The Evolution—and Reinvention—of the Sari

"The Offbeat Sari" explores the traditional garment's role in fashion, protest, sustainability and more | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Volunteers Are Spending 60 Days in Bed to Help Astronauts Stay Healthy in Space

For two months, the group of 12 men must eat, sleep, exercise, bathe and use the toilet while at least one shoulder is touching the bed | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Supreme Court Rules That Andy Warhol Violated a Photographer's Copyright

Experts are debating what the case will mean for the future of fair-use law | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

During the 'Great Dying,' This Saber-Toothed Predator Reigned

This ancestor of mammals briefly thrived amid a massive extinction event, hinting at how carnivores may respond to climate change today | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Follow Bob Dylan's Footsteps Through Minnesota and New York

To mark the musician's 82nd birthday, consider a romp through these 11 sites that hold meaning to him | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

States Propose Landmark Deal to Conserve the Colorado River

The water cuts suggested by California, Arizona and Nevada are not as ambitious as those proposed by the federal government, but they will buy time | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

By Fighting the Ozone Hole, We Helped Curb Climate Change

With the Montreal Protocol, life on Earth dodged a bullet we didn’t even know was headed our way | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Glasgow Subway Ad Censored for Featuring Michelangelo's 'David'

Citing modesty concerns, an ad firm rejected a poster depicting the Renaissance sculpture | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

What Will It Take to Charge Electric Vehicles Faster?

To get more EVs on the road, these scientists are working to charge a car in the same time that it takes to fuel up at a gas station | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

New York City Is Sinking Under the Weight of Its Skyscrapers, Study Finds

As the city, and others like it, slowly subsides, it becomes more vulnerable to flooding driven by climate change | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Pets Will Soon Be Welcome at More Than 120 Archaeological Sites in Greece

The new policies won't apply at certain high-traffic destinations like the Acropolis | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Orcas Are Ramming Into Ships Off Europe's Coast

One researcher says this may be a response to a "critical moment of agony" a female orca experienced with a boat | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Martin Luther King Jr. Never Said Famous Quote Criticizing Malcolm X

One journalist's archival discovery is changing historians' understanding of the two civil rights leaders | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Common Chemical Strongly Linked to Parkinson's

Service members stationed at Camp Lejeune, where water was contaminated, had a 70 percent greater risk of developing the movement disorder, new study finds | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

These Artworks Are Good Enough to Eat—Literally

The Blanton Museum in Austin asked bakers to create edible versions of pieces in its collection | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Early Apes Lived on Savannahs, Not in Forests

Two new studies suggest that 21 million years ago African primates frequented edge habitat and fed on leaves | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How Hyperinflation Heralded the Fall of German Democracy

In 1923, the collapse of the Weimar Republic's economy impoverished millions and gave Adolf Hitler his first chance at seizing power | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Climate Activists Turn Water in Rome's Trevi Fountain Black

The action was a protest against public subsidies for fossil fuels and called attention to the deadly floods occurring in northern Italy | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Swimmer Stumbles Upon 1,800-Year-Old Marble Columns From Shipwreck Off Israel’s Coast

The artifacts help settle an unanswered question about ancient architectural materials | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See the House Engineers Built From Dirty Diapers

Using concrete and mortar made with shredded diapers could address issues like plastic waste and sand shortages, per a new study | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

You Can Buy the Bar Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Fans of the hit sitcom "Cheers" now have a chance to purchase the beloved set piece | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Satellites Show Warming Tides Melting a Massive Greenland Glacier

The finding could mean that past predictions of sea-level rise from glaciers should double | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See the Titanic in Stunning Detail With New 3D Scan

Researchers collected 16 terabytes of data to create the very first full-sized 3D scan of the wreckage | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Archaeologists Discover the Oldest Known Blueprints

The Stone Age engravings are to-scale depictions of desert kites, massive stone structures used by hunters to capture animals | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Was the 1623 Poisoning of 200 Native Americans One of the Continent's First War Crimes?

