Scientists Reveal Why Asp Caterpillar Stings Are So Excruciatingly Painful

A toxin in the insect's venom, which can punch a hole in cell walls, could inspire new drug-delivery methods in humans | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Mysterious 2,500-Year-Old Skeletons Found in Israel's Negev Desert

The tomb was located at the crossroads of two trading routes—and far away from any ancient settlements | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

This Canadian Lake Could Mark the Start of an Epoch Altered By Humans

With evidence of fossil fuels, nuclear weapons and a warming climate buried in its sediment, Crawford Lake represents the Anthropocene, scientists say | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

This Mirror-Like Exoplanet Is the Most Reflective Ever Discovered

The ultra-hot world is wreathed in metallic clouds that prevent the planet from evaporating and keep its atmosphere intact | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How Far Will Salmon Swim for a Craft Beer?

Researchers in Oregon hope a surprising aroma will lure stray fish back to their home hatcheries | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

You Can Now Take a Sunrise Train Ride to the Top of Pikes Peak

See the panoramic vistas from atop the 14,000-foot mountain that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write "America the Beautiful" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How Popping Open a Can Became the Sound of Summer

More than 60 years ago, an unfortunate picnic set Ohioan Ermal C. Fraze on a path to inventing the first pop-top tab opener for canned beverages | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Hidden History of the Hollywood Sign

Now 100 years old, the iconic billboard started out as an advertisement for an upscale housing development | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Angelina Jolie Will Rent Jean-Michel Basquiat's Former Studio

The famous 20th-century artist originally rented the space from Andy Warhol, his friend and mentor | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

A Surfboard-Snatching Sea Otter Is Vexing Wildlife Officials in California

While the animal's antics may look cute, the dangerous behavior could bring harm to humans or force authorities to euthanize the endangered mammal | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

River Cruises Will Commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day

Travelers can immerse themselves in the history of the Normandy landings that changed the tide of World War II | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

We Can Hear Silence Like a Sound, Scientists Say

In a study, participants were tricked by "silence illusions" in the same way that illusions with sound fool the brain | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How Cellphones Connect Us All

A new Natural History Museum exhibition explores how the devices link us to Earth and to a network of people worldwide involved in their supply chain | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Acropolis Adopts Crowd Control Measures for the First Time

The increasingly popular tourist destination in Greece is becoming overwhelmed with tourists | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Five Astounding Orca Behaviors Explained, From Ramming Boats to Hunting Great White Sharks

The apex predators also surge onto shorelines to capture seals and engage in mysterious greeting ceremonies | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Bloodsucking Sea Lampreys Made a Comeback in the Great Lakes During Covid

Travel restrictions hindered population control of the invasive parasites, which feed on fish like trout, whitefish, perch and sturgeon | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Netherlands Repatriates Nearly 500 Looted Artifacts to Sri Lanka and Indonesia

Six of these objects are held by the Rijksmuseum, which is returning stolen items for the very first time | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

California's Long-Dry Tulare Lake Has Returned

Record-breaking snowpack and storms have flooded hundreds of acres of agricultural land in the state's San Joaquin Valley | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Giant Hand Axes Discovered in England Point to Prehistoric Humans' 'Strength and Skill'

A trove of artifacts found in a valley in Kent includes the third largest hand ax found in the country to date | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Alan Alda Is Selling His Boots and Dog Tags From 'M*A*S*H'

They were worn by real soldiers before serving as props in one of America's most popular TV shows | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Tourists Spot 'Incredibly Rare' Whales Off California Coast

Cuvier's beaked whales can hold their breath for hours and don't spend much time at the surface, making them mysterious—and a treat to see | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Empty Office Buildings Are Being Turned Into Vertical Farms

With office usage hovering near 50 percent of pre-pandemic levels, cities are putting the underutilized space to new use growing food | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Masonic Murder That Inspired the First Third Party in American Politics

Public outcry over whistleblower William Morgan's disappearance gave rise to the Anti-Masonic Party, which nominated a candidate for president in 1832 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

15 Shark Photos That Will Terrify and Delight You This Summer

In a collection pulled from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest, catch a wave with these predators of the sea | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

