What the History of Science and Religion Reveals About Today’s Divisive Covid Debates

A new Smithsonian book and exhibition explores the ongoing conflicts and reconciliations between faith and technology in American life | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Who Was the Real Lucille Ball?

"I Love Lucy" is having a moment—but we're still not ready to see its star and creator clearly | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Before the Fall of the Roman Republic: Income Inequality, Xenophobia

In a new book, history podcaster Mike Duncan describes what preceded Caesar’s rise to Emperor | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Utah Captures and Collars First Wolverine in State History

The state has only confirmed eight wolverine sightings in 40 years. Data from the GPS collar will provide invaluable insights about the elusive species | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Russian Cosmonauts Board Space Station Wearing Blue and Yellow

Roscosmos denies color choice was a show of support for Ukraine | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

How the Royal Family Uses Photography to Connect With the Public

An exhibition at Kensington Palace features images from the 19th century through today, including a never-before-seen portrait of Princess Diana | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

New Artwork in St. Paul's Cathedral Reckons With the British Attack on Benin 125 Years Ago

Nigerian artist Victor Ehikhamenor's 'Still Standing' sparks conversation about how to deal with colonial monuments | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

This Important Geophysical Robot on Mars May Die Soon

The InSight observatory has a seismometer and a heat probe, which have enabled it to gather data on rock layers below the planet's soil | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Myth of Agent 355, the Woman Spy Who Supposedly Helped Win the Revolutionary War

A single reference in the historical record has spawned an array of adaptations, most of which overstate the anonymous figure's role in the Culper Spy Ring | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Do Trees Talk to Each Other?

A controversial German forester says yes, and his ideas are shaking up the scientific world | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

First Global Atlas Reveals How Deep Artificial Light at Night Goes Underwater

Offshore development and coastal city lights negatively impact many marine species | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Cats and Foxes Kill 2.6 Billion Animals Per Year in Australia

A new study is the first to quantify the impact the two non-native predators have on local wildlife in the country | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Maryland Removes Its Last Confederate Monument on Public Land

Workers removed the Talbot Boys Statue on Monday after years of pressure from the local community | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Rarely Seen Paintings by J.R.R. Tolkien Portray a Lush 'Lord of the Rings' Landscape

The Tolkien Estate recently published a trove of rare, unpublished art by the famed fantasy author on its website | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The West Coast Should Brace for Spring Megadrought, NOAA Warns

More than half of the United States is likely to struggle with limited water supply and increased risk of wildfires in the coming months | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Unexploded Civil War Shell Unearthed in Georgia

Local authorities plan to safely detonate the ordnance, potentially destroying it in the process. The decision has sparked controversy among history buffs | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Music and Freedom We Experienced on the Streets of Kyiv

The story of a joint Smithsonian-Soviet-Ukrainian program in 1990 lends poignant resonance to Russia’s brutal invasion today | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Vladimir Putin's Rewriting of History Draws on a Long Tradition of Soviet Myth-Making

Much like Joseph Stalin, the Russian president has used propaganda, the media and government-sanctioned books to present an ahistorical narrative | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

1.4 Million Urban Trees May Fall to Invasive Insects by 2050

It could cost 30 million a year to replace infected trees in areas hardest hit by the non-native species | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Researchers Create a Fabric That Can 'Hear' Your Heartbeat

This fabric acts as both a speaker and microphone, detecting even faint noises and converting them into electrical signals | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Lasting Depression and Anxiety Can Follow Severe Covid-19 Cases

Some patients with serious reactions to the virus reported mental health symptoms almost a year and a half after infection | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Redlined Neighborhoods Have Higher Levels of Air Pollution, Study Suggests

A new analysis documents a link between discriminatory housing practices and local air quality | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Tourism Gets a Refresh in the Hands of Activists Seeking to Decolonize the Industry

Operators practicing 'solidarity tourism' push back against travel that can be environmentally and socially destructive | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Officials Recover Thousands of Cultural Goods in Crackdown, Including Roman Gold Coins

International police and U.S. Customs and Border Protection performed checks at museums, border crossing points, airports and auction houses | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Six Important Things to Know About Covid Vaccination in Children

