Vienna Is the Most Livable City in the World

The city also topped the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual rankings in 2018, 2019 and 2022 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Is This the Earliest Known Phallic Art?

Researchers think the 42,000-year-old artifact was carved from graphite to resemble a penis | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Megalodons Were Warm-Blooded—and It Was a Blessing and a Curse

The giant sharks likely warmed some of their body parts, helping them grow massive but leaving them vulnerable to environmental changes, a new study finds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Why Astronauts Have Weaker Immune Systems in Space

Gene activity in white blood cells decreased once astronauts got to space—and it didn’t rebound until they returned, a new study finds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Tonga Volcano Sparked the Most Intense Lightning Storm Ever Recorded

Last year's eruption produced a raging storm at unprecedented altitudes, with 2,600 lightning flashes per minute at its peak | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How Thomas Edison Tricked the Press Into Believing He'd Invented the Light Bulb

A year before he developed a working bulb, the "Wizard of Menlo Park" created the illusion that his prototype burned for more than a few minutes at a time | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Why Are Chickens So Bad at Flying? And More Questions From Our Readers

You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

An Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Los Alamos Lab Where J. Robert Oppenheimer Created the Atomic Bomb

In never-before-seen photographs, explore the secret U.S. facility and home to the Manhattan Project scientists who developed the first nuclear weapon | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Archaeologists Discover 4,000-Year-Old 'Dutch Stonehenge'

The ritual site was once used to determine the longest and shortest days of the year | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Orca Rams Into Yacht Near Scotland, Suggesting the Behavior May Be Spreading

The incident occurred roughly 2,000 miles away from the recent encounters near Spain and Portugal | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Secretly Evacuated From Ukraine, Rare Icons Now on View at the Louvre

Amid Russian attacks, Kyiv's Khanenko Museum sent 16 precious artworks to Paris for safekeeping | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Before It Burned Down, This Bathhouse Served as a Haven for New York City's Gay Community

For decades, gay men gathered anonymously at the Everard Baths, seeking sexual liaisons and camaraderie alike | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Coral Reefs Host a Vast Diversity of Microbes

A two-year expedition at sea uncovered more than half a million varieties of microbial life in Pacific reef-dwelling organisms | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How the Most Popular Sailboat Ever Was Invented

The Sunfish taught millions of Americans to seize the breeze | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Meet the Artists Reinventing American Fiber Art

These innovative creators are quilting, weaving and felting dramatic pieces that bring American fiber arts to unexplored heights | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Genius Behind Bisa Butler's Vibrant Quilts

The renowned artist's exuberant portraits celebrates Black history and takes the form to a new level | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

This Hawaiian Artist Weaves Contemporary Style With Ancient Tradition

Fiber artist Marques Hanalei-Marzan carries on the artistic customs of his ancestors | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Deep, Cultural Significance of the Art of Felt

A river of fabric? Janice Arnold’s installations, inspired by the people of Central Asia, go to great lengths to evoke wonder | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

This Ancient Maya City Was Hidden in the Jungle for More Than 1,000 Years

Archaeologists surveying the ruins of Ocomtún found pyramids, stone columns and a ballgame court | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Our Human Relatives Butchered and Ate Each Other 1.45 Million Years Ago

Telltale marks on a bone from an early human’s leg could be the earliest evidence of cannibalism | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

These Objects Tell the Story of Human-Driven Climate Change

Smithsonian curators dig into the collections to find artifacts that illustrate how we arrived at this moment | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Curly Hair Keeps the Head Coolest

A new study suggests our locks may have evolved to prevent our brain from overheating | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Found in Ancient Spa, Stunningly Preserved Bronze Statues Go on View in Rome

The trove of 2,300-year-old bronzes was discovered last year in a thermal spring in Tuscany | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Virgil Quotation Found Etched on 1,800-Year-Old Roman Jar

Researchers say the ancient inscription is the first of its kind ever discovered | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Monarch Butterflies’ Signature White Spots May Help Them Fly

These long-distance migrants could get a boost from their striking coloration, which may reduce drag by heating and cooling air unevenly | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Mormon Crickets Are Creating Havoc in Nevada

In Elko, the insects have caused accidents on roads and problems in town | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Unlikely Survival Story of Australia's Bandicoots

The defenseless marsupial was nearly wiped out by invasive species. Now rescuers are pinning hopes on a remnant island population | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Germany Returns Sacred Wooden Masks to Colombia

In Berlin, the centuries-old artifacts were treated with chemicals that could pose health hazards | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How George Washington Wrote His Farewell Address

A candle stand used by the first president illuminates his extraordinary last days in office | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Atlantification of the Arctic Ocean is Underway

The discovery of a tiny fish far from its normal range is a poignant reminder of the changes that are already happening | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Rare Banksy Solo Exhibition Opens in Glasgow

The secretive street artist has officially authorized the show, which features never-before-seen stencils | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Suspects Finally Charged for Museum Robberies Spanning 20 Years

Prosecutors allege that nine thieves stole art by Warhol and Pollock, among other valuable items | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

USDA Approves First Lab-Grown Chicken in the United States

Two companies have received the green light to produce and sell chicken they have cultivated from cells | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Humans Have Shifted Earth's Axis by Pumping Lots of Groundwater

Removing water from the ground has led to sea-level rise and caused Earth's axis to shift by about 2.6 feet between 1993 and 2010, per a new study | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Stunning Seaweed Prints Capture Life Underwater

Free diver Oriana Poindexter creates cyanotypes of kelp collected off the California coast | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

This Physicist Uses Drones to Create Giant Light Cones in the Desert

Evoking a key concept in relativity, Elliot McGucken traces out hourglass-like shapes in the sky that stretch as high as a seven-story building | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

What Medieval Manuscripts Reveal About the Hidden History of Whales

A clever cetacean feeding trick may have launched a legend | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

You Can Now Visit the Site Where Julius Caesar Was Stabbed

Rediscovered in the 1920s, the Roman square is now welcoming visitors for the first time | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Explore the World of Willa Cather in Her Nebraska Hometown

Maybe the author of “O Pioneers!” is no longer the height of literary chic. But a century later she’s still a superstar in her small prairie community | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

These 'Grinning' Triassic Reptiles Likely Died of Starvation

Sheep-sized rhynchosaurs had an unusual way of chewing plants that wore down their teeth over time | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Lost Titanic Tourist Submersible Could Run Out of Oxygen Thursday Morning

Rescue teams are still searching for the vessel that lost contact with the surface on Sunday as it carried five people toward the Titanic wreck | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Oldest Known Neanderthal Engravings Were Sealed in a Cave for 57,000 Years

The art was created long before modern humans inhabited France's Loire Valley | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Extreme Heat Wave Hits India

In recent days, nearly 200 people have died across two of the country's most populous states | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Archaeologists Find 3,000-Year-Old Sword So Well Preserved It 'Almost Still Shines'

The Bronze Age artifact was discovered in a grave during excavations in southern Germany | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Was This Civil War Hero the First Medal of Honor Recipient Born in Africa?

Recent research suggests Joachim Pease, a sailor recognized for his role in sinking a Confederate raider, was from Cape Verde | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Inspiration Behind a Monumental Display of Biblical Women

An artist conjures a whimsical new version of a magnificent 15th-century mural | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Would You Wear a Handbag Smaller Than a Grain of Salt?

Measuring 657 by 222 by 700 micrometers, the teeny-tiny bag could sell for thousands at auction | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

When Did Humans Start Settling Down?

In Israel, new discoveries at one of the world's oldest villages are upending the debate about when we stopped wandering | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago