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Ethiopia Monkey Geladas

Science & Nature

Ethiopia's Exotic Monkeys

High in the Simien Mountains, researchers are getting a close-up look at the exotic, socially adventuresome primates known as geladas
By Abigail Tucker

indian

People & Places

Celebrating American Indian Heritage

Sitting Bull's legacy, Native American languages, a national list of events and more

Graf Zeppelin Christmas letter

Arts & Culture

Holiday Delivery From the Graf Zeppelin

In 1934, a zeppelin originating in Germany and bound for Brazil carried a cargo of Christmas cheer
By Owen Edwards

Waldseemuller Map

History & Archaeology

The Waldseemüller Map: Charting the New World

Two obscure 16th-century German scholars named the American continent and changed the way people thought about the world
By Toby Lester

Ecuador wilderness animal trade

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

Norman Rockwell The Runaway

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

Stardust encounter with comet

Science & Nature

The Secrets Within Cosmic Dust

Dust captured by a spacecraft from a comet's tail holds clues to the origin of the solar system
By Robert Irion

Nancy Knowlton coral spawning

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

William T Wiley

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

Semir Osmanagic

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

Lower Congo River

Science & Nature

Evolution in the Deepest River in the World

New species are born in the turbulence of the Congo River
By Kyle Dickman

Nan Madol

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

Baltimore street rats

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

The End Is Near Apocalypse

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

Man Ray

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

Think Fast

True of False: The man who predicted Halley's Comet would appear in 1758 lived to see it.


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