Humans' Sense of Smell May Be Worse Than Our Primate Ancestors

The recent study also identified two new scent receptors for musk and body odor | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Five Fascinating Ice Age Finds Discovered in Yukon Permafrost

From a pristinely preserved wolf pup to ancient camels, remains found in northern Canada's frozen earth have provided remarkable glimpses into the Ice Age | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

These Ancient Greek Helmets Tell of a Naval Battle 2,500 Years Ago

Archaeologists in southern Italy discovered the headgear along with pottery, fragments and a shield near the likely remains of a temple to goddess Athena | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

In 1919, a Mob in Maine Tarred and Feathered Two Black College Students

The brutal attack took place during the Red Summer, a nationwide wave of violence against Black Americans | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Plants Are Blossoming a Month Early in the U.K. Because of Climate Change

Earlier bloom dates could disrupt relationships between wildlife and cause species to collapse if they can’t adapt quickly enough, researchers warn | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Scientists Witness Orcas Kill Blue Whale for the First Time

A series of filmed attacks confirm that killer whales will attack the biggest animals on Earth | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

As you watch the Beijing Winter Olympics, enjoy this guide to the history, science and thrills of the worldwide athletic competition | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Meet the Trailblazers in Women’s Olympic Snowboarding

The careers of Shannon Dunn-Downing, Kelly Clark, Amy Purdy and Hannah Teter are recognized in the Smithsonian collections; learn their stories | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Moonbows, Starling Migrations and Other Rare Natural Phenomena Worth Traveling For

Being in the right place at the right time makes for an awe-inspiring trip | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

At 190, Jonathan the Tortoise Is the World's Oldest

He will likely celebrate with some of his favorite activities: sunbathing, sleeping, eating, and mating | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Construction Trucks May Have Damaged 112-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tracks at Mill Canyon in Utah

Nearly 30 percent of the site's irreplaceable paleontological resources may have been impacted | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Biden Reverses Trump Order Mandating American-Centric Art in Federal Buildings

The General Services Administration says the change will help represent the diversity of the nation | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A Gladiator Arena, Possibly the Last Ever Built, Discovered in Switzerland

Archaeologists unearth a fourth century amphitheater that stood on the far reaches of the Roman Empire more than 1,400 years ago | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

NASA Plans to Crash the International Space Station Into the Ocean in 2031

The ISS will join other decommissioned spacecraft on the seafloor at Point Nemo, the farthest point from land in the Pacific | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Meet the Indigenous Activist Who Toppled Minnesota's Christopher Columbus Statue

The unauthorized removal of the monument took place during the racial justice protests of summer 2020 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

More Than 500 Acres of Redwood Forest Returned to Indigenous Tribes

The land is home to 200 acres of old-growth trees and federally threatened animals such as the northern spotted owl and the marbled murrelet | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Archaeologists Discover Foundations of Oxford University's 'Lost' College

Founded for Catholic priests, the institution was destroyed 500 years ago when Henry VIII established the Church of England | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Hubble Space Telescope Snaps Stunning Photo of a Faraway Galactic Trio

Some of the galaxies in the image resemble Star Trek’s Starship Enterprise | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Captained by A.I., This New 'Mayflower' Will Cross the Atlantic This Spring

The autonomous ship will embark on the same journey the Pilgrims took more than 400 years ago, collecting scientific data along the way | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Banned by Tennessee School Board, 'Maus' Soars to the Top of Bestseller Charts

Art Spiegelman's graphic novel details his parents' experiences in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Intense Lightning 'Megaflashes' Stretched Almost 500 Miles Across Three U.S. States

The bolts, which occurred in 2020, broke records for distance and duration | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

What You Need to Know About Covid Masks in the Age of Omicron

From what to wear to how to avoid counterfeits, experts weigh in on the latest advice about masks and Covid-19 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

You Can Now Explore Marcel Duchamp’s Personal Papers Online

A new free portal unites three archives in one virtual space, offering an unprecedented look into the artist's life and work | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Is China Committing Genocide Against the Uyghurs?

The Muslim minority group faces mass detention and sterilization—human rights abuses that sparked the U.S.' diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Why Did 16th-Century Andean Villagers String Together the Bones of Their Ancestors?

Researchers suggest the practice was a response to Spanish conquistadors' desecration of the remains | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Gas Stoves Are Worse for Climate and Health Than Previously Thought

A new study is heating up the debate over gas-powered stovetops | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Wolves Keep Brain Worm–Spreading Deer Away From Moose Populations in Minnesota

Wildlife managers now face the challenge of creating conservation plans for all three species while maintaining balance between predator and prey animals | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Ten of the World's Rarest Foods, and Where to Find Them

Journalist Dan Saladino's new book is a plea to save the planet's most endangered crops and culinary traditions | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

For Good or Ill, Porpoises Avoid Tidal Power Turbines

The finding is good news if it means the porpoises are staying safe, but it is bad if they are losing habitat in the process | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

U.S. Returns 4,000-Year-Old Cuneiform Tablet and Prism to Iraq

An investigator says the artifacts were "almost certainly" looted from the Middle Eastern country | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Women Rulers Whose Reigns Reshaped the Medieval Middle East

A new book details the lives of Melisende of Jerusalem, Zumurrud of Damascus and their powerful peers | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Meet the 'Most Important' Jewish Woman in Medieval England

A new statue honors Licoricia of Winchester, a 13th-century moneylender whose life illuminates the challenges faced by Jews at the time | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

More Than 400 Invasive Fish Dumped From Aquariums Found in Texas River

Plecos, or suckermouth armored catfish, are efficient, algae-eating tank cleaners, but they are native to South America with few natural predators | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

France to Return 15 Works of Nazi-Looted Art to Jewish Families

The works include pieces held in the collections of the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay in Paris | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Frogs Can Regrow Lost Legs in the Lab. Now, Researchers Say Human Limb Regeneration Could Happen 'in Our Lifetime'

A 24-hour treatment using a five-drug cocktail kickstarted a yearlong regrowth process in the amphibians | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Why This American Girl Doll Inspires Environmental Activism

The story of Evette Peters is bolstered by the Anacostia Community Museum's research into Washington D.C.'s local neighborhoods and urban waterways | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

This Missouri Company Still Makes Cassette Tapes, and They Are Flying Off the Factory Floor

National Audio Company is the largest manufacturer in the world for this retro sound | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Rare Henry Moore Sculpture Spent Decades Sitting on Mantelpiece at English Farm

A lead figurine by the famed British artist could fetch upward of $70,000 at auction | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A Tiny, Partially Missing Bone Structure in Bat Ears May Have Cleared the Way for Echolocation to Evolve

Nearly 90 percent of the nighttime hunters use sound to find prey | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

10 Research-Backed Tips on Parenting in a Digital Era

With screen time at a high during the Covid-19 pandemic, two educators offer some advice | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The legendary actor stumped and even wrote speeches for the 32nd president | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

2,000-Year-Old Roman Bowl Discovered Intact in the Netherlands

Unearthed in the Dutch city of Nijmegen, the blue glass artifact was in pristine condition | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Monarch Butterfly Numbers Soar in California After Dramatic Losses

The orange-winged insect's population increased from 2,000 in 2020 to nearly 250,000 in 2021 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A Hippo's Response to an Unknown Caller? A Blast of Poop and a Rowdy Holler

The lumbering animals respond calmly to their grunting and groaning friends, but a stranger's voice often prompted a loud, filthy territorial response | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Designing a More Environmentally Friendly Sunscreen

Scientists are sourcing new ultraviolet ray-blocking compounds from algae, seaweed, cyanobacteria and other marine creatures | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

What Preserved This Pregnant Egyptian Mummy's Fetus for Millennia?

The combined effects of decomposition and embalming basically "pickled" the fetus, sealing it in its mother's womb | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A Toppled Statue of George III Illuminates the Ongoing Debate Over America's Monuments

In July 1776, colonists destroyed a sculpture of the English king. A new exhibit explores this iconoclasm's legacy—and its implications for today | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Researchers Find a Pristine Coral Reef Off the Coast of Tahiti

With rose-shaped corals as far as the eye can see, it is one of the largest healthy reefs on record | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago