How the Smithsonian Is Honoring Remarkable American Women

From a series of coins to a museum in the making, their groundbreaking achievements gain new visibility | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Fish Bones Found in Razed California Chinatown Reveal Complex 19th-Century Trade Network

DNA analysis suggests the Chinese immigrants' supply chain stretched to Southeast Asia | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

How the 'Candy Bomber' Left A Lasting Legacy in Cold War Germany

Former WWII pilot Gail S. Halvorsen is still fondly remembered as the American who delivered sweets to German children during the Berlin Airlift | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

When Cleopatra Died Again

The artwork by Edmonia Lewis, the first African American sculptor in the classical mode, epitomizes her immense talent | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The True History Behind Netflix's 'Vikings: Valhalla'

A spin-off of the long-running series "Vikings," the show follows a fictionalized version of Norwegian king Harald Hardrada | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Rare Baby Ghost Shark Caught in New Zealand's Chatham Rise

There are about 52 known species of chimaera, half of which were discovered in the last two decades | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Parasite Eggs Help Archaeologists Identify Ancient Roman Chamber Pot

The ceramic vessel contained whipworm eggs found in human feces, debunking the theory that it simply served as a storage jar | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

In California, the Search for the Ultimate Wild Fig Heats Up

A booming market has specimen hunters tracking down rare new varieties of the ancient fruit | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Did the Midnight Ride of Sibyl Ludington Ever Happen?

What to make of the alluring legend of the Connecticut teen who warned that the Redcoats were coming | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

After 462 Days At Sea, a Mini Boat Launched by New Hampshire Middle School Students Washed Ashore in Norway

The little boat traveled over 8,000 miles across the Atlantic and was found by a sixth grade student in Norway | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Scientists Edit Tick Genes for the First Time

Altering tick genomes could bring scientists closer to managing ticks and tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Massive Black Bear 'Hank the Tank' Ransacks California Community

The hungry 500-pound bear is still on the run | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Asteroid That Decimated the Dinosaurs Struck in Spring

Clues from fossil fish help scientists pinpoint the season when Earth’s fifth mass extinction began | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Unsung Heroes Who Ended a Deadly Plague

How a team of fearless American women overcame medical skepticism to stop whooping cough, a vicious infectious disease, and save countless lives | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

This Deepfake Exhibition Shows How Convincing the New Technology Can Be

The Museum of the Moving Image tests whether patrons can spot the difference between fabrication and reality | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Black Record Label That Introduced the Beatles to America

Over its 13-year run, Vee Jay built a roster that left a lasting impact on every genre of music | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Was Georgia O'Keeffe's Genius Appreciated Outside of America? And More Questions From Our Readers

You've got questions. We've got experts. | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

What the Haunting 'Inner Passage' Represented to the Enslaved

These photographs explore the waterways of the South that brought suffering to so many and also provided some a way out of bondage | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Why Early Humans Built Fires in the Center of Lazaret Cave

A new study suggests pre-Neanderthals carefully placed their hearths to minimize smoke exposure while maximizing room for activities | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

First Woman Has Been 'Cured' of HIV Using Stem Cells

The novel treatment using umbilical cord blood could help dozens of people with both HIV and aggressive cancers | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Why Early Humans Built Fires in the Center of Lazaret Cave

A new study suggests pre-Neanderthals carefully placed their hearths to minimize smoke exposure while maximizing room for activities | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Scientists Propose the Creation of a Global Aquatic Sound Library

The first-ever international audio collection of aquatic ecosystems would aim to uncover unidentified fish species, discover regional dialects and more | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

In the Florida Keys, a Century-Old Bridge Reopens as a Tropical High Line

A portion of the Seven Mile Bridge, an engineering marvel completed in 1909, has been transformed into a linear park | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

In Search of Troy

It wasn’t just a legend. Archaeologists are getting to the bottom of the city celebrated by Homer nearly 3,000 years ago | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Bat Falcon Is Spotted For the First Time in the United States