English colonists claimed they wanted to make peace with the Powhatans, then offered them tainted wine | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

To Reach New Audiences, This Museum Is Offering Rembrandt-Inspired Tattoos

The "Poor Man's Rembrandt Project" will allow visitors to forge a permanent connection with the 17th-century artist | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Rare 'Technicolor' Rainbow Sea Slug Found in England

It's only the fourth record of the species in the U.K., and experts say it's a sign of warming waters due to climate change | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Someone Stole Dorothy's Ruby Slippers in 2005. Now, a Minnesota Man Has Been Charged

While the "Wizard of Oz" shoes were recovered several years ago, authorities hadn't previously named any suspects | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Older Dogs With Dementia Sleep Poorly—Just Like Humans

The findings may help veterinarians and pet parents identify canine cognitive decline | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

'Irreplaceable' Artifacts Stolen From a Museum in Sheffield, England

The 12 items are part of the region's rich history as a metalworking capital | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Possible Antidote to World's Deadliest Mushroom Discovered

A dye used in medical imaging appeared to make the death cap's toxin less fatal to mice in a new study | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

These Two Ancient Pompeii Victims Died in an Earthquake—Not a Volcanic Eruption

Archaeologists have found the bodies of two men who perished in the days before Mount Vesuvius erupted | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

A Brief History of Long Movies

At the Cannes Film Festival this weekend, "Killers of the Flower Moon" will become the latest movie to ask just how much time we ought to give it | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

A Man's Rare Genetic Mutation May Have Prevented Alzheimer's for Decades

Scientists hope the findings could lead to treatments for the memory-destroying disease | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Shipwrecked Teenager Who Helped End Japan's Isolationist Era

Rescued by an American sea captain, Manjiro spent time abroad before returning home, where he was valued for his expertise but never fully trusted | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Comb Jellies May Be the World's Oldest Animal Group

A new study suggests that ancestors of comb jellies, not sponges, were the first to break off from the common ancestor of all animals | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Five Men Convicted in $100 Million Jewel Heist That Rocked Germany

The thieves who robbed Dresden's Green Vault in 2019 are members of the Remmo crime family | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Newly Discovered Exoplanet May Be Covered in Volcanoes

Astronomers found an Earth-sized world that could have liquid water on its surface and may be able to support life | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Airbnb Names the Top Trending Destinations for Summer 2023

From relaxing beach towns to historic European cities, these popular spots will soon be bustling with vacationers | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Scientists Can Now Pull Human DNA From Air and Water, Raising Privacy Questions

Environmental DNA helps monitor elusive and endangered animals, but it could be an ethical minefield when used with humans, new study shows | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Humanity’s First Recorded Kiss Was Earlier Than We Thought

Ancient texts suggest romantic smooching, and likely the diseases it transmitted, were widespread in Mesopotamia | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Humanity’s First Recorded Kiss Was Earlier Than We Thought

Ancient texts suggest romantic smooching, and likely the diseases it transmitted, were widespread in Mesopotamia | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Small Dog Wearing Red Bow Found Hidden in Picasso Painting

The Spanish painter decided against keeping the cute canine in the foreground of "Le Moulin de la Galette" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Readers Respond to the April/May 2023 Issue

Your feedback on wildfire prevention, Westminster Abbey and more | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Nearly 1,000 Years Old, This Text Shows the Ingenuity of Chinese Woodblock Printing

An 11th-century collection of aphorisms is a part of a new exhibition in California | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

A Cultural History of Barbie

Loved and loathed, the toy stirs fresh controversy at age 64 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Did Lions Live in Ancient Greece? And More Questions From Our Readers

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


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Myth of the 'Dark Ages' Ignores How Classical Traditions Flourished Around the World

The author of a sweeping re-examination of Western history reveals the global reach of Greek and Roman antiquity | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago