Innovation

Rising global temperatures may make many cities too warm to host the Winter Games in the future.

The Beijing Winter Olympics

In a World Striving To Cut Carbon Emissions, Do the Olympics Make Sense?

Perhaps there is still a case for the greenhouse-gas gushing games if host cities amplify their efforts to showcase green tech and innovations

Here's How a Mercedes-AMG V8 Engine Is Built

Each Mercedes-AMG GT engine is put together by one person, not by an assembly line. In total, it takes that person 11 steps, and approximately three hours

The home bioreactor in its intended environment. It also provides light for herbs.

In the Future, Will We Be Growing Fruit in Home Bioreactors?

A team of molecular biologists wants you to forget about strawberries and, instead, take "cell jam" for a whirl

Urban Thinkspace in Philadelphia

Weaving Games and Puzzles Into the Fabric of a City

To encourage playful learning, Urban Thinkspace and other projects put miniature playgrounds along the paths kids travel

Hilleman's one-year-old daughter Kirsten (center, with her sister Jeryl Lynn and Dr. Robert Weibel) became the first to receive the mumps vaccine.

The Next Pandemic

You Should Thank Maurice Hilleman for Helping You Live Past the Age of 10

A new Smithsonian podcast tells the story of the “Greatest Scientist of the 20th Century”

How Engine Placement Gives This Mercedes-AMG Its Edge

The secret to the high performance of the Mercedes-AMG is the placement of the front end engine: right behind the axle

Could drone delivery help the environment?

Future of Energy

Is Drone Delivery Good for the Environment?

Reducing the need for trucking by delivering some packages with electric drones could save fuel, and potentially carbon emissions. But how much?

Test tubes hold users' DNA samples, taken from cheek swabs.

The Dubious Science of Genetics-Based Dating

Is love really just a cheek swab away?

Spot co-founders hope that the current cultural reckoning with issues of harassment will spur employers to take these problems seriously.

This AI Bot Fights Workplace Harassment

A new app, Spot, uses AI to help harassment and discrimination victims create and file reports without having to talk to a human

A Kenyan farmer using the fertilizer in his fields.

How Climate Change is Fueling Innovation in Kenya

A new generation of start ups are working to help farmers in a region that faces myriad challenges

Winter Olympics

What Reddit Can Tell Us About the Afterlives of Banned Olympic Drugs

We analyzed 150,000 comments to find that the Internet is still openly discussing these mind-bending stimulants

A South Korean athlete receives acupuncture treatment

Winter Olympics

When Treating Sports Injuries, Does the West Do It Best?

As the Olympics kick off in South Korea, two radically different approaches to training and treating athletes will be on display

The Olympic Flame was lit from the sun's rays using a parabolic mirror, during the final dress rehearsal for the lighting ceremony at Ancient Olympia, in southwestern Greece, on Monday, Oct. 23, 2017.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Your Burning Questions About the Olympic Torch, Answered

Curious minds will want to know that the blaze is lit not with matches or a lighter, but using a method that dates to Ancient Greece

Times Square traffic jam

Should U.S. Cities Use Congestion Pricing To Ease Traffic?

New York may soon charge a fee to drive into central Manhattan as a way of reducing traffic and raising funds for public transit

Grazing sheep on solar farms can be a win-win for the energy and agricultural industries.

Future of Energy

There's a New Job in the Solar Industry

And it involves shepherding a landscaping crew of hungry sheep

Skiing robots will race in a sideline competition.

Winter Olympics

Meet the Robots of the 2018 Olympics

The Pyeongchang games will have bots to clean, dance, serve drinks, provide translation and more

Jim Martinson using his sit ski at Crystal Mountain Resort, Washington

Winter Olympics

The Unbreakable Spirit of American Paralympians Is Embodied in These Artifacts

Smithsonian’s Sports History collections honor the indomitable innovators of the Paralympic community

Genetic testing is opening up new ethical questions for parents.

Ask Smithsonian

Now You Can Genetically Test Your Child For Disease Risks. Should You?

Genomics is cheaper and more available then ever, but its usefulness for parents has yet to be proven

Video games can help train the brain to hear better.

Can a Video Game Train You To Hear Better In a Crowded Room?

A new study finds it's possible to teach the brain to better distinguish between speech and background noise

Staff from nearly every major museum in the world has visited CMA to study how they might incorporate digital.

The Cleveland Museum of Art Wants You To Play With Its Art

The digital-savvy museum is using more than a dozen interactive games to collect data on how visitors digest artwork

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