The DNA of Hundreds of Insect Species Is in Your Tea

Minute remnants preserved among dried leaves might help scientists track pests and monitor population declines | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Scientists Find Most Complete Atlantic Gray Whale Skeleton Ever

The fossil, uncovered in North Carolina, shows signs of butchering | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Claes Oldenburg, Who Transformed Everyday Objects Into Towering Sculptures, Dies at 93

The Pop Art pioneer’s radical, scaled-up depictions of familiar items democratized art | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Heat Wave Scorches Europe

Scientists say climate change is making heat waves hotter, longer and more frequent | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Skin Helps Explain Why Elephant Trunks Are So Handy

Researchers discovered that the skin on the top of the trunk is more pliable and can stretch farther than the bottom | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Giant 'Murder' Hornet Has Landed at the Natural History Museum

After scientists studied the invasive insect, visitors are getting a first look at the fierce creature that could wreak havoc on U.S. agriculture | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

When Authorities Dunked Outspoken Women in Water

In early modern England, women accused of being "common scolds" were immersed in rivers and lakes while strapped to contraptions known as ducking stools | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Our Forests Can't Handle This Much Stress

A new study suggests that climate change is making life more difficult for forests to adapt to new stresses to the environment | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Loss of Y Chromosome in Mice May Lead to Heart Failure

A new study suggests the same loss in humans may lead to increased mortality | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Woodpeckers Don’t Have Shock-Absorbing Skulls

The birds’ small brain size protects them from getting concussions, a new study finds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

How to Deal With Work Stress and Recover From Burnout

These evidence-based strategies can help you achieve healthy work-life balance | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

New Reality Show Is Looking for 'America's Next Great Author'

Applications are open for aspiring writers who want to appear in the pilot episode | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A Brief History of Airplane Hijackings, From the Cold War to D.B. Cooper

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, hijackings occurred, on average, once every five days globally | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Watch Thousands of Beluga Whales Migrate From the Arctic

Two webcams give a front-row seat to the whales' daily activities | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Why American Girl Dolls Are Starring in Viral History Memes

The popular posts call for characters who witnessed the Salem Witch Trials, JFK's assassination and other historical events | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Cavers Discover 200-Year Old Mine, Untouched Since the Moment It Was Abandoned

Found in northwest England, the cobalt mine is perfectly preserved due to a lack of oxygen | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Inside Lou Reed’s Archives

Newly discovered recordings and songs are now on display at the New York Public Library | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Hidden van Gogh Self-Portrait Discovered During a Routine X-Ray

The image has been obscured behind another painting for over a century | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Discover Four Reasons Why Greater Fort Lauderdale Is a Feast for the Senses

From sun-soaked beaches to mesmerizing arts and culture, explore a wonderland of wide-open adventure | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Oldest Martian Meteorite on Earth Traced to Its Origin on the Red Planet

Researchers used machine learning algorithms to determine which crater on Mars the space rock came from | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

FDA Authorizes Novavax Covid-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use

The shots work similar to the way that vaccines against influenza and shingles work | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

How a Celebrated Artist Redesigned the Stars and Stripes to Mark His Pride in Black America

David Hammons' 'African American Flag' is newly acquired and on view at NMAAHC | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Who Were the Women Behind James Joyce’s 'Ulysses'?

As the novel turns 100, two exhibitions tell the stories of the women who made it possible | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Famous Banana Taped to a Wall Is Now at the Center of a Copyright Suit

Several years after the irreverent piece's debut, another artist claims he had the idea first | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Untold Stories of American History

Explore the lives of little-known changemakers who left their mark on the country | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Earliest Known Images of Two Biblical Heroines Unearthed in Israel

Found in an ancient synagogue, the 1,600-year-old mosaics tell the stories of Deborah and Jael | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Why Exactly Did the First Human Patient to Receive a Pig Heart Die?

Scientists have come up with at least four explanations | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Tagged Turtles Are Helping Scientists Predict Cyclones

In the southeast Indian Ocean, turtle-borne sensors are filling in the gaps researchers need to forecast storms | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Three Men Charged for Trying to Sell Stolen 'Hotel California' Notes and Lyrics

Worth over $1 million, the handwritten materials were originally stolen from the Eagles’ Don Henley in the 1970s | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

New Hampshire Distillery Makes Whiskey Out of Invasive Crabs

Each bottle uses about one pound of green crabs | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Rainforest Chimpanzees Seen Digging Wells for the First Time

The primates may be burrowing for cleaner water | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Utah's Great Salt Lake Is Drying Out

Water levels, the lowest ever measured, are placing migrating birds, local communities and economic development at high risk | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

There is a 10 Percent Chance Someone Will Die From Falling Rocket Debris in the Next Decade

Those in the Global South face an increased risk of getting hit by falling pieces, according to a new study | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

How Scotland Is Reinventing Its Ancient Canals for Paddlers

In the past 20 years, the country has transformed its decrepit coal-transport infrastructure into a thriving recreational wonderland | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Five Stolen Paintings Go on Display in Virtual Reality

The exhibition displays artworks that were taken from museums around the world | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Can Casinos Be Art Galleries?

Hoping to grow their audiences, gambling halls are luring new visitors with old masterpieces | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Amelia Earhart Statue Finally Arrives at U.S. Capitol

After a 23-year delay, the statue will represent Kansas in the Statuary Hall Collection | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

This Seabird Species Dives Deeper When the Water is Clearer

Scientists suggest that cloudier waters, caused in part by climate change, could make it harder for Manx shearwaters to catch fish | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Pocket Gophers May Be the First Non-Human Mammal to 'Farm'

The rodents don't plant, of course, but they do tend to roots in their tunnels that they then eat | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

NASA Releases First Breathtaking Images Taken by James Webb Space Telescope

The five pictures from the most powerful space observatory ever launched offer a deep look back in time and the promise of stellar things to come | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Eight Superfoods That Could Future-Proof Our Diet

These climate-resilient crops could find more prominent placement on our plates in the next few decades | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

These Are the New Faces of American Portraiture

In its 16th year, the Outwin Portrait Competition reflects the stunning vision of contemporary portrait-based art | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Inside the Evolution of Grime Music

A new exhibition explores how the genre has changed since it began in east London | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Schoolteacher Who Saved Her Students From the Nazis

A new book explores the life of Anna Essinger, who led an entire school's daring escape from Germany in 1933 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Secrets of a Long-Overlooked Cipher Linked to Catherine of Aragon

Henry VIII's first wife may have commissioned the design as an act of defiance during the Tudor king's attempt to divorce her | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Wildfire Burns in Yosemite National Park, Threatening Giant Sequoia Trees

The Washburn Fire has scorched more than 2,000 acres since it was first reported on Thursday | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Watch a Deep-Sea Squid Carry Hundreds of Pearl-Like Eggs

Footage taken 56 miles off California's coast documents rarely-observed brooding behavior | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Seal Strandings in Maine Linked to Bird Flu

Four stranded pinnipeds tested positive for the avian influenza H5N1 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago