Fight in WWI?

By late September 1918, in a bid to contain the spread of the flu, the U.S. had made the decision to cancel the draft. It was too little, too late—in October alone, over 200,000 Americans were killed by the disease.




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Sebastian Thrun on the Future of Learning

Why the American Ingenuity Award winner believes higher education should be a basic human right




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This 11,000-Year-Old Piece of Wood Is More Than It Seems

It looks like a fairly nondescript plank of wood, found in the fields of Star Carr. But from an archaeological perspective, it’s far more significant: It’s the oldest piece of carpentry found anywhere in Europe.




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These Famous Names Came Out of Omaha

After his arrival in Omaha in 1892, Tom Dennison - nicknamed the "Grey Wolf" - controlled the city's street's for more than 30 years




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Underwater Volcano

A remote camera captures the first-ever video of an erupting underwater volcano




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The Whistling Orangutan

Bonnie, the subject of a recently published paper, is the Smithsonian National Zoo’s famous whistling orangutan




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Ask Smithsonian: Have Cats Been Domesticated?

When did we start getting cuddly with cats? And have those tabbies really been tamed? In this one-minute video, Ask Smithsonian host Eric Schulze investigates the surprising history and science behind today’s house cat.




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2016 FLAP Canada Bird Layout