Helen Thompson

Helen Thompson

 

Helen Thompson writes about science and culture for Smithsonian. She's previously written for NPR, National Geographic News, Nature and others.

Jobs holds up an iPhone 4 at a tech conference in 2010.

Steve Jobs is About to Get His Own Opera

But will it include a singing Woz?

Alpine cows near Berne, Switzerland.

Swiss Troops Stormed France in the Name of Cheese (and Cows)

Thirsty cows + torrid heat = trouble between nations

Corythomantis greeningi frogs carry potent venom in their pouts.

What’s the Difference Between Poisonous and Venomous Animals?

The first known venomous frogs, discovered in Brazil, raise some basic questions about toxic biology

Aldrin was became the second human to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

Astronauts Fill Out Customs Forms, Too

Read Buzz Aldrin's expense report and customs form from his Apollo 11 mission to the moon

Giovanni Stanchi (Rome c. 1645-1672). Oil on canvas, 38 5/8 x 52½ in.

This Renaissance Painting of Fruit Holds a Modern-Day Science Lesson

Hint: it's in the watermelon

Teen Schools Professor on "No Irish Need Apply" Signs

Armed with a Google search and a theory, a 14-year-old enters the fray on a longstanding historical debate

A vintage Antonov An-2 in Poland.

North Korea's Military Still Uses Stealth Planes From the 1940s

The An-2 can hover and fly backwards

U.S. Marines search for Haitian rebels in 1919.

The United States Once Invaded and Occupied Haiti

In 1915, American troops began a 19-year, unofficial occupation of the Caribbean nation

The Science Behind Dogs' Goofy Greetings

Why do dogs go nuts when their owners get home? The answers lie in their DNA and brains

This Robotic Insect Can Jump on Water

Why? Because it’s cool

Maine Brewers Are Selling Lobster-Infused Beer

Because of course they are

The 7 Line is currently undergoing a system upgrade from one that was installed in the 1930s to one run by computers.

NYC Subway Technology Goes Way Back...to the 1930s

America's busiest subway system relies on vintage machines

Philae snapped this image of 67P over a mile from the comet's surface.

Philae Proves There's More to Comets Than Dust and Ice

The lander found organic compounds on comet 67P

Nabiré had a chronic problem with uterine cysts, and the one that killed her was inoperable.

Only Four Northern White Rhinos Are Left on Earth

One of the species' last females died this week

70 Years Ago, a B-25 Bomber Crashed Into the Empire State Building

14 people died in the accident

Dario, an eight-year-old Colombian boy who lost his arm due to a congenital malformation, tests out Torres' prosthetic arm design.

Kids Can Build Their Own Lego Prosthetics

Prototype system brings a bit of fun to prosthetics

Serpentine columbine may use dead bugs to lure in spiders to do its dirty work, researchers report.

This Plant Murders Bugs and Decorates Itself With Their Dead Bodies

Talk about a roundabout defense strategy

In Mexico, a Gritty Neighborhood Has Become a 65,000-Square-Foot Mural

A hillside in Pachuca gets a psychedelic makeover

Pluto may be home to a hazy atmosphere, nitrogen glaciers and possibly even an underground ocean.

There's Flowing Ice on Pluto

And maybe an underground ocean

A stone etching on the grave of crewmember Lt. John Irving depicts the dire conditions that the Franklin expedition faced when they reached the Canadian Arctic.

Franklin’s Doomed Arctic Expedition Ended in Gruesome Cannibalism

New bone analysis suggests crew resorted to eating flesh, then marrow

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