FDA Fully Approves First Drug Meant to Slow Alzheimer's Disease

The drug showed promise in an 18-month clinical trial, but some experts have expressed concerns about its safety and cost | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Trailer for Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon' Is Here

The new film stars Joaquin Phoenix and follows the ambitious French ruler's rise to power | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Northern Lights Could Dazzle the U.S. This Week

The current forecast from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, says the glowing display could be visible from Oregon to Maryland on Thursday | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

New Extinct Species of 'Ridiculously Cute,' Tiny Penguins Discovered in New Zealand

Scientists identified the diminutive birds after finding two of their fossilized skulls | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Would You Spend Three Years Living on a Cruise Ship?

Some enthusiasts are selling their homes in preparation, while others have balked at the risks | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

A Salsa Museum Is Dancing Its Way to the Bronx

While the museum lacks a permanent home, it's bringing lively events to the "Borough of Salsa" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Lonely Battle to Save Species on a Tiny Speck in the Pacific

As Tern Island, a former military outpost in the Hawaiian archipelago, falls apart and harms turtles, birds, seals and more, scientists wonder what’s next | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The 'Ivory Man'—a Powerful Leader Buried in a Lavish Tomb 5,000 Years Ago—Was Actually a Woman

Buried alongside valuable treasures, the Copper Age skeleton was initially misidentified as a wealthy young man | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Meta's Threads Becomes the Most Quickly Downloaded App Ever

The Twitter competitor launched on Wednesday and already has more than 70 million sign-ups, per CEO Mark Zuckerberg | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See the Rancid, Blooming Corpse Flowers Attracting Hundreds in California

The plants' rare and pungent blooms happen once every few years and last only a couple of days | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Eagle-Eyed Hiker Spots Bronze Age Rock Paintings in Norway

Tormod Fjeld and two friends have spent years searching for traces of rock art in their free time | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The World's Largest Cruise Ship Is Nearly 1,200 Feet Long

Scheduled to debut in January, the vessel can accommodate 5,600 guests and 2,350 crew members | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

U.S. Maternal Death Rates More Than Doubled in the 21st Century, Study Finds

Between 1999 and 2019, pregnancy-related mortality rose dramatically, with the worst outcomes among Native American, Alaska Native and Black people | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Eight of the Best Spots to Go Freshwater Diving or Snorkeling in the United States

These bucket-list underwater sites offer up megalodon teeth, manatee herds and other unique encounters | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Humans Take Out More Wild Species Than Any Other Predator on Earth

We kill, collect or otherwise use about 15,000 vertebrate species | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Ornamental Hermits Were 18th-Century England's Must-Have Garden Accessory

Wealthy landowners hired men who agreed to live in isolation on their estates for as long as seven years | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Archaeologists Discover 25 Mesolithic Pits in England

The 8,000-year-old pits shed light on a period in Britain that historians know very little about | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Dust From the Drying Great Salt Lake Is Wreaking Havoc on Utah's Snow

Last year, the snow melted 17 days earlier because of dust, which warms more quickly than pure white powder, a new study finds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Earth Faces Hottest Day Ever Recorded—Three Days in a Row

Researchers attribute the sweltering heat to a combination of human-caused climate change and El Niño, which has a global warming effect | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Maya Canoe Found in Underwater Cave May Have Been Used for Rituals

Archaeologists discovered the seven-foot-long vessel near Chichén Itzá two years ago | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

1,700 Bottles of Sparkling Wine Spent Six Months Beneath the Waters of the Norwegian Sea

The stash was submerged some 111 feet deep in temperatures as cold as 41 degrees Fahrenheit | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Architectural Genius of the Geodesic Dome and the Challenge of Putting It All Back Together

A new exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History puts the engineering innovation back on display after decades in storage | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Pollination From Honeybees Could Make Plants Less Fit to Survive and Reproduce

Plants visited by honeybees rather than native bees may become more inbred, a new study suggests | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See the James Webb Telescope's First Image of Saturn and Its Rings

The new shot also features three of the planet's many moons, including Enceladus, a strong candidate for hosting life | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago