Celebrate Veterans Day With These 15 Patriotic Photos

Communities nationwide honor our retired service members every November | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Watch the Trailer for 'Masters of the Air,' Steven Spielberg's Long-Awaited Follow-Up to 'Band of Brothers'

The upcoming miniseries follows the 100th Bombardment Group, an Air Force unit nicknamed the "Bloody Hundredth" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Sealed French Love Letters Read for the First Time in 265 Years

Written during the Seven Years' War, the letters offer rare insights into the lives of everyday people during wartime | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Unsung Hero Who Saved Thousands of Children During the Holocaust

Truus Wijsmuller spirited Jewish refugees to safety and stood up to the architect of Adolf Hitler's "Final Solution" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See the First Dazzling Images From the Euclid Space Telescope

The European Space Agency's observatory will map one-third of the sky over six years in a mission to understand the universe's dark matter and dark energy | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Divers Discover Tens of Thousands of Ancient Coins Off the Coast of Italy

Their fourth-century find also hints at the possible presence of a shipwreck hidden nearby | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How Kingfishers Dive Head-First Into Water Without Getting Concussions

Thanks to a new genetic analysis of 30 kingfisher species, researchers are one step closer to understanding the birds' dramatic hunting style | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

When Did Humans Arrive in the Americas? Lice Help Answer That Head-Scratcher

A new analysis of the annoying critters shows when groups from Asia and Europe hitched rides on human hair and skin to arrive on our continent | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Climate Activists Hammer at Glass Protecting Velázquez's 'Rokeby Venus'

Organized by Just Stop Oil, the incident was just the latest of many protests targeting famous artworks | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Domestic Cats Could Breed Scottish Wildcats Out of Existence

Just a few decades of intermixing affected the DNA of all sampled modern wildcats, researchers say, suggesting the species may be "genomically extinct" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Cher Ami, the Iconic World War I Carrier Pigeon, Makes His Debut at Carnegie Hall

A treasured Smithsonian artifact is reputed to be the heroic savior of the embattled “Lost Battalion” on the Western Front | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Before He Rose to Power, Adolf Hitler Staged a Coup and Went to Prison

The Beer Hall Putsch was a spectacular failure. It also set the stage for Nazi Germany | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The National Zoo's Giant Pandas Bid Washington, D.C. Farewell

The three beloved bears will depart for China later today, traveling in style on a FedEx cargo plane | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How to See NASA's Bennu Asteroid Sample in Person

A tiny piece of the space rock made its public debut at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, as scientists study the rest of the sample | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

David Hockney Show Opens in London—and Features a New Portrait of Harry Styles

"David Hockney: Drawing from Life" returns to the National Portrait Gallery after the pandemic shut it down three years ago | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The History of the Internet, From MP3s to MySpace Tom

A new online museum explores the digital artifacts that defined the internet's early days | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Orcas Sink Another Boat in the Strait of Gibraltar

The crew is safe, but the marine mammals did so much damage to the Polish sailing yacht that it couldn't make it back to port | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Andy Warhol Museum Announces $45 Million Expansion

The new building will feature a performance venue inspired by "A Bird," a watercolor by the famed Pop artist | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

NASA Finds a Surprise Second Asteroid During a Flyby Mission

While testing its tracking system, the agency's Lucy spacecraft discovered that Dinkinesh is not one space rock, but two | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Ancient Whales Were the Biggest and Smallest of Their Kind to Ever Roam the Oceans

New discoveries show how whale diversity exploded after the dinosaurs disappeared | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How Chris Strachwitz Captured American Music Where It Was Made

The founder of Arhoolie Records photographed and recorded musicians across the U.S., from stages and front porches to studios and backyard parties | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Hidden Demon Revealed in the Shadows of a Joshua Reynolds Painting

Conservators have restored the malignant spirit, which generated controversy among 18th-century audiences | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Millions More Smokers Should Be Screened for Lung Cancer—Even if They Quit Long Ago

The American Cancer Society released new guidance on who should get yearly scans for lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death around the world | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Sold for $239,000, This Map Is Actually a Rare 14th-Century Nautical Chart—and Worth $7.5 Million

A San Diego map dealer uncovered the artifact's true origins through impressive historical sleuthing | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

