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People & Places
Wildlife Trafficking
A reporter follows the lucrative, illicit and heartrending trade in stolen wild animals deep into Ecuador's rain forest
By Charles Bergman
Arts & Culture
Norman Rockwell's Neighborhood
A new book offers a revealing look at how the artist created his homey illustrations for The Saturday Evening Post
By Richard B. Woodward
Arts & Culture
A Coral Reef's Mass Spawning
Understanding how corals reproduce is critical to their survival; Smithsonian's Nancy Knowlton investigates the annual event
By Megan Gambino
Travel
Savoring Puebla
Mexico's "City of Angels" is home to gilded churches, artistic treasures and a delectable culinary culture
By Francine Prose
Arts & Culture
Artists' Homemade Christmas Cards
A new exhibition of seasonal greetings from artists such as Alexander Calder and Philip Guston celebrates the handmade holiday card
By Abby Callard
History & Archaeology
The Mystery of Bosnia's Ancient Pyramids
An amateur archaeologist says he's discovered the world's oldest pyramids in the Balkans. But many experts remain dubious
By Colin Woodard
Arts & Culture
The Glorious History of Handel's Messiah
A musical rite of the holiday season, the Baroque-era oratorio still awes listeners 250 years after the composer's death
By Jonathan Kandell
Arts & Culture
Q and A: William Wiley
For over 50 years, the artist has approached serious topics with wit and a sense of the absurd
By Abby Callard
Science & Nature
Wild Things:
Life as We Know It
Butterfly GPS, glowing mushrooms, bat-hunting songbirds and more
By Amanda Bensen, Abby Callard, T.A. Frail, Abigail Tucker and Sarah Zielinski
Science & Nature
Crawling Around with Baltimore Street Rats
The “urban ecosystem” serves as a research lab for scientist Gregory Glass, who studies the lives of the Charm City’s rats
By Abigail Tucker
History & Archaeology
Ten Notable Apocalypses That (Obviously) Didn’t Happen
Apocalyptic predictions, such as those warning of global destruction in 2012, are nothing new – they have been around for millennia
By Mark Strauss
History & Archaeology
Memoirs of a World War II Buffalo Soldier
In a recently published memoir written over 60 years ago, veteran James Daugherty details his experiences as an African-American in combat
By Abby Callard
History & Archaeology
Nan Madol: The City Built on Coral Reefs
One of the oldest archaeological sites not on a heritage list, this Pacific state, like Easter Island, is an engineering marvel
By Christopher Pala
Arts & Culture
Man Ray’s Signature Work
Artist Man Ray mischievously scribbled his name in a famous photograph, but it took decades for the gesture to be discovered
By Abby Callard
Science & Nature
Evolution in the Deepest River in the World
New species are born in the turbulence of the Congo River
By Kyle Dickman
Think Fast
What is the most expensive painting ever publicly sold?
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Smithsonian Videos
How Coral Reefs Spawn
Watch coral reefs reproduce in a flurry of carefully-timed action
Flipping Out Over Pinball
David Silverman has collected more than 800 pinball machines to preserve their history
Baby Talk from a Rhesus Macaque
Watch how a mother rhesus makes funny faces to her infant child
Sing Along to the Messiah
The story within Handel's famous piece is what drives its enduring popularity
The Residents of Arlington Cemetery
While President Kennedy may be one of the best known gravesites in Arlington, there are many other notable Americans buried there
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6th Annual Smithsonian Photo Contest Winners
Out of more than 17,000 entries contributed from around the world, Smithsonian and its readers select the year's best
Where to Live Next: Smithsonian's Guide to Cultured Retirement
With the baby boomer generation preparing to retire, which cities offer the best in culture, lifestyle, dining and entertainment?
The Magellanic Penguins of Punta Tombo
On a tiny peninsula in southern Argentina, nearly 400,000 penguins gather to breed and usher in a new generation of their species
Frontiers of Science
Smithsonian spotlights the men and women who are breaking new ground in the fields of science and technology
Celebrating American Indian Heritage
Sitting Bull's legacy, Native American languages, a national list of events and more
What Is Your Dream Travel Destination?
Six extraordinary writers picked their dream travel assignments. Where would you go if you could travel anywhere in the world?
Your Kind of Town
What makes your city, suburb or small town special? Share a favorite memory or anecdote about your hometown
15 Must-See Endangered Cultural Sites
Some of the world's most precious and historic sites can be visited today—but might be gone tomorrow
Object at Hand: Smithsonian.com's Favorite Things
As the magazine's Object at Hand column turns 20, we look back on some of the treasures inside the Smithsonian Institution
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