Why the bird ventured so far north is a mystery, but the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service says that raptor's range seems to be expanding | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Why a Schoolteacher Spent 70 Years Collecting Thousands of Black History Artifacts

Elizabeth Meaders' acquisitions include sports memorabilia, civil rights posters, military paraphernalia and art | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Sea Levels Will Rise One Foot Along U.S. Coasts by 2050

Some regions could see as much as seven feet of sea level rise by the end of the century if greenhouse gas emissions aren't curbed | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Constance Baker Motley Taught the Nation How to Win Justice

The pathbreaking lawyer and “Civil Rights Queen” was the first Black woman to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Ancient Athenians Used a Jar with Chicken Bones to Curse Their Enemies (2021)

The object's owners inscribed the names of at least 55 intended victims on its surface | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

How Did So Many Revolutionary War Cannons End Up in the Savannah River?

Archaeologists pull another dozen sediment-encrusted artillery pieces after finding three last year | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

An Ornate, 5,000-Year-Old Stone Drum Is the U.K.'s Most Significant Prehistoric Art Find in a Century

Now on view in London, the chalk sculpture was buried alongside three children between 3005 and 2890 B.C.E. | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Lit-Up Fishing Nets Dramatically Reduce Catch of Unwanted Sharks, Rays and Squid

Decorated nets entrapped fewer undesirable animals without significantly impacting the amount of target fish caught | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Warming Temperatures Are Turning Antarctica Green

Native flowering plant species grew faster and more densely in the last decade than in the previous 50 years combined | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

How Good Design Promotes Good Health

Cooper Hewitt dives into the surprisingly creative ways doctors, nurses, engineers, designers, artists and, even your neighbors, responded to the pandemic | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Record-Breaking Rogue Wave Detected Off Vancouver Island

A 58-foot-tall wall of water was measured by a sensor buoy off the coast | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

This Cliff Face Is Packed With Fossilized Whale Remains

An exposed prehistoric seafloor is a hotspot for relics, and now an international team is helping unravel their mysteries | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Belgium's New Passport Spotlights Classic Comic Characters

The design features boy reporter Tintin, the Smurfs and other beloved pop culture figures | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Lichens Are in an Evolutionary Race Against Climate Change

The symbiotic organisms could need more than a million years to adapt to just 1 degree Celsius of warming, a new study suggests | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Want to Forage for Your Own Food? Join the Pros at These Five Spots

The pandemic has caused a surge in interest in wild foods, and resorts worldwide have taken notice, creating tasty excursions for guests to indulge in | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Meet Linda the Ostrich, the National Zoo's Newest Animal Ambassador

The large feathery friend is four years old and arrived at the Zoo in November 2021 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A Tiny English Island Is Looking for a New Monarch to Run its Pub

Piel Island needs its ruler to manage its inn and maintain its campgrounds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Fascinating—and Harrowing—Tale of the First Japanese American to Publish a Book of Fiction

After his incarceration during WWII, Toshio Mori released a collection of short stories based on his experiences as a second generation Asian immigrant | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Western U.S. Is Experiencing the Worst Drought in More Than 1,200 Years

Human-caused climate change is responsible for 42 percent of the soil moisture deficit in the last 22 years, a new study finds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Seven Things to Know About Covid-19 and Pregnancy

From the effect of vaccines on a baby's immunity to whether Covid-19 can cause stillbirths, experts weigh in with helpful information and advice | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Black Dolls Tell a Story of Play—and Resistance—in America

A new exhibition traces the toys' history from handmade cloth figures to an American Girl character | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Germany, Austria Repatriate Dozens of Human Skulls to Hawaii

Earlier this month, a Hawaiian delegation retrieved 58 sets of ancestral remains from five European museums | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

After 25 Years at Sea, Shipwrecked Lego Pieces Are Still Washing Ashore on Beaches in England

In 1997, a cargo ship was struck by a rogue wave. Among 62 shipping containers aboard, one contained five million plastic toy bricks | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

After 35 Years of Recovery Efforts, Bald Eagles Are No Longer Considered Endangered in Vermont

The state first listed the raptors as endangered in 1987 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago