This California Museum Is Home to Hundreds of Nature's Scents

Perfumer Mandy Aftel's spellbinding collection of rare essences and artifacts is on display at the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents in Berkeley | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Astronomers Find Powerful 'Fast Radio Burst' That Traveled for Eight Billion Years

The strong blast of radio waves is the oldest known, and it could tell scientists more about the mysterious matter that lies between galaxies | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Declassified Cold War Satellite Photos Reveal Hundreds of Roman-Era Forts

Once thought to be defensive military bases, the forts may have supported peaceful trade and travel | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How and Why Do Violent Tornadoes Form?

Scientists hope new technology and computing power will help them understand destructive twisters | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

A Supervolcano on Pluto May Have Spewed Ice Just a Few Million Years Ago

An unusual crater on the dwarf planet hints at past volcanic activity—and a possible vast ocean beneath its surface, scientists say | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Which of These Vintage Dolls Do You Find the Creepiest?

Now in its fifth year, an annual contest spotlights a Minnesota museum's historical doll collection | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Dust May Have Triggered the Global Winter That Killed the Dinosaurs

A new study, based on modeling, suggests fine silicate particles could have blocked sunlight and shut down photosynthesis across the globe | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Acquires More Than 100 Works by Artists With Disabilities

The purchase is one of the largest acquisitions of its kind by any museum in the United States | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Mysterious Stone in 15th-Century Painting Could Be a Prehistoric Tool

Jean Fouquet's "Melun Diptych" is likely the earliest artistic representation of an Acheulean hand ax | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Earth Is Entering 'Uncharted Territory' Because of Climate Change, New Report Warns

Researchers found that 20 of 35 "planetary vital signs" are at record extremes, and they call for rapid action | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

An Early Charlotte Brontë Story Speaks to the Author's Lifelong Fascination With the Supernatural

The 1830 account details an eerie encounter with a stranger who predicted the death of the writer's father | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Wild, Female Chimpanzees Go Through Menopause, Study Finds

Until now, menopause had not been documented in wild, non-human animals, except for a few species of toothed whales | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

'Nightmare Before Christmas' Pumpkin Mosaic Sets World Record

The Jack Skellington-inspired display is made from more than 10,000 gourds across 2,081 square feet | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Engineers Create 'Air Conditioning' for Salmon With Chilled Patches of River Water

Wild Atlantic salmon can struggle with heat as they swim upstream to spawn—but artificial "thermal refuges" may help them cool off | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Archaeologists Discover 'Exceptional' Roman-Era Sarcophagus in France

The 40-year-old woman inside the tomb was buried with a ring, a comb and other items | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Filmmakers Stumble Upon 128-Year-Old Shipwreck in Lake Huron

A duo working on a documentary about invasive quagga mussels in the Great Lakes discovered the long-lost steamship "Africa" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Health Care Workers Are Burning Out, CDC Says

Depression, anxiety and harassment of health professionals have risen beyond crisis levels, per a new report from the agency | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Treat Yourself to 15 Eerie Images Celebrating Halloween

These highlights from the Smithsonian Photo Contest are sure to scare up some smiles | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Galápagos Giant Tortoises Are Ecosystem Engineers

A decades-long project shows how the reptiles are changing the island of Española | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Foundry Workers Melt Down Charlottesville's Divisive Robert E. Lee Statue

Eventually, an artist will be chosen to transform the bronze bars into a public art installation | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Hurricane Otis Slams Mexico in 'Nightmare Scenario' That Shocked Meteorologists

The storm rapidly intensified in just 24 hours before it hit Acapulco as a category 5, killing at least 27 people and destroying infrastructure | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Drought Exposes Ancient Rock Carvings in Brazil

Revealed by receding Amazon waters, the carvings of human faces are up to 2,000 years old | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Roosters May Recognize Their Reflections in Mirrors, Study Suggests

The findings demonstrate self-recognition could be more common among animals than previously thought | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See the Face of an Inca Teenager Killed in a Ritual Sacrifice 500 Years Ago

