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Subjects including the arts and humanities, government, nature, people, recreation, science and societyDiscover Smithsonian articles related to the arts, history, science and popular culture.
The ‘FlipperBot’ Is Almost as Cute as the Baby Sea Turtles It Mimics
This bio-inspired robot could help conserve and restore beaches as well as teach us about how our ancient aquatic ancestors evolved to walk on land
April 24, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
This Is the New, Non-QWERTY Keyboard You Will Use to Compose Your Thumb-Powered Opus
A new keyboard layout could fix two-thumb typing
April 24, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
For Some Species, You Really Are What You Eat
Flamingos, shrimp and many other animals use chemical compounds found in their diets to color their exteriors
April 24, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
This Is How the New Bird Flu Could Get to You
If H7N9 learns to transmit from person to person, here is how it could spread around the world
April 24, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Oxford Principal Nixes Student Plan to Have Live Shark at Ball
The tipoff that it would appear at all came from a poster for the ball that simply says, in large white letters, "Ginglymostoma cirratum (you should really go look that up)"
April 24, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Eight New Things We’ve Learned About Music
It's right up there with food, sex and drugs when its comes to stirring up pleasure responses in our brains.
April 24, 2013 |
By Randy Rieland
Children of the 1980s Build Their Cities of Tomorrow
Kids tend to be pretty optimistic, but each generation betrays its own fears about the future
April 24, 2013 |
By Matt Novak
Heart Attacks May Be Linked to Air Pollution
Research conducted in six U.S. cities shows a connection between prolonged exposure to fine particulate matter in the air and a faster hardening of the arteries
April 23, 2013 |
By Claire Martin
NYC Kids May Have to Wait Until They’re 21 to Buy Cigarettes
New York City is tightening its campaign to rid the metropolis of its most significant cause of preventable deaths
April 23, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Chili Peppers Do To Your Skin What Migraines Do To Your Brain
Researchers are working on new medication to prevent migraines
April 23, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
A Night at the Museum with the Smithsonian’s Laser Cowboys
A look at the future with Adam Metallo and Vince Rossi, who recently spent two nights scanning the Natural History Museum's entire Dino Hall in 3D
April 23, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
As Tigers Dwindle, Poachers Turn to Lions for ‘Medicinal’ Bones
Because wildlife managers are overwhelmed by the rhino horn poaching epidemic, investigations into missing lions will likely take second place
April 23, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Inhaling the Blues: How Southern Black Musicians Transformed the Harmonica
A conversation with the producer of "Classic Harmonica Blues," an album that captures a harmonica revolution
April 23, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Can Cloning Giant Redwoods Save the Planet?
Redwoods are mighty trees, but would planting more of them help combat climate change?
April 23, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Microbe Hunters
Deep in the Amazon Rainforest, scientists search for the micro-organisms that lived inside ancient humans
April 23, 2013 |
By Elizabeth Quill
Animal Rights Activists Make Off With One Hundred Mutant Mice
Animal rights activists ruined years of important research on diseases such as autism and schizophrenia
April 23, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Should the Higgs Boson Be Renamed to Credit More Scientists?
Peter Higgs didn't discover the elusive speck on his own, and now some are wondering whether it should be renamed to honor some of the other scientists too
April 23, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Eyes Have It
In the wake of the Boston bombing, Amy Henderson explores parallels between Edison's revolution of electricity and today’s mediascape that helped solve the crime
April 23, 2013 |
By Amy Henderson
Math Prodigy Shakuntala Devi, ‘The Human Computer,’ Dies at 83
In 1977, Devi faced off against a computer in a speed calculation race. She won twice.
April 23, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Neuroscience Explores Why Humans Feel Empathy for Robots
Brain scans show that the neurological patterns linked with pangs of empathy for humans also occur when we see a robot treated harshly
April 23, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
