The nest

Cup-shaped bird nests are giving scientists a new way to study how fluid materials can turn solid in the right circumstances. Birds use found materials to make strong, lightweight homes. Scientists could mimic nest design to make synthetic materials with the same properties.

"Clay Nest" by German artist Nils Udo was a giant outdoor sculpture in which logs and bamboo were fashioned into an 80 ton nest. The sculpture was

The 4th Annual Life of an Architect Playhouse Design Competition had an amazing turnout this year and I am proud to announce the 28 finalists that will be moving on to the final round

- Gianni de Conno

This is that rare bird: a literary page-turner. In this wonderfully written, multi-layered, fast-moving novel, Sweeney tells the story of the dysfunctional Plumb family. When the eldest blows their collective inheritance (by crashing someone else's Porsche, while drunk and high, direly injuring the 19-year-old waitress who was not his wife), the four Plumb siblings are forced to actually communicate for the first time in ages. They're also forced to grow up, and watching that painful process…

Four new books illuminate the confluence of science, art and ornithology. Above, an illustration of the scarlet ibis by John James Audubon from 1837.

Over the past two weeks, we gave away our single car and left our little home and community. I just realized that the only keys I have now are the ones for our bike locks.