YOUR WEEKLY ESCAPE: The secret rooms of the Smithsonian

Plus: A looming crisis in astronomy; fake holy relics; a new look for the dodo.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌    ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  

 

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THE DODO'S NEW LOOK

Your Weekly Escape

Extraordinary people, discoveries, and places

IMAGE BY ESA/HUBBLE & NASA, A. RIESS ET AL. The universe is expanding faster than it should be The latest measurements with the Hubble Space Telescope suggest the universe is expanding faster than scientists' models predict—a hint that some unknown ingredient could be at work in the cosmos. WHY?

PHOTOGRAPH BY EMILE DUCKE The hidden lives of the 'Old Believers,' a centuries-old religious community in Siberia This Russian Orthodox sect is guided by traditions that predate the church's 17th-century reforms. In 2016, photographer Emile Ducke documented the lives and rituals of adherents in one village that seemed to exist in a world all its own. SEE PHOTOS

FERNANDO G. BAPTISTA, MONICA SERRANO, AND PATRICIA HEALY The dodo has gotten a makeover A picture of the extinct, flightless dodo that has inspired artists and tall tales for centuries is slowly coming into sharper relief, thanks to modern scientific tools and newly discovered bones. In this graphic, see how our idea of the dodo has taken shape over the years. SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

PHOTOGRAPH BY REBECCA HALE A rare look inside the Smithsonian's secret storerooms From Muppets to exotic moths, this peek behind locked doors at America's national museums reveals some delightful surprises. EXPLORE

It may seem counterintuitive, but one of the things that makes a museum great is the stuff that doesn’t get shown. Eleanor Harvey, Smithsonian American Art Museum From: A rare look inside the Smithsonian’s secret storerooms

M. BECK-COPPOLA/RMN-GRAND PALAIS A black market for holy relics thrived in the Middle Ages Christian churches treasured objects associated with Jesus, Mary, and the saints, but con artists took advantage of the faithful, selling outright fakes. "I have seen Our Lord's foreskin at Rome, at Burgos [Spain], and likewise at the church of Our Lady at Antwerp," noted one 16th-century writer. SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

ILLUSTRATION BY LIDA XING A rare baby dinosaur was found curled up in its fossilized egg One of the most complete dino embryos ever found, known as "Baby Yingliang," shows the ancient infant tucked into a position that's strikingly similar to today’s unhatched chickens. SEE IT

MORE GREAT READS The battle to claim an 18th-century shipwreck (Vanity Fair)  ›› The boy king of YouTube  ››

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