Summertime presents a lot of choices, like picking the least disappointing blockbuster movies, finding the secret vacation spots, and making the most of a day at the amusement park. We asked Eddie Sotto, a former ride designer for Disney, what makes a well-designed theme park ride. Produced ...

When we asked graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister to pick his favorite album cover of all time, he chose a notorious design by Andy Warhol: The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers. Produced by Derek John.

Paola Antonelli, a design curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, appreciates the classic design of this staple of your medicine cabinet.

The reconstruction of New Orleans may be years away, but plans are coming off the drawing board. Andres Duany and his team of "New Urbanists" have come to New Orleans with their vision of the future: 19th century-style town plans that encourage compact living and walkability. That's ...

They're not as rare as you might think. In fact, scientists have learned how to grow perfect diamonds in a laboratory. But that hasn't taken the shine off their allure, even for the experts who make them.

Cute is supposed to appeal universally, but some people just don't get it. Tamar Brott has some thoughts to share about being cute-averse in a too-cute world.

Big eyes are appealing on anything -- babies, puppies, cartoon characters, Jake Gyllenhaal. But our fondness for big eyes is the work of nature, not Disney. Studio 360's Eric Molinsky found out how evolutionary psychology butts into pop culture.

Paola Antonelli explains the origins of everybody's favorite ear cleaner.

Architect Charles Jencks explains what makes a building like the Eiffel Tower or the World Trade Center more than just a building, but a lasting image that redefines a city.

Hospital architecture usually stirs up feelings of anxiety and dread—which may not encourage patients to recover quickly, according to several new studies. Jocelyn Gonzales reports on the architects and medical professionals who are designing a new wave of feel-good hospitals, as part of our on-going series on ...

Buy any robots lately? Robotics engineer Daniel H. Wilson explains what's so special about a sentient little vacuum cleaner called the "Roomba." Produced by Caitlin Lindsey.

Samina Quraeshi grew up in a prominent family in Pakistan in the 1960s. She remembers the exact moment she decided to become a designer: when she saw the tail fins on the American ambassador's car.

This week in Studio 360, the Cold War is over -- but the atomic bomb still has a hold on us. Kurt Andersen talks with historian Richard Rhodes about how living with the threat of the bomb has changed us and our culture, high ...

Michael Chorost was born with a severe hearing impairment, the result of a rubella epidemic in the 1960s. He used hearing aids, learned to speak, went to regular schools and got his Ph.D. in English. Then, a few years ago, Michael's residual hearing abruptly gave out. His ...

Set designers for television always want their sets to look good; whether a police precinct, fake emergency room, or news magazine backdrop -- but they never want them to upstage the performers in the foreground. As Dave Johns discovered, these days the super-sharp resolution of high definition ...

Life Under Florescent Light