People Have Been Eating Curry for 4,500 Years

Thanks to new research methods and a pile of (very old) dirty dishes, archaeologists have discovered the very ancient origins of a globally popular cuisine.
January 30, 2013 | By Lauren Kirchner

Here’s What Three Mummies Might Have Looked Like While Alive

For the first time in over 2,000 years, these three mummies' faces now stare back at viewers, much as they might have appeared just before their deaths
January 30, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

This Gun Shoots Criminals With DNA

This new gun shoots the bad guys with artificial DNA, that can then be traced back and identified
January 29, 2013 | By Rose Eveleth

For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of WWII

In 1978, Soviet geologists prospecting in the wilds of Siberia discovered a family of six, lost in the taiga
January 29, 2013 | By Mike Dash

The History, Science and Culture of the Super Bowl

Catch up on everything you wanted to know about the Big Game -- What's its history? What makes a good advertisement? -- and much more
January 29, 2013 | By Smithsonian.com

All about Valentine's Day

The History of Sweethearts, How Data is Changing How we Date, the Top Demonstrations of Love and More on Valentine's Day
January 29, 2013 | By Smithsonian.com

Library Full of Precious Manuscripts Burned in Timbuktu

The main library in Timbuktu is full of cultural relics, manuscripts that have survived since the 1200's hidden in wooden trunks, buried in the sand, and finally housed in the small library. But recent reports from the country say that rebels might have burned that history to the ground
January 28, 2013 | By Rose Eveleth

For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of World War II

In 1978, Soviet geologists prospecting in the wilds of Siberia discovered a family of six, lost in the taiga
January 28, 2013 | By Mike Dash

Iran Says It Sent This Traumatized-Looking Monkey to Space

Western nations fear the same technologies deployed in Iran's space program could be used to develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads
January 28, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

Dogs May Have Evolved From the Wolves Who Liked Eating Trash the Most

There may be an evolutionary reason that your dog eats everything, including the trash
January 24, 2013 | By Colin Schultz

Sonar Uncovers Amazing Photograph of Sunken Civil War Ship

The USS Hatteras, sunk 150 years ago, was discovered and photographed recently using 3D sonar
January 23, 2013 | By Rose Eveleth

Sweet Potato Genes Say Polynesians, Not Europeans, Spread the Tubers Across the Pacific

Sweet potato samples preserved in centuries-old herbariums indicate that Polynesian sailors, rather than Spanish or Portuguese explorers, introduced the now-ubiquitous yam across Southeast Asia and the Pacific
January 23, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

Everything Was Fake but Her Wealth

Ida Wood, who lived for decades as a recluse in a New York City hotel, would have taken her secrets to the grave—if here sister hadn't gotten there first
January 23, 2013 | By Karen Abbott

Geneticist Does Not Seek Woman to Give Birth to Cloned Caveman Baby

Geneticist George Church says he's already extracted enough DNA from Neanderthal fossils to create an embryo, but lacking a uterus himself he needs to find the right lady
January 22, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

In Ancient Rome, Children’s Shoes Were a Status Symbol

From a trove of ancient Roman footwear, a rethinking of military life
January 21, 2013 | By Colin Schultz

Inauguration Day 2013

All you need to know for the day: where to eat, rest and what to see
January 21, 2013 | By Leah Binkovitz

NASA’s Curiosity Team Gives Us a Geeky Reason To Go to the Inauguration Parade

Although the rover itself could not make the trip from Mars, a full-size model will roll in the parade alongside the real-life crew
January 18, 2013 | By Rachel Nuwer

“The Grave Looked So Miserable”

James Idle was only 19 when he became one of the earliest casualties of the First World War. But his senseless death inspired a lifetime of devotion from a 9-year-old girl who watched his funeral
January 18, 2013 | By Mike Dash

The U.S. Once Wanted To Use Nuclear Bombs as a Construction Tool

From digging a harbor to expanding the Panama Canal, how couldn't nuclear bombs be used?
January 16, 2013 | By Colin Schultz

War and Peace of Mind for Ulysses S. Grant

With the help of his friend Mark Twain, Grant finished his memoirs—and saved his wife from an impoverished widowhood—just days before he died
January 16, 2013 | By Gilbert King

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