Ukrainian Soldiers Uncover Fourth-Century Urns While Digging Defense Trenches

The amphorae are the latest archaeological find in a country whose cultural treasures are threatened by war | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Cambodia Asks U.K. Cultural Institutions to Return Looted Statues

British museums contain hundreds of allegedly stolen temple treasures | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

How to Deal With the Anxiety Caused by the Climate Crisis

A revolutionary Stanford researcher shares what she’s learned about the ways climate change affects mental health, and offers practical advice | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Colorful History of Haribo Goldbears, the World's First Gummy Bears

2022 marks the centenary of the German candy company's flagship product | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Many Myths of the Man Who 'Discovered'—and Nearly Destroyed—Troy

In the 1870s, amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann inflicted irreparable damage on the site of the legendary city | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Cargo Ships Are Killing Whale Sharks

New research shows these gentle giants are often on a collision course with large ocean vessels | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Feral Pigs May Have Helped Boost Crocodile Numbers in the Northern Territory, Australia

Crocodiles have recovered from near extinction in the last few decades, with numbers increasing from only a few thousand to over 100,000 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Researchers Use Algae to Power a Computer for Months

The experiment suggests that cyanobacteria 'batteries' could run small devices | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

How Islamic Art Influenced One of Fashion’s Most Famous Jewelers

A new exhibition traces how Middle Eastern patterns and motifs inspired—and fueled—Cartier | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

This Huge Underground City May Have Been a Refuge for 70,000 Early Christians

The complex may have been used as a shelter during Roman rule in Turkey | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Puerto Rican Island Where 1,500 Monkeys Rule

The Caribbean Primate Research Center on Monkey Island is one of the world’s top institutions for studying primate behavior | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Could Ants, Termites and Fishes Make Humans Better Farmers?

Scientists are now revealing the agricultural expertise that other species have cultivated for tens of millions of years | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Why Scientists Are Turning Molecules Into Music

Converting DNA sequences and particle vibrations into notes allows researchers to recognize unseen patterns and create songs for outreach | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A Ukrainian Band Just Won the World's Most Popular Song Competition

Kalush Orchestra’s “Stefania” is a tribute to the frontman’s mother—and the group’s embattled motherland | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Migrating Sea Turtles Don’t Really Know Where They’re Going

New research finds that many hawksbill turtles take meandering routes to reach foraging sites in the Indian Ocean | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Why Do Creepy Dolls Keep Washing Up on Texas Beaches?

Ocean currents push the unsettling toys—and tons of other trash—onto state shores | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Long-Lost Dalí Sculpture Could Be Worth $20 Million

For four decades, the rare was artwork was thought to be missing | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Scientists Figure Out Why Female Octopuses Self-Destruct After Laying Eggs

A new study finds several biochemical pathways, including one that produces a precursor to cholesterol, may be key to this behavior | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

In the 25 Years Since Its Launch, AOL Instant Messenger Has Never Been 'Away'

While some aspects of AIM seem like relics of a different version of the internet, others remain deeply embedded in the social media landscape | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Did an Enslaved Woman Try to Warn the Americans of Benedict Arnold's Treason?

New research sheds light on Liss, who was enslaved by the family of a Culper Spy Ring leader and had ties to British spymaster John André | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Scientists Prove That Plants Can Grow in Soil From the Moon

The experiment is a milestone in the path to helping humans one day experience extended stays on the lunar surface | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Wild Boars Are Ransacking Rome

The Italian government plans to cull the population after at least one animal tested positive for a contagious swine fever | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

This New Daily Game Is Like Wordle for Art

The National Gallery invented the guessing game to help users access its vast collections | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Construction Workers Uncover Massive 800-Year-Old Aztec Dwelling in Mexico City

The accidental discovery has a long, layered history | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Australia's Western Desert Art Movement Turns 50

Since 1972, hundreds of artists have painted under the guidance of Papunya Tula, one of the most respected players in the world of Indigenous art | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Broadway Artistry Wasn't Just in the Stars—It Lives on Through Production Design

