100-Year-Old Shipwreck Discovered 800 Feet Below Lake Superior

The "Huronton" sank after colliding with a larger ship amid heavy fog and smoke in October 1923 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

This 21-Year-Old Used A.I. to Decipher Text From a Scroll That Hasn’t Been Read in 2,000 Years

The papyrus scroll is one of hundreds that were carbonized in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E. | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

These Furry-Clawed Crabs Are Wreaking Havoc in the United Kingdom

Conservation officials have installed the first Chinese mitten crab trap in England, and they are asking the public to report any sightings | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Could This Lawsuit Expose Banksy’s Identity?

The legal battle between the street artist and a greeting card company has been unfolding for several years | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Neanderthals May Have Hunted Cave Lions

Researchers say well-preserved bones may be the earliest direct evidence of the hunting of large predators | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

What's Really the Average Human Body Temperature?

Long thought to be 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the measurement is highly personal and varies depending on time of day, among other factors, new research finds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Sphere Is Here. Are We Ready for More High-Tech Architecture?

The new Las Vegas performance venue challenges musicians and visual artists to produce content for its demanding format | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

New High-Speed Rail Service Between London and Paris Is Coming in 2025

The startup Evolyn plans to challenge the 30-year monopoly held by Eurostar, which is currently the only rail operator that links the two capitals | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Vibrant Paint Once Decorated the 2,500-Year-Old Parthenon Marbles

New research has revealed that ancient artists used color to create highly detailed designs | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Monkeys With Transplanted Pig Kidneys Survive for Up to Two Years

The study brings scientists one step closer to conducting trials in human patients, researchers say | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

NASA Launches Mission to Study Distant Asteroid

The metal-rich object could hold clues about how our planet formed | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Amphibians Are in Decline Across the Globe

About 41 percent of all species across the planet meet IUCN criteria for classification as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Two Million Years Ago, This Homo Erectus Lived the High Life

Dating of a child's fossilized jaw and teeth suggest our relatives lived at altitude earlier than once thought | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

New Synthetic Horseshoe Crab Blood Could Mean Pharma Won't Bleed the Species Dry

The “living fossils” have been vital for testing intravenous drugs, but a few large pharmaceutical companies are using a lab-made compound instead | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Editing Chicken Genes Could Slow the Spread of Bird Flu, Study Suggests

Using CRISPR technology, researchers edited a protein gene that increased chickens' resistance to the virus. But the process is far from practical use | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Scientists Are Still Unraveling the Secrets of the 'Mona Lisa'

A new chemical analysis sheds new light on how Leonardo da Vinci painted the iconic portrait | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Fall Into Autumn With These 15 Foliage Photos

These highlights from the Smithsonian Photo Contest celebrate the season | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

You Can Own Guitars Played by Eric Clapton and Kurt Cobain

Both instruments are expected to sell for between $1 million and $2 million at auction next month | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

New Alabama Sculpture Park Reflects on Slavery's Enduring Legacy

The Freedom Monument Sculpture Park in Montgomery will feature works from prominent artists, artifacts, immersive experiences and a new monument | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

'Love Locks' at the Grand Canyon Could Be Harming Endangered California Condors

Park service officials urged visitors to stop attaching padlocks to fences and throwing keys into the canyon below, where the birds could eat them | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Meet Grazer, the Winner of Fat Bear Week 2023

A fiercely aggressive mother and a skilled angler, the massive brown bear has been crowned this year's champion in the annual online popularity contest | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See 12 Winning Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

The stunning entries showcase the behaviors of ancient and elusive species, from horseshoe crabs to tapirs and orcas—as well as the threats they face | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

300-Year-Old Coins Found Under Fireplace May Be Connected to the Glencoe Massacre

Archaeologists unearthed a trove of 36 coins at a site linked to Alasdair "Maclain" MacDonald, the clan chief who died in the 1692 attack | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

From Wild West Shows to 'Killers of the Flower Moon,' Revisit the History of Native Americans on the Silver Screen

How American Indians in Hollywood have gone from stereotypes to starring roles | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