The mummified girl, known as "Juanita," was found in 1995 on Peru's Ampato volcano | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Mars' Core May Be Smaller Than Thought, Wrapped in a Sea of Molten Rock

Based on seismic waves from a meteorite impact, two teams of scientists suggest the Red Planet has another layer deep beneath its surface | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Groundhogs Are Old News. In This Tiny Town, Caterpillars Predict the Weather

Thousands of people flocked to Banner Elk, North Carolina, this year to watch the nation’s biggest woolly worm caterpillar race | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

What Emoji Tell Us About the History of Tea

From ancient China to 20th-century America, the aromatic beverage has undergone a dramatic evolution | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Celebrate the World Series With 15 Bold Baseball Photos

These highlights from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest are a home run | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Climate Change Is Pushing Salmon North in Alaska, Scientists Say

Researchers recently found about 100 chum salmon spawning in the Arctic, suggesting the species is shifting to new habitats | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Museum of Censored Art Opens in Barcelona

The new Museu de l'Art Prohibit serves as a monument to freedom of expression | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Rare, Deep-Sea Anglerfish Washes Up on a California Beach

The finding marks the second time in three years that an elusive Pacific footballfish has been found on the sand at Crystal Cove State Park | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Watch the New Trailer for the Final Season of 'The Crown'

Part one of the new season will follow Princess Diana through the final weeks of her life in 1997 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

'Extremely Rare' Case of Locally Acquired Dengue Fever Detected in California

Officials say the risk of exposure to the virus, which is spread by mosquito bites, is very low for residents | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Never-Ending Race to Build the World’s Tallest Structure

From ancient Egypt to present-day Dubai, a close look at some of the buildings that held the height record | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Readers Respond to the September/October 2023 Issue

Your feedback on beautiful birds, scenic Spain and more | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

As Fascism Threatened Europe, an Ambitious Play Warned Americans to Pay Attention

A courageous New Deal program brought authoritarianism into the spotlight. Then the drama moved onto the political stage | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How the Zamboni Revolutionized Fun on the Ice

The story behind the most efficient—and intriguing—piece of hardware in all of sports | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

'New Yorker' Cartoon About a Dog on the Internet Breaks Auction Records

The iconic 1993 image by Peter Steiner just became the most valuable single-panel comic ever sold | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Cruise Passengers Win Lawsuit After Covid Outbreak on Ship in 2020

The Ruby Princess, which launched from Australia in the early days of the pandemic, was linked to 662 cases of Covid-19 and 28 deaths | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Painting Stolen by American Soldier During World War II Returned to Germany

FBI agents and art recovery lawyers helped retrieve the piece by Austrian artist Johann Franz Nepomuk Lauterer | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Earthquake in Mexico City Reveals 500-Year-Old Aztec Snakehead

The nearly six-foot-long sculpture features well-preserved colors on 80 percent of its surface | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Archaeologists Find the First Red Paint Made From Plants

Hunter-gatherers cooked up the alluring pigment in the Eastern Mediterranean 15,000 years ago | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

North Atlantic Right Whale Numbers May Be Stabilizing at Last

After a decade of decline, the latest population estimate is good news—but conservationists say we "have a long ways to go" to safeguard the marine mammals | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

New Devices Could Change the Way We Measure Blood Pressure

Embedded in a cellphone or in accessories such as rings, bracelets or watches, the novel tools aim to make it easier to manage hypertension | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

When Hershey’s Crafted a Special Treat for the Troops

In the run-up to World War II, the chocolate company was tasked with creating a nutritious snack that, by design, wouldn't taste good | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

New Memorial Honors Victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

A total of 146 workers died in the 1911 disaster, which galvanized the fight for workers' rights | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

An Inside Look at Anish Kapoor's Next Act

The famed sculptor brings his incendiary style—and fiery palette—to the canvas in a new studio in Venice | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Precarious History of New York’s Iconic Chrysler Building

Towering ambitions built the most charming skyscraper in America | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago