Using Pig Fat as Airplane Fuel Could Hurt the Environment, Study Says

Though it's generally seen as sustainable, using animal fat to power planes could force other industries to rely on more harmful palm oil | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

You Can Now Buy Princess Leia's White Gown From 'Star Wars'

Carrie Fisher wore the garment while filming the final scene of "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Unraveling the Mysteries of Oda the Ichthyosaur

Paleontologists used X-rays to identify the 240-million-year-old creature's flattened and fossilized remains | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Nepal Won't Move the Mount Everest Base Camp for Now, Despite Risks

The camp is growing more dangerous with climate change and human activity, but it’s an ideal location for keeping hikers safe from falling ice | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

This Engineered Beach Is Good for Endangered Sharks and Tourists

In the Canary Islands, angel sharks and humans are attracted to the same habitat which, for once, isn’t bad for the wildlife | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The 72-Year-Old Who Lied About His Age to Fight in World War I

A Civil War veteran, John William Boucher was one of the oldest men on the ground during the Great War | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

New Musical Spotlights Rosalind Franklin's DNA Discoveries

"Double Helix," a fictionalized account of Franklin's groundbreaking work, premieres this week | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

4,000-Year-Old DNA Is the Oldest Evidence of Plague in Britain

Scientists found DNA of the plague-causing bacteria in the teeth of three Bronze Age people buried at two different sites | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Climate Change Is a Wake-Up Call for Hibernating Squirrels

As spring arrives sooner, female Arctic ground squirrels are emerging from their burrows earlier, according to a new study | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Club Ebony, Historic Stop Along the Chitlin Circuit, Reopens

The legendary Black-owned nightclub hosted the likes of Tina Turner, Ray Charles and more | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Every Piece in This Exhibition Is a Fake

A new show at London's Courtauld Gallery will explore the value of counterfeit art | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Scientists Create 'Synthetic Embryos' From Monkey Cells

By studying lab-grown stem cells, scientists hope to shed light on miscarriages and birth defects | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See the Rare Albino Echidna Spotted in Australia

Dubbed Raffie, the egg-laying mammal is an unusual color and "beautiful" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Why Some Scientists Want to Stop Naming Organisms After People

An international team of researchers wants to stop using eponyms. But the naming authorities won’t budge. | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Lost for 50 Years, Mysterious Australian Shipwreck Has Finally Been Found

The "Blythe Star" sank off the coast of Tasmania in 1973, heralding improvements to the country's maritime safety laws | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Could Ketamine Treat Severe Depression?

Research suggests the anesthetic is at least as effective as electroconvulsive therapy, the current standard for treatment-resistant depression | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Henry Ossawa Tanner Was One of the First World-Famous Black Artists. Now, His Home Is in Danger

The Philadelphia row house hosted generations of Black scholars and leaders | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Why Did the Water in Venice's Grand Canal Turn Bright Green?

Authorities have determined what substance caused the abnormal hue, but they still don't know who is responsible | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Activists Work to Protect Cairo's City of the Dead From Demolition

Historic graves are being moved or destroyed as Egypt builds new roads and bridges | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

This New Device Generates Electricity From Thin Air

Nearly any material covered with tiny holes can derive energy from humidity, per a new study, opening doors to more sustainable power | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

France Just Banned Short-Haul Flights. Why Are So Few Routes Affected?

To reduce carbon emissions, lawmakers want travelers to opt for trains on shorter journeys | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Mosul Cultural Museum to Reopen in 2026

Traveling to the ancient Iraqi city, the Smithsonian’s ambassador at large reports on the international efforts to aid recovery | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

What a 19th-Century Farmer’s Forgotten Notes Reveal About Growing Seasons

The documents provide evidence of climate change's impact on hardwood trees in Ohio | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Danish Golden Age Painters Used Beer Leftovers to Prep Their Canvases

Researchers are finding yeast and grain in the works of 19th-century artists in Denmark | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Rare White Bison Born in Wyoming State Park

The 30-pound calf is not albino but gets its pale fur from cattle genes | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The U.S. Is Giving Away Lighthouses for Free

While they are no longer a navigational necessity, the guiding lights have histories worth preserving | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See the Endangered Gorilla Born at the National Zoo

The baby western lowland gorilla is the zoo's first since 2018 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Sand Dune Features Hint at 'Recent' Water Flow on Mars

Between 1.4 million and 400,000 years ago, liquid salt water may have made cracks and crusts near the Martian equator, per data from China's Zhurong rover | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Overlooked Histories Behind America’s Rise as a World Power

The National Portrait Gallery’s new exhibition addresses the War of 1898, a pivotal but often forgotten period in history | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Henri Matisse's Stunning Apartment Overlooking the French Riviera Is for Sale

The French artist spent his final years making art from his home in the city of Nice | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How the U.S. Almost Became a Nation of Hippo Ranchers

In 1910, a failed House bill sought to increase the availability of low-cost meat by importing hippopotamuses that would be killed to make "lake cow bacon" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Paralyzed Man Walks Again With Brain and Spinal Cord Implants

The experimental technology translates the patient's thoughts into voluntary movements | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Archaeologists in Armenia Unearth a Bakery—Complete With 3,000-Year-Old Flour

Originally thought to be ash, the ancient powdery substance helped researchers identify the building's purpose | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Pickleball Courts Are Replacing Shuttered Mall Stores

Across the country, developers are trying to capitalize on the approachable sport's growing popularity | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Scientists Identify 12 Major Symptoms of Long Covid

The effort is a step toward accelerating research and finding treatments for the debilitating condition | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

China's Last Emperor Brought This Wristwatch With Him to Prison

He gave the timepiece, which just sold for $6.2 million, to his Russian translator at a Soviet detention camp | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Scientists Discover Microbes That Could Revolutionize Plastic Recycling

These bacteria and fungi can break down certain plastics at cool temperatures, saving money and energy compared to some current methods | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Return of Mermaidcore

For a century, a collective love of tails and fins has helped women transgress on land and sea | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

After 150 Years, Levi's 501 Blue Jeans Are Still Kicking

The iconic garment began as a practical piece of clothing for miners to wear during long, difficult shifts | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Brain-Computer Interfaces That Could Give Locked-In Patients a Voice

Implanted devices record the brain waves associated with speech and then use computer algorithms to translate the intended messages | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Buckingham Palace Refuses to Repatriate Remains of Ethiopian Prince

Taken from his home as a small child, Prince Dejatch Alemayehu died in England at age 18 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Saturn's Rings May Be Younger Than Thought—and Disappearing

Data from NASA's Cassini mission points to the rings being no more than 400 million years old—quite young in the planet's 4.5-billion-year history | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Tina Turner, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Left an Indelible Mark on Music History

The barrier-breaking singer, who died this week at 83, influenced countless musicians who followed in her footsteps | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Octopuses May Have Vivid Nightmares, Video Suggests

Costello, a male Brazilian reef octopus, had "bizarre" defensive outbursts while sleeping in a lab | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

DNA Suggests Modern Humans Emerged From Several Groups in Africa, Not One

Scientists used computer modeling and the genomes of several hundred living people to examine our prehistoric origins | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Who Wants to Buy the Creepy Dolls and Bowling Balls That Wash Up on Texas Beaches?

Hundreds of eclectic items were auctioned off to help fund the rehabilitation of sea turtles and birds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

On This Disputed River, Progress May Mean a Return to the Past

Winding through British Columbia and Washington, the Skagit has a history that reflects competing conceptions of advancement | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Scientists Decode Brain Waves Linked to Chronic Pain

A new way to objectively measure chronic pain could lead to new treatments for the common condition that can be debilitating | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago