Have Scientists Found the Source of Out-of-Body Experiences?

Researchers identified a brain region that can create sensations of weightlessness or falling, and it could help develop new forms of anesthesia | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Tony Bennett's Passion for Art Lives On in His Paintings

Smithsonian curators reflect on the beloved crooner's legacy as a musician and visual artist | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Rare Pink Dolphins Spotted Swimming in Louisiana River

The cetaceans are likely bottlenose dolphins with albinism, and one could be "Pinky," an animal first seen in the area in 2007 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Bookstore in Hungary Will Fight Fine for Selling 'Heartstopper,' a Popular LGBTQ Graphic Novel

Officials say the bookseller broke the law by promoting the novel to minors and failing to wrap it in plastic foil | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Why a Trail of Life-Size Gorilla Sculptures Popped Up in London

The statues seek to raise awareness of wildlife conservation efforts in Africa | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Roald Dahl Museum Apologizes for the Author's Antisemitism

Building on a 2020 statement from the writer’s family, the charity condemned Dahl's racism as "undeniable and indelible" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How Many Dinosaurs Remain Undiscovered?

Paleontologists say more non-avian dinos are waiting to be uncovered than have previously been found | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Most Surprising Carnival Treat Might Just Be Pickle on a Stick

Pickles are having a moment, even at small-town fairs, where vendors are serving them up like popsicles | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Why Did Van Halen Demand Concert Venues Remove Brown M&M's From the Menu?

An investigation of the rock band's unusual concert rider suggests the stipulation was a savvy marketing move | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Chicago May Be Slowly Sinking Because of 'Underground Climate Change'

The ground beneath the Windy City is shifting as heat escapes from buildings and transit systems, posing a threat to infrastructure, a study finds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

A Monument Honoring Shirley Chisholm, the First Black Congresswoman, Is Coming to Brooklyn

After years of delays, New York City officially approved a statue commemorating the borough native and political trailblazer | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Is This a Recording of Banksy's Voice?

A new podcast claims to have unearthed a short interview with the artist that aired on NPR in 2005 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Trove of 700 Civil War-Era Gold Coins Discovered in Kentucky

An unidentified man found the cache, which may have been buried ahead of a Confederate invasion, in a cornfield earlier this year | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

From Japan to Louisiana to Rome, Here Are Ten Heat Records Earth Has Broken Since June

As the planet clocks the warmest June ever, here's a list of temperature marks that fell this summer | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

When Barbie Broke the Glass Ceiling

The iconic doll traveled to space, flew with the Thunderbirds and joined the NBA, beating real-life women to an array of career milestones | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

These Surfers Want to Restore Temperate Rainforests to Ireland

In the rainy mountains along the country’s west coast, a movement has begun to bring back an ecosystem that has been gone for centuries | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

England's 'Well Dressing' Tradition Features Striking, Elaborate Floral Murals

Also made with other natural materials, the artworks are used to decorate wells and water features around the Peak District | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

300-Year-Old Minaret Toppled to Make Way for Road Expansion in Iraq

Residents and cultural officials are dismayed by the city of Basra's decision to demolish the structure | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Rare Fossil May Show a Small Mammal Attacking a Dinosaur

The well-preserved bones could upend the traditional view of dinosaurs as predators and mammals as prey, if the findings are confirmed | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

In the 'Heart of the City,' a Tribute to Jay-Z

The Brooklyn Public Library is celebrating the rapper’s life and career in a new exhibition, "The Book of HOV" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How the Mother of Modern Weaving Transformed the World of Design

Dorothy Liebes was committed to making quality textiles available to consumers of all classes | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Teenage Tourist Carves His Name Into 1,200-Year-Old Temple in Japan

The UNESCO World Heritage site is one of several historical landmarks around the world to be vandalized this summer | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The 1948 Democratic National Convention Is the Missing Link in Civil Rights History

Civil rights activists failed to expel an all-white, segregationist delegation. But their efforts foreshadowed later milestones in the fight for equality | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

This Pacific Coral Can Withstand Warming Waters With the Help of Algae

The heat-resistant organism in antler coral may help it adapt as ocean temperatures increase | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Here's Where the Highest Rates of Alzheimer's Are in the United States

A first-of-its-kind report estimates Alzheimer's disease prevalence in 3,142 counties across the nation | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See Ten Dazzling Space Images From the Astronomy Photographer of the Year Awards

From comets to nebulas to the Milky Way, the shots shortlisted in the annual competition capture the beauty of the cosmos from Earth | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Will the Dead Stay Dead After Sunday's Farewell Concert?

