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Latest Features

Leaf senescence creates a golden canopy over a trail in the Harvard Forest.

SCIENCE

What 30 Years of Studying the New England Woods Reveals About the Colors of Changing Leaves

L to R: Kim Matula as Jane Curtin, Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman, Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster and Matt Wood as John Belushi in Saturday Night, a new film about the making of “Saturday Night Live”

HISTORY

The Real Story Behind 'Saturday Night,' the Movie About the Television Show That Changed Comedy Forever

A cyclist rides past a colorful mural, featuring the Cuban flag and an image of Guevara.  

TRAVEL

See 14 Photos of the Beauty of Cuba Through Its Striking Shoreline and Buzzing Streets

A participant dressed up as a demon brandishes a stick with fireworks during Correfoc in Catalonia.

TRAVEL

Halloween Is Spooky. But So Are These Eight Other Celebrations Around the World

The memorial artwork hadn't been seen since the 1970s, when it was placed on a replica of Kennedy's gravesite in Upperville, Virginia.

HISTORY

A Secret Sculpture Built for John F. Kennedy's Grave Vanished in the 1970s. Half a Century Later, the Mystery Has Been Solved

A polar bear looks out of a window frame on a deserted Russian island.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

See 11 of the Best Wildlife Photographs From Years Past

A green-crowned brilliant hummingbird feeds on a cactus flower in Costa Rica. 

SCIENCE

Uncovering the Secrets Behind Hummingbirds' Extreme Lifestyle

A pregnant mother’s mental wellness can impact her child’s future physical, mental and behavioral health

SCIENCE

Can a Mother’s Mental Health Impact a Baby in the Womb?

Current Issue

Smithsonian magazine September/October 2024 issue cover

Most Popular

1.

At the Smithsonian

See 11 of the Best Wildlife Photographs From Years Past

A new book reveals striking images from six decades of the beloved Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition

2.

Smart News

Archaeologists Discover Intricately Decorated Coffins Belonging to the Only Daughter of an Ancient Egyptian Governor

The 4,000-year-old burial chamber featured hieroglyphs referring to the woman, known as Idi, as the "lady of the house"

3.

Smart News

Montana Rancher Who Created Giant, Hybrid Sheep Sentenced to Six Months in Prison

Arthur “Jack” Schubarth cloned illegally imported genetic material from the Marco Polo argali to create hybrid sheep that would draw higher prices from hunting preserves

4.

Smart News

You Could See Dazzling Auroras Tonight as 'Strong' Solar Storm Hits. Here's What to Know

Predicted to bring the northern lights as far south as parts of California and Alabama, a large coronal mass ejection from the sun collided with our planet Thursday morning

5.

History

A Secret Sculpture Built for John F. Kennedy's Grave Vanished in the 1970s. Half a Century Later, the Mystery Has Been Solved

The bronze wreath immortalized the moment when the members of the Honor Guard removed their hats and placed them on the president's grave during his burial

Smithsonian Voices
National Museum of the American Indian

The Long Path Toward Establishing Indigenous People's Day, a Day to Honor and Recognize the First Peoples of America

Smithsonian Books

The History of the Ballot and the People Who Cast Them

Life on a Sustainable Planet

The Climate Crunch - Why Every Fall Feels Like a Race to Save the Planet

Smithsonian American Women's History Museum

Science Illustration: A Creative Door for Early Women in Science

National Museum of American History

How a Newspaper Revolution Sparked Protesters and Influencers: Disinformation and the Civil War

National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Inside the Zoo: A Rare and Life-Preserving Cheetah Surgery

See All

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

Muddy Yawn If you took a quick look at the mud pile you might have missed what was actually there until something moved. Mostly submerged and covered in thick mud were about a dozen hippos just looking like mud covered boulders. But as we sat there watching the mud became alive with the sounds of snorts and farts and then one hippo popped up to make a big yawn. Muddy Hippo Yawning

History

L to R: Kim Matula as Jane Curtin, Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman, Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster and Matt Wood as John Belushi in Saturday Night, a new film about the making of “Saturday Night Live”

The Real Story Behind 'Saturday Night,' the Movie About the Television Show That Changed Comedy Forever

A new film revisits the 90 minutes before the first episode of "Saturday Night Live" premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975

The memorial artwork hadn't been seen since the 1970s, when it was placed on a replica of Kennedy's gravesite in Upperville, Virginia.

A Secret Sculpture Built for John F. Kennedy's Grave Vanished in the 1970s. Half a Century Later, the Mystery Has Been Solved

John Kunst (left), Ambassador Robert Neumann (center) and David Kunst (right) in Kabul, Afghanistan, on September 30, 1972

Why a Minnesota Man Walked Around the World, Traversing 13 Countries and 14,450 Miles in Four Years

Science

480 Otis, a beloved brown bear made popular by the Explore.org bear cams of Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve, hunts for salmon at a popular bear fishing spot known as “the jacuzzi” on July 20, 2014.

The Chonky Superstar of Fat Bear Week Is Missing, and the Competition Won't Be the Same Without Him

While other bears battled over fish in a prime spot, Otis would sit off to the side and wait for the fish to come to him. But so far this year, he hasn’t been spotted in Katmai National Park and Preserve

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

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

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?

Innovation

A rendering of the 3D-printed rounded hotel rooms

Workers Just Started Building the World's First 3D-Printed Hotel in the Texas Desert

In the dusty landscape surrounding the city of Marfa, a huge 3D printer is constructing 43 new rooms and 18 residential homes as part of an expansion of El Cosmico

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

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

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?

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

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

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

The Hinemoana Halo Waka Moana Initiative recruited 12 crew members from the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga.

An All-Female Crew Sailed 1,000 Miles in a Traditional Voyaging Canoe to Help Save Humpback Whales

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

At the Smithsonian

A polar bear looks out of a window frame on a deserted Russian island.

See 11 of the Best Wildlife Photographs From Years Past

A new book reveals striking images from six decades of the beloved Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition

Julia Child in her kitchen with husband Paul behind her

See the Tools and Gadgets From Julia Child’s Kitchen That Reveal How the Beloved Chef Cooked

NASA’s Earth Information Center Hyperwall at the National Museum of Natural History opened to the public on October 8, 2024.

Immerse Yourself in the 'Hyperwall,' NASA's New Visual Showcase of a Changing Earth