A new exhibition pays homage to the art of mid-century costumes, sets and more | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Wild West Outpost of Japan's Isolationist Era

For two centuries, an extreme protectionist policy barred foreigners from setting foot in Japan—except for one tiny island | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

River Dolphins Spotted in Rare Playful Interaction With a Beni Anaconda

Researchers suspect that the dolphins were playing with the boa, but many questions about the behavior remain | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Why Homes Are Collapsing on Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Two unoccupied houses fell into the Atlantic Ocean on North Carolina’s Outer Banks this week | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Here’s What the Black Hole in the Center of the Milky Way Looks Like

A team of scientists from around the world collaborated to get a visual peek of the supermassive object | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Scientists Now Know Why Sunscreen Harms Corals

A new study shows that, when exposed to sunlight, anemones turn a chemical found in sunscreen into a toxin | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Remembering the Unsung Egyptians Who Helped Discover King Tut's Tomb

A exhibition celebrates the 100th anniversary of the archaeological find by spotlighting the overlooked workers who made it possible | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A New Statue of Jesus Is the World's Tallest—for Now

"Christ the Protector" is taller than Rio de Janeiro's most famous monument | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

How a Failed Assassination Attempt Pushed George Wallace to Reconsider His Segregationist Views

Fifty years ago, a fame-seeker shot the polarizing politician five times, paralyzing him from the waist down | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Ancient Rock Art Depicting Divine Procession Discovered in Secret Chamber Beneath Turkish House

It may have been created as a way for Neo-Assyrian officials to curry favor with local residents | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Population of Vaquita Porpoises Has Dwindled to Ten, but a Rebound Isn't Out of the Question

If protected from illegal fishing, scientists say the critically endangered species has enough genetic diversity to recover | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Why Some Saber-Toothed Cats May Not Have Been as Menacing as Previously Imagined

New research suggests that at least one species kept its dagger-shaped teeth inside, not outside, its closed mouth | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

What Do Hitmakers Have That One-Hit Wonders Don't

A new study finds that artists who had creative portfolios before an initial hit were more likely to continue creating hits | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Subjected to Painful Experiments and Forgotten, Enslaved 'Mothers of Gynecology' Are Honored With New Monument

The statues acknowledge the suffering of bondswomen overshadowed by the white doctor who operated on them without their consent | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Have Scientists Designed the Perfect Chocolate?

Part of a burgeoning field of 'edible metamaterials,' Dutch physicists found that 3-D printed spiral-shaped candies give the ideal eating experience | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Archaeologists Unearth 3,000-Year-Old Giant Statues in Sardinian Necropolis

The seven-foot statues have expressionless faces—and a mysterious history | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Rarely Seen Torpedo-Shaped Dragonfish Spotted Off California's Coast

The copper-colored fish has only been seen four times in more than three decades of deep-sea research | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A $26.8 Million Painting of Strawberries Smashed Records, but Now It's Stuck in Legal Limbo in France

The Louvre wants to claim the 18th-century French still life as a national treasure | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Jamestown, North America's First Permanent English Colony, Could Soon Be Underwater

Flooding risk has landed the site on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of most endangered places | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Mislabeled for a Century, Mysterious Mummy Reclassified as Sacred Ibis

Previously identified as a hawk, the bird was one of millions killed as offerings to the ancient Egyptian god Thoth | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Why It’s So Hard to Make Risk Decisions in the Pandemic

Our brains weren’t built to do public health calculus like this, but following a few pieces of advice from the experts will help as you weigh your options | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

At a Former Concentration Camp, Holocaust Survivors Draw Parallels Between Nazi and Russian Rhetoric

Speakers at a ceremony marking the liberation of Flossenbürg condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims of demilitarizing and de-Nazifying Ukraine | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Space Hotel Slated to Welcome Earthlings in 2025

The facility aims to provide a 'dream-like' luxury resort | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago