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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.
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
Oil Pipeline Spills Heavy Crude in Arkansas
More than 12,000 barrels of oil spilled on Mayflower, Ark.
April 01, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Events April 2-4: Native Sousa Music, Free Art Lessons and Gerhard Richter
This week, learn about a little-known Native American musical tradition, make something creative and see a world-class painter in action
April 01, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Has Gettysburg Kicked Its Kitsch Factor?
Historian Tony Horwitz travels to the Civil War battlefield and finds that even where time is frozen, it’s undergone welcome changes
April 2013 |
By Tony Horwitz
When an Iceberg Melts, Who Owns the Riches Beneath the Ocean?
The promise of oil has heated up a global argument over the Arctic’s true borders
April 2013 |
By Amy Crawford
The Joys and Dangers of Exploring Africa on the Back of an Elephant
Renowned travel writer Paul Theroux journeys through Botswana’s spectacular, wildlife-rich wetlands
April 2013 |
By Paul Theroux
How Much Water Is in a Cloud and More Questions From Our Readers
Imaginary numbers, Roy Lichtenstein and much much more
April 2013 |
By Smithsonian magazine