A Starfish 'Body' Is Just One Giant Head, Study Finds

Genes associated with the torso are largely absent in a species of starfish, upending how scientists perceive these creatures | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Plans for Museum Honoring Victims of Pulse Nightclub Shooting Have Been Canceled

The city of Orlando has agreed to buy the nightclub property, where a permanent memorial will eventually open | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Rats Can Use Imagination to Navigate in Virtual Reality, Study Finds

Like humans, the rodents appear to be able to visualize walking through locations they've previously visited | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Meet the Steely Gaze of Environmentalism

A new show at the National Portrait Gallery focuses on the defenders of Mother Earth over the past 150 years | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Beatles Release Their Last Song, ‘Now and Then,’ Featuring A.I.-Extracted Vocals From John Lennon

Based on a demo recorded by Lennon in the 1970s, the song is the "closest we'll ever come to having him back in the room" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

New U.S. Quarter Honors Maria Tallchief, America's First Prima Ballerina

Born on Osage land in Oklahoma, the famous dancer broke barriers for Native American women | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Mysterious Lumps in Earth's Mantle May Be Remains of the Crash That Formed the Moon

Chunks of a protoplanet called Theia became lodged within Earth after the two worlds smashed together, new computer simulations suggest | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Archaeologists Discover Centuries-Old Prosthetic Hand in Germany

Used by a man between 30 and 50 years old, the four prosthetic fingers date to between 1450 and 1620 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See Hundreds of Photographs From Elton John and David Furnish's Private Collection

Never-before-seen images of celebrities, performers and important moments in history are going on display in London | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Cats Make Nearly 300 Different Facial Expressions

From ear position to pupil size, a new study examines how felines express themselves while interacting with one another | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

California's Surfboard-Stealing Sea Otter Has Given Birth to a Pup

Otter 841 made headlines for her “unusual” behavior this summer, which biologists now say could’ve been related to pregnancy hormones | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Artists Can Use This Tool to Protect Their Work From A.I. Scraping

Nightshade subtly alters the pixels of an image to mislead A.I. image generators, ultimately damaging the models | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

These Large, Flesh-Eating Lampreys Lived 160 Million Years Ago

Paleontologists in China recently unearthed the fossilized remains of two new species of lamprey, a group of jawless fish that dates back 360 million years | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Millions of Sterile Fruit Flies Will Soon Be Dropped on Los Angeles

The influx of insects is meant to combat the invasive medfly, after officials identified two of the produce-destroying creatures in the area | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

While Some Chimps Go Low, Others Go High to Avoid a Dangerous Fight

Primate groups climb to elevation to scout out rivals and steer clear of clashes | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Archaeologists Discover Electoral Campaign Inscription Inside Pompeii House

The text urged voters to elect a candidate named Aulus Rustius Verus to a position of political power | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Did Michelangelo Sketch These Drawings in a Secret Room Below a Florence Chapel?

For the first time, visitors will get to see the intricate sketches that some scholars attribute to the artist | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Real History Behind Netflix's 'Rustin' Movie

A new film finally spotlights Bayard Rustin, the gay civil rights activist who organized the 1963 March on Washington | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Healing the Wounds of the Vietnam War

Two perspectives on the 20th-century conflict look back, five decades after the fighting stopped, to discuss what was lost and what is remembered today | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Gene-Editing Treatment for Sickle Cell Disease Moves Closer to Approval

FDA advisors said the benefits seem to outweigh any possible risks, and the agency will decide whether to approve it by December 8 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

You Could Own Rare Artworks Celebrating Canine Companions

An upcoming "Dog Sale" at Bonhams Scotland features 250 paintings, sculptures and more | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Stunning 2,700-Year-Old Sculpture Unearthed in Iraq

Archaeologists hope to reunite the 18-ton torso of the Assyrian deity with its head, severed by smugglers decades ago | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Why Dozens of North American Birds Will Soon Get New Names

In a bid to make birding more inclusive, the American Ornithological Society will give new monikers to several species named after people | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

After Getting Stuck in a Sculpture at the National Gallery of Art, This Barred Owl Is Now Flying Free

The bird spent some time recuperating at two rehabilitation facilities and is now back in the wild | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago