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Latest Features

Agafia Lykova was born while her family was living alone in the wilderness. She is the only surviving member of the family.

HISTORY

This Russian Family Lived Alone in the Siberian Wilderness for 40 Years, Unaware of World War II or the Moon Landing

Scientists observed two bowhead whales synchronizing dive schedules whenever they were within earshot of each other.

SCIENCE

How Did Two Bowhead Whales That Were 60 Miles Apart Sync Their Diving?

Massive columns and karst formations decorate the vast chamber of Cenote Xulo.

TRAVEL

Divers in Mexico's Underwater Caves Get a Glimpse of Rarely Seen Artifacts, Fossils and Human Remains

A wildfire burns in Quebec, Canada, in June of last year. Smoke from the fires drifted south to the United States.

SCIENCE

Is Wildfire Smoke Causing Birds to Tend to Empty Nests?

An aerial view of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, circa 1955

HISTORY

Inside Disney's Controversial Plan to Open a Theme Park Inspired by American History

1980, OSGEMEOS, mixed media with sequins on MDF, 2020

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Colorful World of These Brazilian Identical Twins Bridges Dreams and Reality

The Milky Way lights up a night sky accented by the bright stars of the “summer triangle.”

SCIENCE

How to Find the Ten Brightest Stars in the Night Sky

Jellyfish are among the planet’s simplest creatures, made up of about 95 percent water and lacking brains, spines, blood or hearts.

SCIENCE

Delight in These 15 Photos That Capture the Exotic Undersea Lives of Jellyfish

Current Issue

Smithsonian magazine September/October 2024 issue cover

Most Popular

1.

Travel

Divers in Mexico's Underwater Caves Get a Glimpse of Rarely Seen Artifacts, Fossils and Human Remains

Cenotes in the Yucatán Peninsula are time capsules preserving remnants of Maya culture and fossils of extinct megafauna

2.

Smart News

Rare and Elusive Australian Bird, Once Thought Extinct for 100 Years, Discovered by Indigenous Rangers and Scientists

Using sound recordings, the team identified the largest known population of the night parrot, a secretive species known as the "Holy Grail of birdwatching"

3.

History

This Russian Family Lived Alone in the Siberian Wilderness for 40 Years, Unaware of World War II or the Moon Landing

In 1978, Soviet geologists stumbled upon a family of five in the taiga. They had been cut off from almost all human contact since fleeing religious persecution in 1936

4.

Smart News

This Shipwreck's Location Was a Mystery for 129 Years. Then, Two Men Found It Just Minutes Into a Three-Day Search

The "John Evenson" tugboat was helping another ship enter the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal in Wisconsin when it sank to the bottom of Lake Michigan in 1895

5.

History

Inside Disney's Controversial Plan to Open a Theme Park Inspired by American History

In the early 1990s, historians and the public alike questioned how Disney's America would accurately and sensitively document the nation's thorny past

Smithsonian Voices
Smithsonian Associates

An Evening With Henry Winkler and More Programs in October

National Museum of Natural History

Fearsome Flies: Meet the Scientist Studying the Top Predators in the Insect World

Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Lee Miller's Legacy: From Fashion Model to War Correspondent

Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Five Women to Know for American Business Women's Day

Smithsonian Affiliations

A Teenager's Holocaust Diary Is Changing the Way We Interact With Online Exhibitions

Smithsonian Books

How Decorated Initials Made Early Book Pages Pop

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Special Report
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Our Sustainable Future

A hub dedicated to the latest on how global change affects life on Earth today and on what solutions scientists, including those at the Smithsonian, are researching to build a more sustainable planet

View Full Report

Featured Stories

In Miami, the Nation’s First Chief Heat Officer Charts a Course for Surviving on a Warming Planet

Inside the Effort to Save Earth's Biocrusts

Can the Noise in Sports Arenas Be Turned Into Electricity?

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Smithsonian Videos

Preview thumbnail for video '10 Fun Facts About Jellyfish

10 Fun Facts About Jellyfish

Play
Preview thumbnail for video 'The Ultimate Skywatching Guide for Every Season

The Ultimate Skywatching Guide for Every Season

Preview thumbnail for video '10 Enchanting Butterfly Facts Revealed!

