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Latest Features

Rosy cheeks and warm garments are reasons to smile for this mother-daughter duo.

ARTS & CULTURE

Celebrate Moms This Sunday and Everyday With Moving Photos of Motherhood

That Mary consigned some 280 Protestants to the flames is both indisputable and indefensible. But as historians have increasingly argued, this number is just one element of a much larger story that warrants contextualization.

HISTORY

The Myth of 'Bloody Mary,' England's First Queen

In the late 1960s, Bob Paine described the Pisaster sea star as a “keystone species” in Pacific Northwest tide pools. The concept has since taken on a life of its own.

SCIENCE

Has the Term 'Keystone Species' Lost Its Meaning?

Bruce McCandless floats freely in space with Earth 170 miles beneath him.

SCIENCE

The Inside Story of the First Untethered Spacewalk

The London National Gallery will celebrate its 200th birthday on May 10, 2024.

HISTORY

At 200 Years Old, the London National Gallery Is Redefining What It Means to Be a 'National' Museum

A bat clings to the roof of an abandoned cellar—an unlikely but vital habitat type for Europe’s bats.

SCIENCE

How a Fantastical Labyrinth Became a Crucial Habitat for Europe’s Bats

The Old Lahaina Courthouse was destroyed in a wildfire on August 11, 2023.

INNOVATION

University Students in Hawaii Use Cutting-Edge Technology to Digitally Restore Historic Buildings Damaged by Maui Wildfires

The wreck of the Isabella and Newton Providence camp, as shown in Charles Barnard's narrative of his experiences in the Falklands, 1829

HISTORY

Why the Wartime Rescue of the Survivors of a British Shipwreck Ended in Betrayal

Current Issue

Smithsonian magazine April/May 2024 issue cover

Most Popular

1.

Smart News

This Ship Mysteriously Vanished 115 Years Ago. Now, It's Been Found at the Bottom of Lake Superior

Nobody knew what happened to the "Adella Shores," which disappeared with 14 crew members aboard in 1909

2.

Smart News

Chicago Museum Unveils the 'Most Important Fossil Ever Discovered': the Feathered Dinosaur Archaeopteryx

Archaeopteryx provided the missing link between dinosaurs and the avians of today, serving as critical evidence for Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution

3.

At the Smithsonian

How Engineers Created a Flying 'Star Wars' X-Wing

The starfighter-outfitted drone was the first remotely piloted aircraft of its kind and size approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for public demonstration

4.

Smart News

Scientists Discover a 'Phonetic Alphabet' Used by Sperm Whales, Moving One Step Closer to Decoding Their Chatter

Researchers used artificial intelligence to spot patterns in recordings of the marine mammals' vocalizations, uncovering the "building blocks of whale language"

5.

Smart News

Hallucinogenic Plant Unearthed Beneath an Ancient Maya Ball Court

Researchers have found evidence of a nearly 2,000-year-old ceremonial offering at the site in present-day Mexico

Smithsonian Voices
National Museum of American History

A Mother’s Day Tribute in Six Objects From American History

National Air and Space Museum

Where to See World War II Aircraft Up Close

National Museum of American History

Anna May Wong's Long Journey From Hollywood to the Smithsonian

Smithsonian Education

13 Innovative Programs That Invite Early Learners to Explore the Smithsonian

National Museum of Natural History

Celebrate Cellphones, Birds and Old Jazz Favorites at the National Museum of Natural History this May and June

National Museum of the American Indian

Connecting Community and Collections

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Special Report
Lofoten Islands, Norway

Northern Europe and the British Isles

Explore the region's history, culture and natural wonders

View Full Report

Featured Stories

The English Farmers Who Harvest Rhubarb by Candlelight

Hoyma Is Bringing Music Home in the Faroe Islands

Get an Eyeful of Iceland in These 15 Photos That Capture Its Natural Beauty

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Photo of the day

Love, care and concern are the three common emotions found in every parent. In nature, the sweetness of relationships between parents and child is not restricted in the human world only, it is eternal and present in the animal world too. The mother-infant relationship in non-human primates is longer-lasting and more intense than it is in most other mammals. One reason for this is that the physical association between primate mothers and infants is very close. Infants cling to their mothers’ bodies almost constantly for at least the first few months of life. The mother provides the infant with food, warmth, transportation and protection. Compared to other mammals of similar size, primates have a long period of immaturity. They have relatively few innate behaviour patterns and must learn to cope successfully with the physical and social world. This learning occurs in the protected setting of a social group and is mediated by the mother-infant relationship. Parental Control

History

Alicia Vikander as Catherine Parr in Firebrand, an upcoming film from director Karim Aïnouz

Watch the Trailer for 'Firebrand,' a New Drama About Henry VIII's Sixth Wife, Catherine Parr

Karim Aïnouz’s film features Alicia Vikander and Jude Law as the Tudor queen and king

The London National Gallery will celebrate its 200th birthday on May 10, 2024.