Experts share the latest research and advice about protecting kids | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Mining Lithium for Electric Vehicle Batteries May Threaten Flamingos, a Study Finds

A lake in Chile has seen decreases in two flamingo populations over the last 11 years, which researchers link to lithium mining | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Well-Preserved, 131-Year-Old Shipwreck Found in Lake Superior

Researchers discovered the S.S. "Atlanta" last summer while using sonar to map 2,500 miles of the seabed | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Sleeping With Even a Dim Light Can Raise Blood Sugar and Heart Rate

In a study of 20 participants, those that slept with a light had worse blood sugar control the next morning compared to those who snoozed in total darkness | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Studio Executives Did Not Want Marlon Brando for the Title Role in 'The Godfather'

On the film's 50th anniversary, a Smithsonian historian reflects on the cultural phenomenon of the blockbuster hit | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

What Happened the Last Time the U.S. Tried to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent?

A 1974 switch to year-round DST proved unpopular, with Americans expressing "distaste" for the long, dark winter mornings | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

These Ukrainian Artists Are Making Traps for Russian Tanks

Berlin-based artists Volo Bevza and Victoria Pidust have joined with defense groups in Lviv to help fight back against Russian forces | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A New A.I. Can Help Historians Decipher Damaged Ancient Greek Texts

The developers announced that their program, called "Ithaca," is able to reconstruct missing or damaged inscriptions | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

In a First, Scientists Use Drones to Detect Pregnant Dolphins

Researchers say the new tech will help them better understand bottlenose dolphin reproduction | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Octopuses Are Reusing Human Trash as Shelter

In crowdsourced images, the cephalopods were observed making refuse their home, even using the junk as a place to lay eggs | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Therapy Dogs Help Reduce Pain in Emergency Room Patients

A new study shows canine companions can reduce anxiety, depression and discomfort in ER patients—and increase their overall well-being | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

These Spiders Hunt in Packs to Catch Prey Hundreds of Times Their Size

New research reveals how some arachnids use a coordinated stop-and-start approach to find a meal | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

See Dazzling Photos of a Roman Mosaic Floor Unearthed in London

The ancient artwork is the largest of its kind found in the English capital in 50 years | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Ancient Japanese Stone Said to Contain 'Demon' Cracks Open

Legends say the evil spirit of a beautiful woman plotted to kill the emperor was trapped inside more than 1,000 year ago | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Meet St. Brigid, Ireland's Only Woman Patron Saint

The fifth-century abbess is stepping out of the shadow of the better-known St. Patrick | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Paleontologists Uncover the Oldest Sabertoothed Predator

Fossil jaw shows earliest evidence of a specialized carnivore with scimitar-shaped fangs | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Mice Birthed From Unfertilized Eggs for the First Time

The lab rodent, which only had genes from its mother, grew to adulthood and successfully reproduced, which was thought to be impossible in mammals | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Shackleton's 'Endurance' Shipwreck Is Teeming With Bizarre Ocean Life

Undersea footage reveals the ship's diverse collection of sea stars, sponges, anemones, and even a rare deep-sea squat lobster | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

New Rainbow-Colored, Deep-Sea Fish Officially Described by Scientists in the Maldives

The new-to-science species was named after roses, the Maldivian national flower | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A Bruce Springsteen Exhibition Is Coming to the Singer's New Jersey Hometown

Set to debut in mid-2024, the Freehold show will explore the artist’s early years and musical career | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

How Black Men Changed the World

A Smithsonian traveling exhibition powerfully dismantles corrosive myths with triumphant portraits and the stories of African American men | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

What Were Humans Doing in the Yukon 24,000 Years Ago?

Scientists have examined remains from caves and think the shelters served as temporary camps for hunters who targeted horses | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A Century Ago, American Reporters Foresaw the Rise of Authoritarianism in Europe

A new book tells the stories of four interwar writers who laid the groundwork for modern journalism | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

See How These KiwiCo Crates are Kid Tested — and Kid Approved!

From the initial concept to the final details, kids weigh in with their stamp of approval, ensuring that each KiwiCo crate is both educational and fun. | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago