Articles

For the first time in human history the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has reached 400 parts per million.

A Friendly Reminder From Pretty Much Every Climate Scientist in the World: Climate Change Is Real

Yes, climate change is real. Yes, we are causing it.

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Where’d You Get Those Creepers?

The platform-soled, punk-style shoes have celebrated the 'Teddy Boy' spirit since the late 1940s

Lillian Gish played a girl haunted by the wind of the western prairies in the 1928 silent film The Wind. On Sunday, see the film set to a live piano concert at the American Art Museum.

Events May 17-19: Art Conservation, Japanese Pouch-books and a “Cineconcert”

This weekend, learn what it takes to conserve great modern art, make your own ancient Japanese book and see a movie and a concert at the same time

The invasive Spanish slug, one of the worst alien pests in Europe, is naturally repelled by ecosystems if soils house a healthy population of earthworms, new research suggests.

Earthworms in Your Garden May Help Prevent Invasive Slugs from Devouring Plants

In the lab, the presence of earthworms can reduce the number of leaves damaged by slugs by 60 percent, a new study finds

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The National Automated Highway System That Almost Was

In 1991, Congress authorized $650 million to develop the technology that would make driverless cars a reality

The Hubble Space Telescope

A U.S. Spy Agency’s Leftover, Hubble-Sized Satellite Could Be on Its Way to Mars

What do you do with a spare world-class satellite?

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When Heineken Bottles Were Square

In 1963, Alfred Heineken created a beer bottle that could also function as a brick to build houses in impoverished countries.

Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine in the 2013 ‘Star Trek Into Darkness.’

Air and Space Curator Margaret Weitekamp Explains Why ‘Star Trek’ Matters

With the release of the 12th Star Trek film, curator Margaret Weitekamp explains why the franchise is so influential

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When F. Scott Fitzgerald Judged Gatsby By Its Cover

A surprising examination of the original book jacket art to The Great Gatsby

The shelled sea butterfly Hyalocylis striata can be found in the warm surface waters of the ocean around the world.

Amazing Sea Butterflies Are the Ocean’s Canary in the Coal Mine

These delicate and stunning creatures are offering Smithsonian scientists a warning sign for the world's waters turning more acidic

Workers examine remains at a mass grave in eastern Bosnia in 2004.

Buried Pig Bodies Help Scientists Refine Search Methods for Mass Graves

Currently, the science of detecting mass graves is hit or miss, though the remains of thousands of missing persons may be stashed in clandestine graves

Angelina Jolie’s Double Mastectomy Choice Increasingly Common, Still Medically Murky

Angelina Jolie's choice to remove breasts is part of a larger trend - but doctors aren't sure why it's more popular now than ever, or whether it should be

Gil Goldstein and Bobby McFerrin

Gil Goldstein and Bobby McFerrin’s New Project at the Kennedy Center

Gil Goldstein lends an experienced hand to Bobby McFerrin's new concert series and recording project that honors familiar spirituals with a new spirit

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Solving an Alligator Mystery May Help Humans Regrow Lost Teeth

A gator can replace all of its teeth up to 50 times--learning what triggers these new teeth to grow may someday keep us from needing dentures

A tabletop laden with goodies showcases the nut culture of the French Périgord, where locals make cheese, bread, oil and liqueur using the area’s walnuts.

Five Ways to Enjoy a Walnut

In France's Périgord region, never mind the truffles, foie gras and wine--at least for a day--because this country is ground zero of the noble walnut

Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii. 1995. Nam June Paik.

Events May 14-16: New Research, Old Films and Live Jazz

This week, hear the latest from the brains at the Smithsonian, dissect the great Nam June Paik's video legacy and relax with live music

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Slave Cabin Set to Become Centerpiece of New Smithsonian Museum

A slave cabin from a South Carolina plantation is being shipped to the new National Museum of African American History and Culture

3-D Printed Gun Plans Are Going to Be on the Internet, Whatever the State Department Says

Periodical cicadas, like the one pictured above, have missed a lot of news about insects since they last appeared.

Leaproaches, Mutant Butterflies and Other Insect News That the 17-Year Cicadas Missed

Since 1996, scientists have found the oldest fossil insect, the largest living bug, a new taxonomic order and more

Barns Are Painted Red Because of the Physics of Dying Stars

Have you ever noticed that almost every barn you have ever seen is red? Here's why.

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