At 200 Years Old, the London National Gallery Is Redefining What It Means to Be a 'National' Museum

The wreck of the Isabella and Newton Providence camp, as shown in Charles Barnard's narrative of his experiences in the Falklands, 1829

Why the Wartime Rescue of the Survivors of a British Shipwreck Ended in Betrayal

Science

Bruce McCandless floats freely in space with Earth 170 miles beneath him.

The Inside Story of the First Untethered Spacewalk

On February 7, 1984, astronaut Bruce McCandless ventured out into space and away from shuttle Challenger using only a nitrogen-propelled, hand-controlled backpack

A bat clings to the roof of an abandoned cellar—an unlikely but vital habitat type for Europe’s bats.

How a Fantastical Labyrinth Became a Crucial Habitat for Europe’s Bats

Exceeding 50 feet in length, Mosasaurus hoffmannii was among the largest mosasaurs.

Massive Mosasaurs May Have Evolved More Than Once

Innovation

The Old Lahaina Courthouse was destroyed in a wildfire on August 11, 2023.

University Students in Hawaii Use Cutting-Edge Technology to Digitally Restore Historic Buildings Damaged by Maui Wildfires

A new course at University of Hawaii at Manoa rethinks historic preservation, having enrollees design digital twins of notable structures so that people can experience them virtually

A number of people deserve credit for the birth of the Pop-Tart.

The Contentious History of the Pop-Tart

Two X-wing CAVs flew over the opening ceremony of an attraction at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World Resort in December 2019. 

How Engineers Created a Flying 'Star Wars' X-Wing

Arts & Culture

American video artist Brian Fridge created a five-billboard series in Dallas called View Finder that portrayed a solar eclipse.

The Long History of Art Inspired by Solar Eclipses

For centuries, curious artists have been trying to make sense of the celestial event

An oak peacock moth lands on a window behind dancing wedding guests, illuminated in red light. This photograph won the category for butterflies and dragonflies.

See 11 Winning Images From the Close-Up Photographer of the Year Awards

The latest winner of a Japanese literary prize said she used ChatGPT to write parts of her novel.

ChatGPT Helped Write This Award-Winning Japanese Novel

Travel

More than 1,000 sea lions gathered at San Francisco's Pier 39 last week, marking the largest congregation of the marine mammals at the city's Fisherman's Wharf in about 15 years.

More Than 1,000 Sea Lions Gather at San Francisco's Pier 39, the Largest Group in 15 Years

The pinnipeds came to the area to feed on anchovies and herring as they prepare for breeding season

Close-up showing the Archaeopteryx fossil’s skull, neck, spine, rib cage and wing bones. The fossil will go on view at Chicago's Field Museum on May 7.

Chicago Museum Unveils the 'Most Important Fossil Ever Discovered': the Feathered Dinosaur Archaeopteryx

The Campfire Hotel—a revamped 100-room motel lodge tucked away in Bend, Oregon's industrial stretch—first opened in October 2020.

Across the United States, Vintage Motels Are Being Imagined for Modern Times

At the Smithsonian

Two X-wing CAVs flew over the opening ceremony of an attraction at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World Resort in December 2019. 

How Engineers Created a Flying 'Star Wars' X-Wing

The starfighter-outfitted drone was the first remotely piloted aircraft of its kind and size approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for public demonstration

Do Ho Suh's Public Figures is the first new sculpture to be displayed in front of the National Museum of Asian Art in over three decades.

Take a Closer Look at a Surprising New Sculpture That Rethinks Who We Put on a Pedestal

The Ghost of a Fisherman, Tsukioka Kogyo, woodblock print, 1899

Why Images of Ghosts Have Endured in Japan for Centuries