May 21, 2012 | 5 notes

Beautiful Animation of a Lotus Flower Building in the Sky

The project started in London with few companies and artists invited to create a vision for the future mega developed city. The overall “Megatropolis” project didn’t make it to its final stage but the concept grew into this architectural utopia and animation.

Video: Tsvetan T

Ed note: In 1934, British writer R.H. Wilenski imagined a city of treelike buildings.

May 21, 2012 | 27 notes

The Story Behind Our Portraits of Chickens Dressed Like Famous Historical Figures This June, Smithsonian magazine’s special food issue features a story about how chickens have become as writers Jerry Adler and Andrew Lawler put it, “the ubiquitous food of our era.” If fitting such a wide-ranging topic into one article wasn’t challenging enough, the next hurdle became how to illustrate a story that spans 10,000 years and several continents. Photo: Timothy Archibald (pictured is his rendition of Jackie Onassis) Ed note: We have seven more chicken portraits at Smithsonian.com!

The Story Behind Our Portraits of Chickens Dressed Like Famous Historical Figures

This June, Smithsonian magazine’s special food issue features a story about how chickens have become as writers Jerry Adler and Andrew Lawler put it, “the ubiquitous food of our era.”

If fitting such a wide-ranging topic into one article wasn’t challenging enough, the next hurdle became how to illustrate a story that spans 10,000 years and several continents.

Photo: Timothy Archibald (pictured is his rendition of Jackie Onassis)

Ed note: We have seven more chicken portraits at Smithsonian.com!

May 11, 2012 | 149 notes

Nature’s Best Photography

Part adventurer, part artist, and part engineer, nature photographers travel the globe to document the beauty and mystery of its farthest reaches. The images they bring home help to broaden our awareness and appreciation of the natural world.

Ed note: The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has more photos and information on the exhibit.