Location
Outer Space, our solar system and Earth’s geography, geology and human environmentDiscover Smithsonian articles by place—including Earth, the solar system and outer space.
Pay No Attention to the Spies on the 23rd Floor
For years, the KGB secretly spied on visitors to the Hotel Viru in Estonia. A new museum reveals the fascinating time capsule and all the secrets within
April 09, 2013 |
By Andrew Curry
Going the Distance on the Pacific Crest Trail
One of America's great long-distance hiking trails, the PCT meanders 2,650 miles through three states, from Campo, California, to E.C. Manning Provincial Park, in British Columbia
April 08, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Thieves Break Into Safe to Steal $3 Million Worth of Rhino Horns
Right now the going rate for rhino horn (just about $30,000 a pound) is higher than for gold
April 08, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher Dies at Age 87
Margaret Tatcher, former Prime Minister of Great Britain and first woman to lead a Western power, died today at the age of 87
April 08, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Wildlife Managers Are Poisoning Rhino Horns to Stop People From Eating Them
The poison, a mix of parasiticides and pink dye, now fills more than 100 rhinos' horns
April 05, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Kolaches: The Next Big Thing in Pastries and The Tex-Czech Community Behind Them
Rural Czech communities in Texas have been enjoying the buttery pastry for more than a century, now homesick Texans bring kolaches to the rest of us
April 05, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Whether Monkey or Human, Middle Managers Are the Most Stressed Out
While monkeys and humans may lead very different lives, the way both species' middle-rankers suffer and deal with stress is not so different
April 04, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Celebrate Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month By Reporting These Horrifying Species
April 1st marks the beginning of Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month, but how does somebody celebrate?
April 04, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Events April 5-7: Japanese Art, Poetry Month and African-American Architects
This week, experience Japanese design, celebrate poetry with your family and learn about African Americans' roles in shaping Washington, DC's architecture
April 04, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
One of Napoleon’s Generals Was More Interested in Gathering Beetles Than Fighting at Waterloo
When he died in 1845, Count Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean owned the largest personal beetle collection in the world
April 04, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
What Should Be Done With Yachak, the Cattle-Killing Bear of the Andes
Conservationists and ranchers in Ecuador struggle to make peace while an elusive spectacled bear feasts on valuable livestock
April 04, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
This Picture of Boston, Circa 1860, Is the World’s Oldest Surviving Aerial Photo
A sight from 2,000 feet, a view of 1860s Boston
April 03, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
How to Tour the World’s Greatest Science Labs
Around the globe, physics and astronomy labs—some on mountaintops, others underground—welcome visitors to tour the premises
April 03, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
When New York City Tamed the Feared Gunslinger Bat Masterson
The lawman had a reputation to protect—but that reputation shifted after he moved East
April 03, 2013 |
By Gilbert King
This Board Game Is Designed For People to Play 2,700 Years Into the Future
That is assuming, of course, that humans manage to stick around in time for the big unveiling event
April 03, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
America May Be the World’s Top Exporter of Sperm
The United States may be the world's largest exporter of sperm
April 02, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Meditation May Make You Nicer
Around 50 percent of people who recently meditated gave up their seat for a person in crutches compared to just 15 percent of people who had not meditated
April 02, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
A Georgia Town Is Requiring Gun Ownership. So Did the Founding Fathers.
A Georgia town may have just mandated gun ownership, but early Americans had the same idea back in 1792
April 02, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
What Is the BRAIN Initiative, Anyway?
The Obama administration hopes to do for brains what the Human Genome Project did for genetics
April 02, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Now Poachers Are Sawing Off Elephant Tusks in Museums
A plague of rhino horn and elephant tusk thefts to feed the wildlife black market continues in museums across Europe
April 02, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