During the Age of Dinosaurs, Some Birds Sported Toothy Grins

The often overlooked animals thrived for millions of years | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Minnesota Man Sets World Record With 2,749-Pound Pumpkin

Travis Gienger is a horticulture teacher who grows his award-winning gourds in his backyard | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How to Watch the Annular 'Ring of Fire' Solar Eclipse on Saturday

A partial eclipse will be visible from all of the continental U.S., but only those in Oregon and the Southwest will have a chance to see the glowing ring | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

A Painting Originally Valued at $15,000 Turned Out to Be a Rembrandt. Now, It Could Sell for Millions

The hand behind the brush can make or break a painting's worth—especially when that hand belongs to a legendary Dutch master | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How Do Cats Purr? Scientists May Now Have an Answer

Domestic cats produce low-frequency vocalizations when purring, an unusual ability for their small size | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Pennsylvania Mummy Gets a Proper Burial After 128 Years in a Funeral Home

Nicknamed "Stoneman Willie," the man visited the town of Reading for a convention of firefighters in 1895 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The 1918 Flu Hit Frailer People the Hardest, Study Suggests

Skeletons of people who died before and during the 20th-century pandemic counter the narrative that young and healthy people were targeted by the disease | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Almost 1,000 Birds Died in One Night From Striking a Chicago Building

Another 1,000 were killed in window collisions across the downtown area, amid calls for more bird-friendly architecture and reduced light pollution | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Manhattan's First Public Beach Opens Along the Hudson River

The new 5.5-acre recreation space includes a sandy shore, sports field, picnic area and boardwalk—but swimming isn't allowed | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

At Least 125 River Dolphins Have Died Amid Drought and Heat in Brazilian Amazon

Though the pink animals' cause of death is not confirmed, temperatures in the remote Lake Tefé reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit in late September | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

This New Hand-Painted Video Game Takes Place Inside Claude Monet's Eyeball

Australian designer and developer Pat Naoum spent seven years creating "The Master's Pupil" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

These Birds Will Switch Companions to Earn Food but Stick With Family, Study Suggests

Jackdaws, cognitively complex relatives of crows, have intricate social dynamics and mate for life | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Medieval Sect That Inspired the Video Game 'Assassin's Creed'

The Order of Assassins is loosely based on the Nizari Ismailis, who formed a Shiite Muslim state that relied on political assassination to achieve its goal | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Did Shakespeare Perform on These Newly Discovered Floorboards?

A historic theater in England claims to have found the Bard’s only surviving stage | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

More Mammals Can Glow in the Dark Than Previously Thought

A new study found that 125 different mammal species are fluorescent under ultraviolet light, suggesting the property is widespread | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

This Fluffy Little Anteater May Be a New Species

The animals eke out a living in a pocket of mangroves on Brazil’s Atlantic coast | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Norwegian Family Unearths 1,200-Year-Old Viking Artifacts in Their Yard

They had been looking for a lost gold earring when they stumbled upon two bronze brooches | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Amazon May Be Hiding More Than 10,000 Pre-Columbian Structures

Based on a new aerial survey and modeling study, archaeologists suggest at least 90 percent of sites known as earthworks remain undetected | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Iranian Rights Activist Narges Mohammadi

Mohammadi, who is currently in prison, is at the forefront of the fight against oppression in Iran | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How to Watch the Draconid Meteor Shower This Weekend

Though it’s usually a smaller display, the Draconids have historically produced breathtaking outbursts of shooting stars known as "meteor storms" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day With 15 Beautiful Photos That Capture the Richness of Native Culture

The diversity of the Native American experience is honored by the newly christened federal holiday | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

London Exhibition Explores the Link Between Gender and Ecology

"Re/Sisters," now open at the Barbican Art Gallery, features the works of nearly 50 women and nonbinary artists | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See the New 'Enchanting' Electric Blue Tarantula Discovered in Thailand

Blue is one of the rarest colors in nature, but this arachnid achieves the bright hue through special structures in its hair | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Maintaining a Vegetarian Diet Might Be in Your Genes

New research has identified three genes that are strongly linked to vegetarianism and 31 others that might also play a role in sticking to a meatless diet | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago