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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.
Archaeologists Found a Mysterious, Dense Cluster of 35 Pyramids in Sudan
The pyramids hail back to the days of the kingdom of Kush, which occurred around 2,000 years ago
February 08, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
How to Revive a Lost Language
By the year 2100, the human race will have lost about 50% of the languages alive today. Every fourteen days a language dies. There are some success stories though
February 08, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
At 62, the Oldest Bird in the World Is Still Hatching Chicks
Wisdom the 62 year-old albatross just hatched what is thought to be her 30 to 35th chick
February 07, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Whooping Cough Is Making a Comeback, And This New Vaccine-Resistant Strain Won’t Help
Across the United States cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, are on the rise. Named for the “deep “whooping” sound [that] is often heard when the patient tries to take a breath,” says the U.S. National Library of Medicine, this bacterial infection can cause fever, difficulty breathing, and bouts of awful coughing that can last [...]
February 07, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Bike, Bark, Bite, Blood: The Perils of Cycling in Rabies Country
An unfortunate run in with a mutt in Ecuador turned into a trip to the doctor's to be treated for rabies, a surprisingly fatal disease
February 07, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Photo of the Week: Eclipsed Sunset
Photo contest contestant Colleen Pinski captured an onlooker witnessing the annular solar eclipse as the sun sets on May 20, 2012
February 07, 2013 |
By Colleen Pinski
New Photos Show Stars on the Brink of Death and the Precipice of Life
Haunting images of spiral galaxy M106 and the stellar nursery of the Orion nebula capture the life cycle of stars
February 06, 2013 |
By Mohi Kumar
Women Are Awesome at Science, But Not So Much in the U.S.
Science savvy female teens in Asia, east and south Europe and the Middle East outperform males in science aptitude, but the opposite is true in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe
February 06, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Monopoly Fans Have Spoken: Cats Are In, Irons Are Out
As Hasbro welcomes the sleek, new silver kitty, it bids farewell to the age-old iron
February 06, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Sorry, Malcolm Gladwell: NYC’s Drop in Crime Not Due to Broken Window Theory
We have no idea why crime dropped, but it had nothing to do with broken windows or police strategy
February 06, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
A Football Team With No One to Play Against
Listen closely around the public parks of Quito, Ecuador, and you just might hear that familiar sound: "Hut hut hike!"
February 06, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
The Iditarod Is Being Threatened by Warm Temperatures
A lack of snow is affecting the annual Iditarod sled dog race
February 06, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Parisian Women Legally Allowed to Wear Pants for the First Time in 200 Years
On January 31, France's minister of women's rights made if officially impossible to arrest a woman for wearing pants in Paris
February 05, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
This Drone Can Fit In Your Palm
The Black Hornet currently rank as the world's smallest military-grade spy drone, weighing just 16 grams and measuring at 4 inches long
February 05, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Colorful Kindergarten Lessons Throw Color-Blind Kids Off Their Game
Think back to kindergarten, sitting on your carpet square, with the days of the weeks on the wall coloring in some dinosaur in crayons. Now try to imagine doing kindergarten while color blind
February 05, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
“Earth-Like” Exoplanets May Actually Be Mini-Neptunes
Many newly discovered exoplanets may not be able to shed their dense hydrogen atmospheres, making them unsuitable for life
February 05, 2013 |
By Mohi Kumar
Medics May Be Able to Save Soldiers by Injecting Foam Into Gut Wounds
Internal bleeding on the battlefield often proves deadly for soldiers hit by bullets or shrapnel, but a new foam injected into soldiers' abdomens could save lives
February 04, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Why Did the Lights Go Out in the Superdome?
What actually caused the power outage in the 73,000 seat Superdome? Well, it's unclear
February 04, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Rise and Fall of Nikola Tesla and his Tower
The inventor's vision of a global wireless-transmission tower proved to be his undoing
February 04, 2013 |
By Gilbert King
Searching for the Russian Loch Ness Monster in a Frozen Siberian Lake
In a record-breaking dive, the head of the Russian Geographical Society sunk to the bottom of Lake Labynkyr in Siberia, one of the coldest lakes in the world
February 04, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
