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The Santa Barbara Oil Spill Inspired Earth Day

Before Earth Day made a name for the environmental movement, a massive oil spill put a spotlight on the dangers of pollution

A Brief History of Solar Panels

Inventors have been advancing solar technology for more than a century and a half, and improvements in efficiency and aesthetics keep on coming

Twelve Migrations Animals Take Every Spring

As temperatures rise and foliage blooms in the north, creatures from insects to whales set out for long treks across the planet

The True Story of 'Gentleman Jack'

A new HBO series explores the remarkable life of Anne Lister, based on her voluminous and intimate diaries

Transparent Wood Could Be a Boon to Green Building

Researchers in Sweden have developed a material, able to store and release heat, that could potentially be used in windows

How Would Earth Fare After Thanos' Deadly 'Snap'?

The aftereffects of such a mass extinction don’t require a supervillain’s intelligence to understand

This Apollo 8 Astronaut Took the Famous 'Earthrise' Photo

Vying with the Russians for space supremacy, the U.S. successfully launches Apollo 8. Once in orbit, astronaut William Anders takes one of the most legendary photographs of all time

The Santa Barbara Oil Spill Inspired Earth Day — The Santa Barbara Oil Spill Inspired Earth Day

Before Earth Day made a name for the environmental movement, a massive oil spill put a spotlight on the dangers of pollution

A Brief History of Solar Panels — A Brief History of Solar Panels

Inventors have been advancing solar technology for more than a century and a half, and improvements in efficiency and aesthetics keep on coming

Twelve Migrations Animals Take Every Spring — Twelve Migrations Animals Take Every Spring

As temperatures rise and foliage blooms in the north, creatures from insects to whales set out for long treks across the planet

The True Story of 'Gentleman Jack' — The True Story of 'Gentleman Jack'

A new HBO series explores the remarkable life of Anne Lister, based on her voluminous and intimate diaries

Transparent Wood Could Be a Boon to Green Building — Transparent Wood Could Be a Boon to Green Building

Researchers in Sweden have developed a material, able to store and release heat, that could potentially be used in windows

How Would Earth Fare After Thanos' Deadly 'Snap'? — How Would Earth Fare After Thanos' Deadly 'Snap'?

The aftereffects of such a mass extinction don’t require a supervillain’s intelligence to understand

This Apollo 8 Astronaut Took the Famous 'Earthrise' Photo — This Apollo 8 Astronaut Took the Famous 'Earthrise' Photo

Vying with the Russians for space supremacy, the U.S. successfully launches Apollo 8. Once in orbit, astronaut William Anders takes one of the most legendary photographs of all time

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This Transparent Wood Could Be an Energy-Saver in Green Buildings

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Twelve Epic Migratory Journeys Animals Take Every Spring

Based on a True Story April 19, 2019

The 19th-Century Lesbian Landowner Who Set Out to Find a Wife

History of Now April 19, 2019

The Debate Over Rebuilding That Ensued When a Beloved French Cathedral Was Shelled During WWI

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The Motorized Scooter Boom That Hit a Century Before Dockless Scooters

May 2019

What Was the World's First Currency and More Questions From Our Readers

April 18, 2019

NASA Prepares to Build Spacecraft Bound for a Metal Asteroid

April 18, 2019

This Library in Anchorage Lends Out Taxidermic Specimens

May 2019

A Brief History of Cooties

May 2019

At the Edge of the Ice

Innovative Spirit May 2019

How Scientists Are Recapturing the Magic of a Beloved, Long-Lost Tomato

Innovative Spirit April 17, 2019

Thank One of America's Most Prolific Inventors for the Hinged Plastic Easter Egg

May 2019

A New Museum Sheds Light on the Statue of Liberty

Smithsonian Voices April 17, 2019

A Smithsonian Art Historian Reflects on American Artists and Their Fascination With Notre-Dame

May 2019

The World's Weirdest Architectural Feat Involves Building a Cathedral With Ninth-Century Tools

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How T.C. Cannon and His Contemporaries Changed Native American Art

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