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

Satellites Can Spot Beached Whales from Space

Very high resolution satellites give scientists a new way to find out when and where a large-bodied whale, such as a humpback or a sperm, is stranded | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Two Large Sphinxes Discovered in Funerary Temple at Luxor in Egypt

Archaeologists are restoring the two huge stone statues found half-submerged in water at the burial site of Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A Chunk of a SpaceX Rocket Is Going to Slam Into the Moon

After a chaotic orbit of 7 years, the Falcon 9 booster is predicted to crash into the lunar surface this March | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

This Tiny, Googly-Eyed Prehistoric Crab Was a Fast-Swimming Predator With Sharp Vision

The 95-million-year-old crab had crystal clear eyesight and oar-like legs that helped it snatch up prey | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

First Female Commander of the U.S. Navy's Oldest Ship Takes the Helm

Billie Farrell is the new captain of the U.S.S. "Constitution," a 1797 frigate that now serves as a floating museum | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Mutation That Gave Us Tiny Dogs Found in Ancient Wolves

The genetic factor that plays a large role in determining canine body size was around thousands of years prior to domestication | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

An Immersive Celebration of Ramses II Transports Visitors to Ancient Egypt

Historic artifacts meet 21st-century technology in a blockbuster touring exhibition centered on the 19th-Dynasty pharaoh | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

What to Expect From the U.K.'s First LGBTQ Museum

The museum, set to open in the spring, will reside in King's Cross, a London neighborhood with a rich queer history | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Air Pollution Makes It Harder for Insect Pollinators to Find Flowers

Some bug populations were reduced up to 70 percent in areas exposed to diesel exhaust and ozone contamination | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

All Animals Are Accounted for After Truck Carrying 100 Lab Monkeys Crashed in Pennsylvania

Only three monkeys escaped during the accident, all of which were successfully recaptured | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Nearly 70,000 Invasive Green Crabs Were Captured in Washington State Last Fall

State government officials took emergency actions this month to eradicate the non-native species | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A Piece of Texas Music History Sells at Auction Amid Claims That It Was Stolen

Former employees of Armadillo World Headquarters suggested the sign was taken right before the Austin venue closed in 1980. Sotheby's countered the claims | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Most Anticipated Museum Openings of 2022

Scheduled to open this year are new institutions dedicated to African American history, electronic music and Nordic art | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

When a Winter Storm Triggered One of the Deadliest Disasters in D.C. History

On January 28, 1922, the Knickerbocker Theatre's snow-covered roof collapsed, killing 98 people and injuring another 133 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Tsunami-Triggered Oil Spill Devastates Marine Wildlife on Peru's Coast After Volcanic Eruption in Tonga

The country declared a 90-day environmental emergency after 264,000 gallons of crude oil contaminated a biodiverse swath of its coastal ecosystems | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Quest to Extinguish the Flames of Turkmenistan's Terrifying 'Gates of Hell' Firepit

The country's president says it’s time to quash the ongoing 50-year blaze at the 230-foot-wide Darvaza gas crater | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

NASA Says Tonga Eruption Was More Powerful Than an Atomic Bomb

The recent blast was the equivalent of 4 to 18 megatons of TNT, according to scientists | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

You Could Own a Possibly Haunted Castle Visited by Mary, Queen of Scots

Located in Fife, Scotland, the 16th-century Earlshall Castle boasts a rich history—and its very own ghost story | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

In a Day-Long Protest, Dutch Museums Transform Into Gyms, Nail Salons and Barber Shops

The coordinated effort was “playful” but challenged the government’s inconsistent Covid-19 lockdown measures | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Ancient Toilet Unearthed in Jerusalem Shows Elite Were Plagued by Intestinal Worms

Mineralized feces chock-full of parasitic eggs indicates that it wasn’t the lower classes alone that suffered from certain infectious diseases | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

19-Year-Old Woman Completes Around-the-World Solo Flight

Zara Rutherford flew 28,000 nautical miles of five continents to become the youngest woman to finish a solo global flight | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

If Current Climate Trends Continue, the Winter Olympics Will Have Nowhere to Go

By the end of the century, only Sapporo, Japan, will be eligible to host the winter games if global warming continues at its present pace | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

With Fewer Animals to Move Their Seeds, Plants Are Stuck in Threatened Habitats

For many types of vegetation, the only way to migrate to a more favorable range is through the guts of mammals and birds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Scientists Discover How Whales Eat Without Choking on Water

