Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Nature

Cool Finds

Murder Most Fowl: Forensic Scan Shows the Legendary Oxford Dodo Was Shot

Micro-CT scans shows lead scattered across the back of the skull of what is believed to be the taxidermied remains of the dodo brought to Britain

View of two farmers checking the corpses of dead sheep on a farm ranch near the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.

How the Death of 6,000 Sheep Spurred the American Debate on Chemical Weapons

The Dugway sheep incident of March 1968 made visible the military’s covert attempts to test and stockpile millions of dollars worth of chemical weapons

A new study reveals how Walden Pond has dramatically changed thanks to human activity.

Humans Have Wreaked Havoc on Walden Pond

A new study details the intensity of the damage to this beloved location

None

American South

This Is the Best Place in North America to See Synchronous Fireflies

Congaree National Park is accessible and doesn’t have a lottery system

Discover South Dakota’s Wild Side

In South Dakota, every route is a scenic route

Thismia neptunis

Cool Finds

After 150 Years, This Bizarre Plant Was Rediscovered in Malaysia

Thismia neptunis spends most of its life underground, only making a rare appearance to bloom

After Audubon's health began to fail, his family completed the project, producing the color plates in installments for about 300 subscribers.

The Fantastic Beasts of John James Audubon’s Little-Known Book on Mammals

The American naturalist spent the last years of his life cataloguing America’s four-legged creatures

A male peacock spider, Maratus robinsoni

New Research

How Peacock Spiders Make Rainbows on Their Backsides

The adorable arachnids use specialized scales to break light into its component colors to produce some of nature’s tiniest rainbows

Kogod Courtyard, Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery

Happy Holidays! The Smithsonian is Closed on Christmas Day

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ on the National Mall

Grizzly bears are a common sight in the park.

Photos Offer a Glimpse Into the Wild Corners of America’s Northernmost National Park

In his upcoming book, author Joe Wilkins gives an insider’s perspective of Gates of the Arctic

One of the new trees in the Future Library forest.

After 100 Years, This Entire Forest Will Be Turned into Mystery Manuscripts

Hike through Norway’s future library, currently in the form of baby trees

African Lionesses by Lakshitha Karunarathna, 2017 Grand Prize

These Breathtaking Images Are the Cat’s Meow in Nature Photography

Sixty incredible outdoor scenes are now on view at the National Museum of Natural History

Of the roughly 900,000 Rocky Mountain elk in North America, some 20,000 migrate through the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Photos Document Dramatic Wildlife Migrations Across Yellowstone

A new book documents the growing challenges faced by wildlife as they migrate across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Climb a 2,500-Rung Ladder Up New Zealand’s Towering Twin Falls

Clip in and follow 3,200 feet of newly-laid cable up this stunning waterfall in Wanaka

"The Rush" lampooned in an 1870 issue of Harper's Magazine

The Minister Who Invented Camping in America

How William H.H. Murray accidental bestseller launched the country’s first outdoor craze

When the conditions are right in Roebuck Bay, Australia, the landscape resembles a set of stairs leading to the moon.

Family Travel

Natural Phenomena (Other Than Foliage) You Can Glimpse This Fall

Where to look beyond the leaves for a taste of the season’s wonders

Fall in Charlottesville.

Eight Places to See Amazing Fall Foliage Outside of New England

Autumn blazes in these off-the-beaten-path locations

For tree poachers, sometimes known as "midnight burlers," redwoods can present a lucrative opportunity for theft. New research recommends ways to deter this hard-to-trace wildlife crime.

New Research

How Forest Forensics Could Prevent the Theft of Ancient Trees

To track down timber thieves, researchers are turning to new tech and tried-and-true criminal justice techniques

A witness tree on Stuart's Hill loop trail in Manassas National Battlefield Park

American South

These Five “Witness Trees” Were Present At Key Moments In America’s History

These still-standing trees are a living testament to our country’s tragic past

A group of Giant South American turtles gather in this image taken in the Cantão State Park, in Tocantins, Brazil. Though this is an intensely biodiverse region—perhaps even more so than the Amazon ecosystem—it is poorly known.

Art Meets Science

Photo Competition Highlights Splendor of Earth’s Ecosystems

The winning and commended images of BMC Ecology’s fifth annual photo contest are now available online

Page 25 of 53