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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.
My Big Fat European Family: What Genomics Tell Us About Shared Ancestors
Any two modern-day Europeans, even those living on opposite sides of the continent, may be more closely related than they might think
May 07, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
Ray Harryhausen, the Godfather of Stop Motion Animation, Dies
Producer and animator Ray Harryhausen, who invented a kind of stop motion model animation called 'dynamation,' died today
May 07, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
We’re About to Pass a Disheartening New Climate Change Milestone
We're teetering on the edge of hitting carbon dioxide levels of 400 ppm, but will that be enough to change minds and policies?
May 07, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Feel What It’s Like to Live on an Antarctic Icebreaker for Two Months
In February 2013 Cassandra Brooks, a marine scientist with Stanford University, landed at McMurdo Station, a U.S. research station on the shores of Antarctica’s Ross Sea. For two months she worked on a ship, the icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer, cruising through the Antarctic sea. Brooks documented her life on the ship for National Geographic, and now she’s [...]
May 07, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Scientists Just Recorded the Brightest Explosion We’ve Ever Seen
We just saw the longest, brightest, most powerful version of the universe's most massive explosions
May 07, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
PHOTOS Baby’s First Romp: Andean Cubs Play in the Rain
With their new yard baby-proofed, the two cubs took the outside for a day in the rain before their public debut Saturday
May 07, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
U.S. Gives Mongolia Its Tyrannosauras Skeleton Back
The U.S. government is returning a Tyrannosaurus skeleton to Mongolia and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is giving two statues back to Cambodia
May 07, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Is It Time to Scrap the Manual on Mental Illness?
After 11 years of working on the new DSM, some are saying that it's time to retire the manual and think abut mental health entirely differently
May 07, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Mapping the Routes of Invasive Stowaways
Singapore, Honk Kong, New York, Long Beach, CA, and the Panama and Suez canals are the areas most at risk from invasive species
May 07, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Hawaiian Musician Dennis Kamakahi Donates His Guitar
Slack Key guitar music sounds new notes for history of cowboys and the West in ceremony honoring the Hawaiian composer
May 07, 2013 |
By Joann Stevens
Cavemen Used Some of the Same Words We Do
Our modern language still has some remnants of the grunting cavemen who came before us
May 07, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The History of Baseball Stadium Nachos
From a Mexican maitre 'd's mishap in 1943 to the gooey, orange stuff you put on your chips at the baseball game today.
May 07, 2013 |
By K. Annabelle Smith
Are Modern Football Helmets Any Safer than Old-School Leather Ones?
Recent testing shows that, contrary to prior findings, new plastic helmets reduce the risk of concussions by 45 to 96 percent
May 07, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
How Many Weddings Will the Cicadas Ruin This Summer?
Late spring is when the 17 year cicadas come out. It also happens to be a popular time for weddings
May 07, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Will the Real Great Gatsby Please Stand Up?
F. Scott Fitzgerald couldn’t resist putting his own life into his novels, but where’s the line between truth and fiction?
May 07, 2013 |
By Sarah Laskow
Nearly 4,500 Kids Are Injured on Amusement Park Rides Each Year
Based on current trends in the amusement park market, these injury numbers probably won't go down any time soon
May 06, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
On the International Space Station, Glow-in-the-Dark Plants Let You Know When They’re Stressed
To fight climate change or to grow crops in space, we need to know how plants respond to stress
May 06, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
One Upside to Drought: the Fewest Tornadoes in the U.S. in At Least 60 Years
No water in the air means less fuel for tornadoes
May 06, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
You Think the NFL Has Brain Injury Problems? The Military Has it Way Worse
Thousands of soldiers return home from cobalt with traumatic brain injuries - many without even realizing it
May 06, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
A Hindenburg Passenger Ticket, Possibly the Only One to Still Exist, Goes On View
On the 76th Anniversary of the fiery crash, what may be the only passenger ticket to survive the crash can be seen at the National Postal Museum
May 06, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