10 Enchanting Butterfly Facts Revealed!

Photo of the day

As we begin our journey the drops have started to fall, making wild waves and turning into a Tempest. Black and white digital photo taken in St. Louis at Laumeier sculpture park Feb 2023. Metal and glass reflective globes. 1/1 photo. Taken on a digital Nikon D3300 of a statue that was on the floor Room Of Reflection

History

Agafia Lykova was born while her family was living alone in the wilderness. She is the only surviving member of the family.

This Russian Family Lived Alone in the Siberian Wilderness for 40 Years, Unaware of World War II or the Moon Landing

In 1978, Soviet geologists stumbled upon a family of five in the taiga. They had been cut off from almost all human contact since fleeing religious persecution in 1936

A wall painting of a crowned woman with scepter (upper left), a procession of men behind her carrying objects (upper right) and a textile workshop (below)

See a Newly Uncovered Throne Room in Peru That May Have Belonged to an Ancient Queen

An aerial view of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, circa 1955

Inside Disney's Controversial Plan to Open a Theme Park Inspired by American History

Science

A wildfire burns in Quebec, Canada, in June of last year. Smoke from the fires drifted south to the United States.

Is Wildfire Smoke Causing Birds to Tend to Empty Nests?

New studies suggest smoke from western megafires may be damaging bird health and leading to strange behavior

The Milky Way lights up a night sky accented by the bright stars of the “summer triangle.”

How to Find the Ten Brightest Stars in the Night Sky

Jellyfish are among the planet’s simplest creatures, made up of about 95 percent water and lacking brains, spines, blood or hearts.

Delight in These 15 Photos That Capture the Exotic Undersea Lives of Jellyfish

Innovation

Some artificial intelligence models have predicted where hurricanes would make landfall earlier than numerical weather models.

Just How Much Can We Trust A.I. to Predict Extreme Weather?

Computer scientist and meteorologist Amy McGovern has studied the technology for two decades, and she weighs in with some answers

The first wind phone was built in 2010 in Otsuchi, Japan.

What Are Wind Phones, and How Do They Help With Grief?

A cross section of a chambered nautilus shell shows the newly defined shape, the "soft cell," repeating outward in a spiral.

Mathematicians Discover a New Class of Shape: the 'Soft Cell'

Arts & Culture

A self-portrait taken in New York by Vivian Maier in 1954

Meet Vivian Maier, the Reclusive Nanny Who Secretly Became One of the Best Street Photographers of the 20th Century

The self-taught artist is getting her first museum exhibition in New York City, where she nurtured her nascent interest in photography

The Museum of Perfume, presented by Paris’ Fragonard Perfumery, is dedicated to exploring the methodology and history behind perfume making.

Museums in Paris That Surprise and Delight, From Medical History to Magic to Marie Curie

The weapons are adorned with gold and silver designs and an engraved image of Napoleon.

Napoleon's Elaborately Decorated Pistols Sell for $1.8 Million at Auction

Travel

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz eloped in 1940. Eleven years later, “I Love Lucy” premiered on CBS, and they would become one of the most iconic couples for decades to follow.

Desi Arnaz Is Getting a Much-Deserved Historical Marker in Miami Beach

The Cuban-American actor and producer has stars on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, but this new honor pays tribute to his start as a musician in South Florida

A Margherita pie from Una Pizza Napoletana

The World's Best Pizza Is in New York City, According to Italy-Based Rankings

Fossil teeth are quite abundant in Southwest Florida.

Four Places to Find Fossilized Shark Teeth in the United States

At the Smithsonian

1980, OSGEMEOS, mixed media with sequins on MDF, 2020

The Colorful World of These Brazilian Identical Twins Bridges Dreams and Reality

The artists known as OSGEMEOS showcase the largest exhibition of their work in the United States at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Blossom Time, Willard Metcalf, oil on canvas, 1910

How Century-Old Paintings Reveal the Indigenous Roots and Natural History of New England Landscapes

Bokmakierie's nest and eggs from the collection of the Natural History Museum at Tring

See the Wonders of Bird Engineering in These Photos of Intricate Nests