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Nature

Water in the Black Sea’s northern reaches gets as cold as seawater can get—31 degrees Fahrenheit—and as warm as the 80s in summer.

The Wild World of the Black Sea

Visitors come for the place and spill onto the beach and pose exuberantly under umbrellas and wrestle with colorful inflatable toys in the brown waves

The great Selimiye Mosque of Edirne

Where to Go when Greece Says No: Turkey

That evening a man walked into my bush camp with a gun, marched straight at me as I gaped in shock and sprawled out beside me on my tarp

See Sidney Mobell's 18-karat gold Monopoly Board at the Museum of American Finance in New York as part of Smithsonian's Museum Day.

The Jeweled Art of Sidney Mobell

Mobell is one of the world’s most unusual artists: a craftsman who turns everyday items into extremely valuable works of jeweled art

A relic from the communist era lies along the road to the Kabata Hut.

Uphill All the Way in the Rhodope Mountains

I have my dinner—cheese, a four-pound organic tomato, a sack of figs and a jar of pickled chanterelles—and I’m ready to get lost on the mountain roads

Come learn about the Zoo's Aldabras tortoises.

Events Sept. 19-22: The Life of Cleopatra, Aldabras Galore, Celebrate the Land, and La Buena Vida

This week, hear about the queen of ancient Egypt, see some of the world’s largest tortoises, talk to curators about the environment, and more

Spring-fed fountains are refreshing rest spots in the Bulgarian countryside.

Europe

What to Drink in Bulgaria

The fountains are a marvel of local social infrastructure; the spouts pour out spring water along almost every mile of mountain roads

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CT Scanners Crack Open a Mummy Mystery

Shih Chieh Huang's creations in a 2009 installation in Brisbane, Austrailia. They are now featured in "The Bright Beneath."

Shih Chieh Huang’s “The Bright Beneath” at the Natural History Museum

Inspired by bioluminescent undersea creatures, an installation artist creates an unearthly world

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Weekend Events Sept 9-11: Remembering 9/11, Oral Traditions, and Jazz Competition

Martha, the last surviving member of the passenger pigeon species

Martha, the World’s Last Passenger Pigeon

97 years ago today, a once-ubiquitous bird species tragically went extinct

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Weekend Events September 2-5: Tarantula Feedings, Book Signings, Harry Potter, and Labor Day

This weekend, check out a giant spider at mealtime, get a book autographed, and take advantage of your last chance to see Harry Potter in 3D

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Events August 22-25: Addy’s World, Draw & Discover, Child of the Civil Rights Movement and More

Take a tour through American history, create your own art, listen to an author speak about civil rights, and enjoy a tour of an exhibition soon to close

The new discovery: Protoanguilla palau

In the Pacific, Scientists Discover a Living Fossil

Smithsonian researchers announced yesterday the discovery of a primitive eel species, never before seen. See the video and learn about this remarkable find

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Events August 15 – 18: Born to Be Wild, Negro League Stories, Book Signing and a Jazz Funk Show

This week, Smithsonian brings you an IMAX animal adventure, storytelling about the Negro League era, a visiting author and a free outdoor jazz funk concert

The Grandma Moses leech

The List: 5 Weirdest Worms at the Smithsonian

Cheryl Bright, manager of the Smithsonian’s National Invertebrate Collection, leads a “show and tell” of her favorite creepy crawlers

The Fénix 2, used in the Chilean Mine Rescue. The Fénix 3 is now on display at the Natural History Museum

The Chilean Miners’ Fénix Capsule: Now on Display at “Against All Odds”

A year after the collapse, the Natural History Museum’s new “Against All Odds” exhibition tells the story and science of the Chilean mine rescue

The Paricutin Volcano, 1943, taken by William F. Foshag, NMNH curator of minerals.

Events August 8-11: Student Sit-ins, When Volcanoes Erupt and John Wayne in the Philippines

This week: experience the Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins, get a lesson on volcano scholarship and attend an evening “Mingle at the Museum”

Visitors participating in the "Forensic Friday" event at which a child's cast iron coffin and other skeletal remains from the Richards Family Crypt are analyzed by Dr. Doug Owsley and Kari Bruwelheide. This Friday’s guest is the FBI Explosives Unit

Weekend Events July 22-24: Forensic Science, a Summer Concert and an Afternoon of Poetry

The Natural History Museum’s IMAX film Tornado Alley chronicles the life of a scientist initiative and a film crew on a journey to see the birth of a tornado.

Surviving Tornado Alley

The Natural History Museum’s Samuel C. Johnson IMAX presents Tornado Alley, a documentary that seeks to discover the heart of a tornado

More on Race: Are We So Different is on view at the Natural History Museum

Is Race a Social Construct? The Natural History Museum Investigates

The Natural History Museum’s newest exhibition “Race: Are We So Different,” opened on June 18. Here’s a look inside

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