David Crosby, Folk-Rock Legend, Dies at 81

The counterculture icon was a founding member of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Experimental RSV Vaccine Prevents Illness in Older Adults, Moderna Says

In a large clinical trial, the vaccine was 83.7 percent effective at preventing two or more symptoms of respiratory illness in people over the age of 60 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Light Pollution Is Outshining Stars Faster Than Thought

The artificial glow threatens astronomy, migrating birds and human health | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Scientists Uncover Nearly 100 Dinosaur Nests in Fossilized Hatchery

The find reveals that plant-eating titanosaurs had reproductive similarities to both birds and crocodiles | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

André Leon Talley’s Caftans and Cufflinks Are Going Up for Auction

In his will, the trailblazing fashion editor left the proceeds to two Black churches | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See 25 Stunning Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

Vote for your favorite among these photos shortlisted in the People's Choice category until February 2 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Once a Floating Speakeasy, This Shipwreck Tells a Tale of Bullets and Booze

The "Keuka" sank in 1932, just three years after its grand opening as a dance hall, roller rink and illicit party boat | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

A Ring of Fire, Millions of Monarchs and Other Rare Natural Phenomena Worth Traveling For

Be in the right place at the right time to witness these sublime sights | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

This 'Jousting' Trilobite Might Be the First Known Creature to Fight for a Mate

Using a “trident” attached to its head, the arthropod may have competed for sexual dominance 400 million years ago | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

U.K.'s Oldest Toy Museum Shuts Its Doors

Thousands of historic toys will sit in storage until Pollock’s Toy Museum finds a new home | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Why Chickens Need to Stop Breeding With Their Wild Cousins

The red junglefowl is losing important genetic diversity in its native Asian habitat | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Freshwater Fish Contain Harmful 'Forever Chemicals'

Eating one serving of locally caught fish could equate to drinking contaminated water for a month, a new study finds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

David Byrne’s Disco Musical About Imelda Marcos Comes to Broadway

'Here Lies Love' is an immersive stage production about the Philippines’ former first lady | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

'Sensational' Runestone Discovered in Norway May Be the World's Oldest

The find promises to shed new light on lingering questions about runic writing's early history | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Superfan Buys House From 'The Goonies'

Behman Zakeri has seen the film more than 100 times—and wants to restore the home to its on-screen glory | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

More Than 350 New UFO Sightings Added to U.S. Government Records

Officials speculate these may include balloons, drones, airborne plastic bags or birds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Arthur Duncan, Talented Tap Dancer Who Broke Barriers, Dies at 97

The pioneering entertainer enjoyed a dazzling career that kept him dancing for decades | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Archaeologists Unearth 3,000-Year-Old Wishing Well in Germany

The Bronze Age well was full of decorative ceramics, jewelry and other items likely used for ritual purposes | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Scientists Guide Lightning Bolts With Lasers for the First Time

The technology could one day protect wider areas than metal lightning rods do, perhaps shielding airports and launchpads during storms | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How Space Radiation Threatens Lunar Exploration

Scientists are studying the possible impacts of the hazard on astronauts who will travel to the moon | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Most Anticipated Museum Openings of 2023

Scheduled to launch this year are new institutions dedicated to punk rock, Amelia Earhart and robots | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Oceans Break Record for Highest Temperatures Four Years in a Row

Warming oceans can drive sea-level rise and extreme weather | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Frick Adds Its First Renaissance Portrait of a Woman to Permanent Collection

The stunning 16th-century painting by Giovanni Battista Moroni is now on display | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Why a London Museum Is Removing the Skeleton of an 'Irish Giant' From View

Charles Byrne asked for his body to be buried at sea. Instead, an anatomist bought his bones and displayed them to the public | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Student Creates App to Detect Essays Written by AI

In response to the text-generating bot ChatGPT, the new tool measures sentence complexity and variation to predict whether an author was human | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Neutron Imaging Reveals Tiny Bones Inside 800-Year-Old Pendant

The high-tech method allowed researchers to examine the artifact without opening it | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Puget Sound's Parasites Are Disappearing—but Don’t Be Glad to Say Goodbye

The decline, which was correlated with warming waters in a new study, is bad news for ecosystems | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Why the Union Army Had So Many Boy Soldiers

A new book unearths the startling numbers behind underage enlistment during the Civil War | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Twenty-Three Smithsonian Shows to See in 2023

A rare Bible, George Clinton's colorful wig, Disney World history and Japanese ghosts debut this year | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Busted and Broken Fossils Show How Dinosaurs Fought

From locking horns to biting each other in the face, this is how dinos of the same species battled | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Space Station Astronauts to Receive New Spacecraft After Coolant Leak

The original vehicle was deemed too dangerous for a regular trip home and will only be used in an emergency | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Man Sets World Record by Eating at 18 Michelin-Starred Restaurants in 24 Hours

Eric Finkelstein, a 34-year-old healthcare IT consultant, has been planning the attempt for months | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Florida High School Cancels 'Indecent,' a Play About Censorship on Broadway in 1923

Free speech groups—and playwright Paula Vogel—are condemning the school board's decision | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Italian Police Seize Rubens Masterpiece From an Exhibition

Four people are under investigation for illegally exporting the painting and money laundering | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

See the Largest Known Flower Preserved in Amber

Aided by modern technology, researchers discovered the prehistoric blossom was a case of mistaken identity | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Drying Great Salt Lake Could Expose Millions to Toxic Arsenic-Laced Dust

The largest saline lake in North America is on track to collapse within five years, a new report finds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Smithsonian Will Restore Hundreds of the World's Oldest Sound Recordings

They were made by Alexander Graham Bell and his fellow researchers between 1881 and 1892 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Genetic Mutations Could Help Lizards Survive City Life

Urban Puerto Rican crested anoles show genetic changes related to immune function, metabolism and limb and skin development | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

The Tudor Roots of Modern Billionaires' Philanthropy

The debate over how to manage the wealthy's fortunes after their deaths traces its roots to Henry VIII and Elizabeth I | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Five Revolutionary Technologies Helping Scientists Study Polar Bears

As climate change threatens the charismatic creatures, scientists are embracing innovations to help them understand and protect the bears | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

A New Tool Could Help Detect Breast Cancer Earlier

Dotplot gives users real-time feedback and builds a personalized map of their chests | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Rioters Damage Art at Government Buildings in Brazil

The government has released a list of artworks that were harmed during the attacks | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Catch a Glimpse of a Rare Green Comet This Month

Skywatchers should be able to spot the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle with binoculars | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

James Webb Confirms the Existence of Its First Exoplanet

The high-tech telescope is helping to study the rocky, Earth-sized world that's 41 light-years away | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Man Who Tried to Steal Over 1,000 Unpublished Manuscripts Pleads Guilty

A former Simon & Schuster employee used his industry knowledge to impersonate publishing professions | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

California Reeling From Extreme Storms With Three More on the Way

The severe weather has caused flooding, landslides, evacuations and at least 18 deaths | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

How a New York Tabloid Captured the First Photo of an Execution by the Electric Chair

In January 1928, Tom Howard of the "Daily News" smuggled a camera into Sing Sing, where he snapped a picture of Ruth Snyder’s final moments | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago

Ancient DNA Charts Native Americans’ Journeys to Asia Thousands of Years Ago

Analysis of ten Eurasian individuals, up to 7,500 years old, gives a new picture of movement across continents | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 2 years ago