Gordon Lightfoot, Legendary Folk Musician, Dies at 84

The Canadian singer-songwriter is known for hits like "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Early Morning Rain" | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Scientists Reintroduce 5,000 Snails to French Polynesian Islands

The project's organizers say it's the largest-ever release of creatures that are extinct in the wild | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

New York's Natural History Museum Unveils a Canyon-Like New Wing

With butterflies, bugs and an atrium that looks like it's carved into rock, the Gilder Center will open its doors to the public on May 4 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Monument to Coretta Scott King Unveiled in Atlanta

Located at the King Center, the new memorial honors a legacy that's often overlooked | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

'Star Trek' Fans Can Now Virtually Tour Every Starship Enterprise Bridge

An interactive web portal explores the vessel's evolution over nearly six decades | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Climate Change Is Threatening Vineyards in Australia

Winemakers are looking for ways to adapt and grow fruit that's more resistant to heat and drought | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Gruesome Ways Volcanoes Kill Fish

Whether the eruption is underwater or on land, the creatures don’t have an easy time dealing with nature’s fury | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

A Not-So-Brief History of British Coronations

Ahead of Charles III’s ceremony, here's what you need to know about the origins and evolution of the centuries-old tradition | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

You Can Buy Freddie Mercury's Handwritten Lyrics, Costumes and More

More than 1,500 items once belonging to the famed British singer are going to auction | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

You Can Book Uber's Horse-Drawn Carriage Ahead of Charles III’s Coronation

One driver—and a team of four white horses—will be available in the days leading up to the ceremony | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

As Public Health Emergency Ends, CDC Will Stop Tracking Community Levels of Covid-19

The agency will continue to monitor cases of the virus based on hospitalizations and wastewater testing | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Twenty Endangered California Condors Die Amid Avian Flu Outbreak

Scientists fear the deaths could set back the slow-breeding birds' recovery by at least a decade | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Archaeologists Unearth Buddha Statue in Ancient Egyptian Port City

The new find sheds light on the rich trade relationship between Rome and India | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The World's Newest National Park Protects 550-Million-Year-Old Fossils

The 148,000-acre Nilpena Ediacara National Park in South Australia is helping scientists unravel the mysteries of life's evolution on Earth | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Now 90 Years Old, Willie Nelson Is Always on Our Mind

A look back at the life of the country music rebel, superstar, and elder statesman who is back on the road, again | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Why Nature-Based Therapy Is Gaining Traction Among Veterans

Spending time outdoors can reduce symptoms of depression and PTSD—growing concerns among service members | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Balto's DNA Provides a New Look at the Intrepid Sled Dog

Scientists sequenced the famous canine's genome as part of a larger project studying the genes of 240 mammal species | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Climate Activists Smear Paint on Degas Sculpture's Glass Case

Sitting beside "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen," the protesters urged Biden to declare a climate emergency | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Science of California's 'Super Bloom,' Visible From Space

The state's unusually wet winter provided the right conditions for dormant wildflower seeds to bloom all at once | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

First-of-Its-Kind Image Captures a Black Hole's Shooting Jet

The finding could help reveal how black holes launch such high-energy ejections | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Heirs of Jewish Art Dealers Move Forward With Years-Long Restitution Battle

For over a decade, they've argued that their ancestors were forced to sell valuable artifacts. Now, they're back in court with a new legal strategy | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

These Asian American Artists Merge Traditional Aesthetics with Contemporary Practices

Jewelers Reiko Ishiyama and Jeong Ju Lee redefine the “American Spirit” at the Smithsonian’s upcoming Craft Show | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Five Lighthouses Where You Can Be an Overnight Keeper

Programs from Massachusetts to Alaska allow volunteers to try their hand at the job | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

What We're Still Learning About Rosalind Franklin’s Unheralded Brilliance

Using new historical evidence, two scientists argue the female chemist was more involved in discovering DNA's structure than she got credit for | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How Judy Blume Redefined Girlhood