Once again, Deadheads said their goodbyes to the latest iteration of the era-defining jam band | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Archaeologists Discover Entrance to the Zapotec Underworld Beneath a Church in Mexico

New scans of the site have confirmed the existence of an "underground labyrinth" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Hidden for 400 Years, Censored Pages Reveal New Insights Into Elizabeth I's Reign

Scholars used advanced imaging to read crossed-out, pasted-over passages in the first official account of the Tudor queen's time on the English throne | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

New Device Can Detect Covid in the Air Within Five Minutes

Researchers report the technology is 77 to 83 percent accurate in finding any of the coronavirus variants in a room | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Celebrate National Ice Cream Month With These 15 Mouthwatering Treats

These highlights from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest feature creamy frozen delights to help beat the summer heat | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Real History Behind Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer'

The "father of the atomic bomb" has long been misunderstood. Will the new film finally get J. Robert Oppenheimer right? | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

13-Foot Endangered Sawfish Spotted in Northern Florida Hints at a 'Slow Recovery'

Scientists tagged the rare animal farther north than any such fish in decades, suggesting the species is returning to areas it once lived | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

New Exhibition Tells the Story of the 'Clotilda,' the Last Known American Slave Ship

A display spotlighting the schooner's survivors is now open inside the new Africatown Heritage House in Mobile, Alabama | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Having a Companion Could Help Rattlesnakes Stay Calm

During a stressful event, snakes experienced a smaller spike in heart rate when they were in the presence of another snake, according to a new study | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

X-Rays Uncover the Secrets of 3,000-Year-Old Egyptian Paintings

A new study provides insight into how tomb painters altered their work over time | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Why Do Archaeologists Rebury Their Excavations?

The practice helps preserve the site for future researchers, who might be able to assess the site with more modern tools and techniques | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Rare Neolithic 'Polishing Boulder' Discovered in England

Used to sharpen axes, the 5,000-year-old polissoir is only the second of its kind ever found in the country | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See a Life-Size Portrait of Queen Lili‘uokalani, the Last Reigning Monarch of Hawai‘i

The William Cogswell painting, now on display at the National Portrait Gallery, was likely a means for the ruler to assert her right to the throne | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Crows and Magpies Snatch Anti-Bird Spikes to Build Their Nests

Birds in Europe are prying up the metal barbs, meant to repel them from roosting on buildings, and using the devices as nesting material | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Pennsylvanians Might Soon Be Singing a New State Song

The state's official tune simply can't compete with the likes of "Georgia on My Mind," lawmakers argue | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill

Experts say the decision will increase access to safe and effective contraceptives for millions of Americans | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Humans May Have Arrived in the Americas Earlier Than Previously Thought

Researchers say that humans coexisted with giant sloths in Brazil some 25,0000 years ago | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Climate Change Is Shifting the Color of Earth's Oceans

More than half of our oceans have taken on a greener hue in the past 20 years, a trend that cannot be fully explained by natural variation, per a new study | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Evolution of the Little Black Dress

A new exhibition showcases how the meaning of the garment has changed since its invention in 1926 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Saber-Toothed Tigers and Dire Wolves Suffered From Bone Disease

Some fossils preserved in the La Brea tar pits showed signs of an inherited joint condition that may have proliferated as the animals neared extinction | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

What the Covid-19 Pandemic Revealed About Remote School

The unplanned experiment provided clear lessons on the value—and limitations—of online learning. Are educators listening? | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

This Luxury Passenger Train Will Return to Southeast Asia

The revamped Eastern and Oriental Express will begin running again in February 2024 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago