Smithsonian Magazine | Smithsonian Magazine

What Bonobos Have to Say About Language

A famed researcher's daring investigation into ape communication—and the backlash it has caused

What is the Flu Virus with Pandemic Potential

The findings are a reminder not to forget about seasonal viruses, but also shows that virus surveillance systems work

Beyond the Ballot

Winning the vote for women was a mighty struggle. Securing full liberation for women of color was no less daunting

The Pandemic Gives the Louvre Back to Parisians

With a steep drop in international tourists and new COVID-19 safety measures in place, the most visited museum in the world reopened yesterday

The Accidental Invention of the Slip ‘N Slide

A young boy's summer antics 60 years ago inspired his father to create the timeless backyard water toy

What Is Pooled Testing?

Placing swabs from multiple individuals in a single test gets more people diagnosed using fewer supplies

Doodlebug Is a Misleading Name for an Accomplished Assassin

The name sounds innocuous, maybe even charming. But it’s also known by another name—the ant lion—and it’s every bit as predatory and remorseless as that name sounds.

What Bonobos Have to Say About Language — What Bonobos Have to Say About Language

A famed researcher's daring investigation into ape communication—and the backlash it has caused

What is the Flu Virus with Pandemic Potential — What is the Flu Virus with Pandemic Potential

The findings are a reminder not to forget about seasonal viruses, but also shows that virus surveillance systems work

Beyond the Ballot — Beyond the Ballot

Winning the vote for women was a mighty struggle. Securing full liberation for women of color was no less daunting

The Pandemic Gives the Louvre Back to Parisians — The Pandemic Gives the Louvre Back to Parisians

With a steep drop in international tourists and new COVID-19 safety measures in place, the most visited museum in the world reopened yesterday

The Accidental Invention of the Slip ‘N Slide — The Accidental Invention of the Slip ‘N Slide

A young boy's summer antics 60 years ago inspired his father to create the timeless backyard water toy

What Is Pooled Testing? — What Is Pooled Testing?

Placing swabs from multiple individuals in a single test gets more people diagnosed using fewer supplies

Doodlebug Is a Misleading Name for an Accomplished Assassin — Doodlebug Is a Misleading Name for an Accomplished Assassin

The name sounds innocuous, maybe even charming. But it’s also known by another name—the ant lion—and it’s every bit as predatory and remorseless as that name sounds.

July 2020

How the Ice Cream Truck Made Summer Cool

July 2020

Make Thomas Jefferson's Recipe for Ice Cream

Smithsonian Voices July 7, 2020 2:20PM

What Today's Indigenous Potters Are Learning from Ancient Chocolate-Drinking Jars

COVID-19 July 7, 2020 1:45PM

How the Pandemic Is Giving the Louvre Back to Parisians

COVID-19 July 7, 2020 9:30AM

How COVID-19 Will Change the Way We Fight Wildfires

July 7, 2020 9:00AM

How Northern Publishers Cashed In on Fundraising for Confederate Monuments

July 2020

What Can Bonobos Teach Us About the Nature of Language?

Women Who Shaped History July 2020

Mary McLeod Bethune Was at the Vanguard of More Than 50 Years of Black Progress

July 2020

The Way of the Shogun

Women Who Shaped History July 2020

What Made Lucretia Mott One of the Fiercest Opponents of Slavery and Sexism

COVID-19 July 6, 2020

Pooled Testing Could Be the Fastest and Cheapest Way to Increase Coronavirus Screening

July 2020

When Senator Joe McCarthy Defended Nazis

July 2, 2020

The Accidental Invention of the Slip ‘N Slide

Women Who Shaped History July 2020

Recreating a Suffragist's Barnstorming Tour Through the American West

July 2, 2020

How Much Pressure Is at Earth’s Center and Other Questions From Our Readers

Word Puzzles

Play the Smithsonian Magazine Crossword: For 'Seasoned' Solvers

Virtual Travel July 2, 2020

Make These Eight Famous Cocktails From Bars Around the World

July 2, 2020

Before Chain Letters Swept the Internet, They Raised Funds for Orphans and Sent Messages From God

July 1, 2020

How Do Native Americans Observe the Fourth of July?

July 1, 2020

A Submerged 7,000-Year-Old Discovery Shows the Great Potential of Underwater Archaeology

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Meet Augie, the 20-Year-Old Golden Retriever Who Might Have Just Set an Age Record

How the Uffizi Gallery Is Highlighting Black Figures in Renaissance Art

New Swine Flu Strain With Pandemic Potential Isn’t Cause for Alarm

Cool Finds

Divers Find 16th-Century Shipwreck Off Coast of Northern Italy

As Segway Retires, Its Inventor Gears Up to Grow Organs

Second Brazilian Museum Fire in Two Years Sparks Calls for Reform

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Why Scholars Are Skeptical of Claimed Rediscovery of Lost Frida Kahlo Masterpiece

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