The first movie adaptation of "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret" arrives in theaters today | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

You Can Buy a Beautiful Uninhabited Scottish Island for $187,000

The 25-acre Barlocco Island has seabird colonies and stunning scenery—but no utilities or buildings | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

European Officials Trash Thousands of Brews in Dispute Over 'Champagne of Beers' Slogan

The word is typically reserved for sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Great Apes Love to Spin Around—Here's Why

A recent study suggests that apes, like humans, seek out altered mental states | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Cleveland Is Giving Away a Free Trip to See the 2024 Solar Eclipse

The city is within the 125-mile-wide path of totality and will experience a total eclipse for nearly four minutes on April 8, 2024 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

When Should I Get Another Covid Booster?

Here’s what you need to know about getting your next vaccine | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Widespread Auroras That Lit Skies This Week Are Getting More Common

The stunning colors that dazzled viewers on Sunday will appear again as the sun's activity builds to a peak in 2025 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Five Places Where You Can Still Find Gold in the United States

Lucky for you, these gold rush hot spots have not yet run their mining course | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Necropolis Near Parisian Train Station

Residents of Lutetia buried their dead at Saint-Jacques between the first and fourth centuries C.E. | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

This 39,600-Year-Old Bone May Have Been Used by Prehistoric Tailors

New research suggests early Homo sapiens punched holes in leather hides to create seams for clothing | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Archaeologists Discover Lost Roman Fort in Scotland

The new find marks the tenth such fort found in the area, once the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

First Lion Spotted in Chad National Park in 20 Years Is 'Beautiful' and 'Healthy'

A trail camera snapped a photograph of the lounging big cat, giving wildlife officials renewed hope about the species' recovery in West and Central Africa | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Descendants of Robert E. Lee and the Workers He Enslaved Join Hands in Racial Reconciliation

The Confederate general's Virginia home hosted families from all across the United States. | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Newborn Monk Seal Pup and Mother Get 24/7 Police Protection

Wildlife officials closed down a popular Hawaiian beach to protect the pair of endangered mammals | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

How You Can See Tens of Thousands of Fireflies Flash in Unison

The lottery for viewing these bioluminescent bugs at Great Smoky Mountains National Park opens Friday | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

See the First Detailed Close-Ups of Mars' Moon Deimos

A United Arab Emirates spacecraft took a high-resolution look at the mysterious moon and uncovered new evidence about its origin | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

When Deadly Steamboat Races Enthralled America

In July 1852, the "Henry Clay" caught fire during a contest on the Hudson River, killing an estimated 80 people | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

It Takes a Village to Save a Frog

A community in Ghana rallies to help the Togo slippery frog, an effort that benefits their own people and other endangered wildlife | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Searchers Find WWII Ship That Sank With More Than 1,000 Allied POWs Aboard

Unaware that the "Montevideo Maru" was transporting prisoners, an American submarine torpedoed the Japanese ship in 1942 | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Scientists Are Making Drones From Taxidermy Birds

They want to use the devices for less disruptive wildlife monitoring and to learn more about avian flight | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

American Library Association Names 2022’s Most Banned Books

As book censorship soared, titles with LGBTQ themes were the most targeted | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

The Pacific Garbage Patch Is Home to Coastal Species—in the Middle of the Ocean

These out-of-place organisms are thriving on floating trash, but they may compete with open-water species | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Harry Belafonte, Groundbreaking Singer, Songwriter and Activist, Dies at 96

A Smithsonian curator reviews Belafonte’s legacy, from breaking racial barriers in the entertainment industry to 70 years of civil rights activism | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago

Elephant Seals Take Extreme Power Naps in the Open Ocean

While foraging on deep dives, the marine mammals sleep for about two hours per day in short, ten-minute bursts | Continue reading


@smithsonianmag.com | 1 year ago