An 'oral plug' of muscle and fat could help keep water out of the whales' lungs | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Why the Online Game Wordle Went Viral, According to Psychology

Users are sharing their game grids, which show how they played without spoiling the answer for others | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Ancient People May Have Sipped Beer Through These 5,500-Year-Old Drinking Straws

Eight gold and silver tubes might be the oldest known drinking straws, according to a new study from the Russian Academy of Sciences | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Biden Administration Plans to Provide 400 Million N95 Masks to Americans Amid Omicron Surge

Starting next week, adults can pick up three free masks each at pharmacies, community centers and vaccination sites | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A Huge Black Diamond, Purportedly From Outer Space, Is Now Up for Sale

The gem known as the 'Enigma' is expected to fetch around $7 million at auction, though experts are skeptical of its cosmic origin | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

First-Ever Archaeological Project Studies How Astronauts Adapt to Their Environments

Researchers on Earth, partnering with those on the International Space Station, are taking a novel approach to understanding the ways humans live in space | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

For Pilot Bessie Coleman, Every 'No' Got Her Closer to 'Yes'

Despite fierce obstacles in her path, the Black female aviator became a hero that would pave the way for generations to come | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

How Can Ant and Termite Queens Live So Long?

Scientists are working to understand the matriarchs, who can survive decades while investing huge amounts of energy into reproduction | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Japanese WWII Soldier Who Refused to Surrender for 27 Years

Unable to bear the shame of being captured as a prisoner of war, Shoichi Yokoi hid in the jungles of Guam until January 1972 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Hong Kong Will Cull Thousands of Hamsters and Small Animals After Delta Variant Was Detected in a Pet Shop

Though there is no evidence of domestic animals passing the disease to humans, officials say they are acting out of caution | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A California City Overrun With Crows Turns to Lasers and a Boombox to Scare Them Away

City employees will spend an hour every night shining green lasers and playing corvid distress calls to humanely harass the birds into leaving | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

'Intriguing' Carbon Isotopes on Mars Could Be From Cosmic Dust, UV Radiation or Ancient Life

NASA scientists compared the data to chemical signatures of biological processes on Earth and found some similarities to billion-year-old microbes | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Should NFTs Be Classified as Art? Wikipedia's Editors Vote 'No'

Makers of the free encyclopedia spar over the categorization for non-fungible tokens, the relatively new phenomenon sweeping the digital art world | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Why the Eruption in Tonga Was a 'Once-in-a-Millennium' Event for the Volcano

The blast, which sent tsunami waves across the Pacific, left thousands of Tongans without access to water and power | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Did a Jewish Notary Betray Anne Frank to the Nazis?

A six-year investigation posits that Arnold van den Bergh disclosed the diarist's hiding place to protect his family from deportation | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Ancient Roman Trading Settlement Unearthed 80 Miles From London

Researchers discover a Roman road, coins, jewelry and evidence of makeup at a dig site near a railway project | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Ten Dazzling Celestial Events to See in 2022

Stargazers in North America can look forward to meteor showers, lunar eclipses and a stunning multi-planet lineup this year | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

What's Up With the Pairing of Chili and Cinnamon Rolls?

Why kids across the western United States came to find the unlikely combination in their school lunches | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A Fossilized Blood-Engorged Mosquito Is Found for the First Time Ever (2013)

Testing shows that a 46 million-year-old fossilized mosquito, found by amateur fossil hunters in Montana, contains the blood of an unknown ancient creature | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 3 years ago

New Funding Will Help Highlight Five Black History Sites in the American South

The Southern Poverty Law Center’s $50,000 grants will support civil rights museums, a monument to victims of an industrial disaster and other organizations | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 3 years ago

A Star-Producing, Cosmic Bubble Shrouds Our Solar System

Researchers created a 3-D model of Earth's galactic neighborhood | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 3 years ago

Lyme-Spreading Ticks May Thrive in Warmer Winter Conditions Across North America

In a new study, insects carrying the disease were more likely to survive cold or fluctuating temperatures than their uninfected peers | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 3 years ago

Can You Reuse a KN95 or N95 Mask? Experts Say Yes, but Follow These Steps

Regularly check for stretched-out straps, staining, and soiling, which can compromise a masks’ ability to filter viruses like Covid-19 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 3 years ago

Newly Minted Maya Angelou Quarters Enter Circulation and Make History

Here’s how to find one of the new U.S. quarters—the first to feature a Black woman | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 3 years ago