Via Ferratas Are Finally Catching On in the United States

With origins in Europe, the assisted climbing routes are springing up at luxury resorts and on private land this side of the Atlantic | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Asteroid Hit by NASA Spacecraft Was Reshaped by the Collision, Study Finds

Instead of forming a crater, the agency's intentional DART crash redistributed massive amounts of the asteroid and shot large quantities of rock into space | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Archaeologists Unearth 'Incredibly Rare' Roman-Era Clay Figurine of the God Mercury

The excavations led to the discovery of a previously unknown ancient Roman settlement in England | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

This Tiny Fish Can Make Sounds That Rival an Airplane or an Elephant—Now, Scientists Know How

Transparent and just half an inch long, male Danionella cerebrum can make noises of more than 140 decibels | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

DNA Reveals Presence of Down Syndrome in Ancient Society

The burials of infants with Down syndrome in Europe provide insight into how babies with genetic conditions were cared for in premodern times, according to a new study | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

These Were the Most—and Least—Popular National Parks in 2023

The National Park Service recorded 325,498,646 recreation visits across 400 sites, which is close to pre-pandemic levels | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

This Cézanne Mural Was Hidden in the Walls of the Artist's Family Home

Workers found fragments of a naval scene while renovating the mansion in the south of France | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

The Real History Behind FX's 'Shogun'

A new adaptation offers a fresh take on James Clavell's 1975 novel, which fictionalizes the stories of English sailor William Adams, shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu and Japanese noblewoman Hosokawa Gracia | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Gene-Edited Pork Could Be Coming Soon to Your Dinner Plate

Scientists are using CRISPR technology to make pigs immune to a deadly virus—and they're hoping for FDA approval by early next year | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Scientists Discover How Some Whales Can Sing While Holding Their Breath Underwater

Baleen whales have evolved unique voice boxes essential for song, a new study finds—but these low-frequency vocalizations must compete with the noise of humans' ships | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

What Is the Dominant Emotion in 400 Years of Women's Diaries?

A new anthology identifies frustration as a recurring theme in journals written between 1599 and 2015 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Metal Detectorist Finds Rare 1,500-Year-Old Gold Ring in Denmark

The distinctly decorated artifact may be linked to a powerful family in the area with ties to the Merovingians | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Jorō Spiders, Spreading in the Southeast, Can Survive Surprisingly Well in Cities

Unlike most spiders, the hustle and bustle of urban areas doesn’t seem to disturb the non-native Jorōs, a new study finds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

See Stunning Photos of the Rolling Stones Found in a London Loft

The previously unseen images of the band are going on display in a new exhibition, "Elegantly Wasted" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Flaco, the Famous Owl That Escaped the Central Park Zoo, Dies After Hitting a Building

The Eurasian eagle-owl had been living free in New York City after vandals cut the wires on his zoo cage last year | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

A Japanese American Incarceration Camp in Colorado Is America’s Newest National Park

More than 10,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned at the Granada Relocation Center, also known as Amache, during World War II | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Neanderthals Made a Special Glue to Engineer Grips for Stone Tools, Study Suggests

An analysis of forgotten museum artifacts reveals the oldest evidence of a complex adhesive in Europe | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

How Did Humans Evolve to Use Everyday Tools?

An anthropologist explains why we experience many objects, from tennis rackets to cars, as extensions of our bodies | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Fire Destroys Museum Honoring Legendary Blues Musician Mississippi John Hurt

The three-room shack in the town of Avalon, Mississippi, was once the singer and guitarist's home | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

An American Spacecraft Successfully Lands on the Moon for the First Time Since 1972

After a tense touchdown process with last-minute changes, U.S.-based company Intuitive Machines received a signal from its uncrewed Odysseus lunar lander on Thursday evening | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Abraham Lincoln Pardoned Joe Biden's Great-Great-Grandfather, 160-Year-Old Records Reveal

Historian David J. Gerleman discovered the link between the two presidents while reviewing historic documents at the National Archives | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

More Giant Pandas Are Coming to the U.S. in a New Loan From China

China plans to send a male and a female panda to the San Diego Zoo as early as this summer, and negotiations are underway for pandas' possible return to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

See 15 Otherworldly Images From the Underwater Photographer of the Year Awards

A hunting monkey, 'kissing' scorpionfish and playful dolphins feature in just a few of the 130 striking photographs distinguished with honors in the competition | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

These 15 Moving Photos Celebrate Black History Month

To mark the February heritage month, these images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest offer proof that African American history is timeless | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Can 3D Printing Help Address the Affordable Housing Crisis in the United States?

The construction is faster, cleaner and more affordable, but experts acknowledge some trial and error is needed | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Divers Recover Bell From Wreck of American Destroyer Sunk in World War I

Sixty-four American sailors died when a German torpedo hit the USS "Jacob Jones" on December 6, 1917 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

The Founder of This Trailblazing Opera Company Put Black Singers at Center Stage

Mary Cardwell Dawson created unprecedented opportunities for aspiring Black musicians | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Graves of Roman Family Held Jewelry, Coins and 'Exquisite' Vials for Storing Mourners' Tears

Archaeologists in Bulgaria unearthed the remains of three individuals interred with rare treasures dating to the third century | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

The Smithsonian’s Human Remains Task Force Calls for New Repatriation Policies

The report provides recommendations regarding the return of human remains in the Institution’s collections | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

38,000 Sandhill Cranes Flock to Nebraska in a Record-Breaking Start to Spring Migration

Wildlife biologists counted the birds—likely lured by the region’s mild winter temperatures—during their first aerial survey of the season | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

A New Digital Archive Will Preserve Stunning Murals and Street Art in the U.K.

Art U.K. is aiming to digitize and compile images of an ephemeral form of art | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

ADHD Traits Might Have Helped Hunter-Gatherers Collect More Food While Foraging, Study Suggests

Participants who self-reported ADHD behaviors were better at an online berry-picking game than those who did not report such traits | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

This App Lets the Inuit Combine Traditional Knowledge With Scientific Data

Indigenous communities from Alaska to Greenland are harnessing information to make their own decisions | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

How to Separate Fact From Myth in the Extraordinary Story of Sojourner Truth

Two historians tell us why the pioneering 19th-century feminist, suffragist and abolitionist’s legacy has so frequently been misrepresented | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Harrison Ford Forgot This 'Star Wars' Script in an Apartment He Rented During Filming

A fourth draft of "Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope" sold at auction for over $13,000 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

You Can Watch the Solar Eclipse From These Flights Through the Path of Totality

Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines are operating flights on April 8 that could give passengers unobstructed views of the rare celestial spectacle | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Magritte Masterpiece Featuring a Floating Baguette Goes to Auction

"L'ami intime" could fetch $63 million at an upcoming sale celebrating 100 years of Surrealism | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Paul McCartney Reunited With Bass Guitar That Disappeared 50 Years Ago—With a Little Help From His Fans

The iconic instrument heard in many of the Beatles' hits was stolen from the back of a van in 1972 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Astronomers Discover the Brightest Known Object in the Universe, Shining 500 Trillion Times as Bright as the Sun

The quasar—a glowing, active core of a galaxy—has a black hole at its center that consumes more than a sun’s-worth of mass each day | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Giant Locust Swarms Could Expand to New Areas With Climate Change, Study Suggests

In the coming decades, erratic periods of rain and drought could create new hot spots for the ravenous grasshoppers in west India and west central Asia, threatening crops and food security | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Iceland's Recent Volcanic Eruptions Are Unleashing Deep Secrets

Each dramatic episode over the past few years has led to fresh geologic revelations, and researchers think another bout is on the way | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Egypt Halts Controversial Plans to Renovate Ancient Pyramid

A committee of experts concluded that altering the Pyramid of Menkaure would compromise its historical value | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Archaeologists Discover 19th-Century Chocolate Factory in Barcelona

Housed in a medieval mansion, the workshop once produced sweets for Clemente Guardia, a thriving Catalonian chocolatier | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

A 5,000-Pound Satellite Is Falling Back to Earth This Week—and Will Likely Land in the Ocean

The reentry of the satellite, called ERS-2, is part of an intentional effort by the European Space Agency to reduce orbital debris | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

New Satellite Will Track Methane Emissions From Space and Pinpoint Their Sources With A.I.

The mission, set to launch next month, comes as countries and fossil fuel companies pledge to reduce emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Tube of Ancient Red Lipstick Unearthed in Iran

New research suggests the nearly 4,000-year-old cosmetic may be among the oldest discoveries of its kind | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

The World's Oldest Wild Platypus Shocks Scientists at 24 Years of Age

The animal was tagged in 2000, when it was estimated to be about one year old, and re-discovered alive in the wild last year | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago

Near the Site of the Gettysburg Address, These Black Civil War Veterans Remain Segregated, Even in Death

Denied burial alongside Union soldiers killed during the Battle of Gettysburg, the 30 or so men were instead buried in the all-Black Lincoln Cemetery | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 9 months ago