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Latest Features

The finished national anthem included the calls of 41 birds.

SCIENCE

How Scientists and Composers Teamed Up to Create a Stunning Natural Version of Colombia’s National Anthem

Zora Neale Hurston wanted to tell the world about the "real ... historical Herod, instead of the deliberately folklore Herod."

HISTORY

Why Was Zora Neale Hurston So Obsessed With the Biblical Villain Herod the Great?

Black Horses, Grandma Moses, oil on pressed board, 1945, featured in the exhibition "Grandma Moses: A Good Day's Work" at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Nineteen New and Revamped Smithsonian Shows to See in 2025—Plus One Bonus That Will Make You Go Wild for Nature

The systems have been especially successful in Latin America, where massive cities and dramatic landscapes make building roads, rail lines and subway tunnels difficult. Mi Teléferico, shown here, connects more than two million people across the La Paz metro in Bolivia.

TRAVEL

Seven Cities in the World Where You Can Ride an Aerial Cable Car

Works like Tissot's The Convalescent (1872), pictured here, reflect a sense of unease over a modernizing society that was sweeping women up in its fray.

HISTORY

These Stunning 19th-Century Artworks Reveal the Contradictions of the Modern Woman

Around the world, a wealth of new museums are also bringing art and culture, science and technology, and education and storytelling to the forefront.

TRAVEL

Ten Must-See Museums Opening Around the World in 2025

Honoree Lonnie G. Bunch III, the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian speaks on stage during National Archives Foundation Records of Achievement Award Ceremony and Gala 2023 at the National Archives Museum on December 4, 2023, in Washington, D.C. 

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Head of the Smithsonian Talks About America’s 250th, Why Experts Still Matter and What to Expect From the Institution in 2025

Early 20th-century paleontologists wondered whether the small arms of Tyrannosaurus rex were used for grasping when the dinosaurs mated.

SCIENCE

Everything You Want to Know About the Sex Lives of Dinosaurs, From Scratching the Ground to Battling With Horns

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Smart News

Someone Sent a Fuzzy Photo of a Painting to Christie's. It Turned Out to Be a Rare Watercolor by J.M.W. Turner

After its owner submitted the piece to an online appraisal service, auction house specialists realized it had been misattributed to another artist for decades

2.

Smart News

Archaeologists Unearth Early Medieval Sword Engraved With Mysterious Runes in a Cemetery in England

Dating to the fifth and sixth centuries C.E., the burials held a trove of grave goods—but the team was particularly impressed by the sword, which was covered in intricate decorations

3.

Smart News

Meteorite Crash in Canada Is Caught by Home Security Camera in Likely World-First Video Footage

The space rock—recorded with visuals and sound—landed where the homeowner had been standing just minutes earlier

4.

Smart News

Archaeologists Unearth Intricately Decorated Blocks From Hatshepsut's Temple in Egypt

Officials have announced a number of discoveries during excavations around the valley temple of the powerful Egyptian queen, who reigned during the 15th century B.C.E.

5.

Smart News

An Undersea Volcano Near Oregon May Erupt in 2025, Scientists Predict. It Could Help Improve Eruption Forecasts

Axial Seamount doesn’t pose a threat to humans, but observing what happens before and after its potential eruption could help scientists learn about submerged volcanoes and strengthen predictions

Smithsonian Voices
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Five Fun Trivia Facts for Inauguration Day

National Museum of American History

A Brief History of Presidential Inaugural Speeches

Smithsonian Associates

Explore Fascinating Destinations With Smithsonian Associates on Expert-Led Tours

National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

How Can You Tell the National Zoo's Giant Pandas Apart?

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Firefighting Planes Are Dumping Ocean Water on the Los Angeles Fires—Why Using Saltwater Is Typically a Last Resort

Smithsonian Books

Six Wintry Wildlife Images to Celebrate the Season

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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

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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

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Marshall Point Lighthouse Marshall Point

History

Zora Neale Hurston wanted to tell the world about the "real ... historical Herod, instead of the deliberately folklore Herod."

Why Was Zora Neale Hurston So Obsessed With the Biblical Villain Herod the Great?

The Harlem Renaissance author spent her last years writing about the ancient king. Six decades after her death, her unfinished novel has finally been published for the first time

Works like Tissot's The Convalescent (1872), pictured here, reflect a sense of unease over a modernizing society that was sweeping women up in its fray.

These Stunning 19th-Century Artworks Reveal the Contradictions of the Modern Woman

The Derveni Papyrus, named for the location where it was found, is believed to date to between 340 and 320 B.C.E.

How Archaeologists Discovered Europe's Oldest-Known Book, Revealing Never-Before-Seen Insights Into Ancient Religion and Philosophy

Science

Alpinists ascend along a narrow ridge of ice and snow in the Mont Blanc massif.

Inside One Scientist’s Quest to Understand Why Climate Change Is Making Europe’s Highest Peak More Dangerous

Geomorphologist and veteran climber Ludovic Ravanel is learning how Mont Blanc is shifting—and sharing his discoveries with the Alpine community

Tetiaroa is a haven for wildlife, including sea turtles, crabs, seabirds, sharks, coral and fish.

Marlon Brando Wanted to Build a ‘University of the Sea.’ These Scientists Are Bringing the Late Actor’s Vision to Life

Find your nearest dark-sky site and mark your calendars for these stunning astronomical spectacles in 2025.

11 Dazzling Celestial Events to See in 2025, From a Total Lunar Eclipse to Rare Planetary Alignments

Innovation

Air Ring 48 attaches to the base of a construction helmet, providing crucial airflow to the sweatiest areas of the head and neck.

Could This New Wearable Device Reduce Heat Stress in Construction Workers?

Architecture students at the University of Hong Kong invented a cooling apparatus that attaches to a construction helmet

The products range from programmable rovers to books that introduce the terminology of robotics and circuitry to childen.

Engineers Choose the Ten Best STEM Toys to Gift in 2024

The plant-based egg substitutes available today are less than perfect. Food scientists are working hard to improve them — and, maybe, make them better tasting and more nutritious than the real thing.

Scientists Are Trying to Crack the Recipe for the Perfect Plant-Based Eggs

Travel

Around the world, a wealth of new museums are also bringing art and culture, science and technology, and education and storytelling to the forefront.

Ten Must-See Museums Opening Around the World in 2025

New institutions dedicated to artificial intelligence, West African art, barbeque and more are expected to welcome visitors this year

The new Chuckwalla National Monument protects more than 624,000 acres in southern California.

Biden Establishes Two New National Monuments in California

Matanuska Glacier north of Anchorage is one of the best spots for a more intense experience in the Alaskan wilderness.

Seven Ways to Explore Alaska's Endangered Glacial World

Arts & Culture

The theme of this year's creepy doll contest at the History Center of Olmsted County is "Circus After Dark."

The Creepy Doll Contest Is Back—and It's Time to Cast Your Vote for the Most Terrifying Toy

Step right up and see the spooky circus dolls—from creepy clowns to frightening fortune-tellers—in a Minnesota museum's vintage toy collection

Mask, Jackson Pollock, 1941

Before He Created His Vibrant Drip Paintings, Jackson Pollock Took Inspiration From Pablo Picasso

The Ofaerufoss waterfall is part of the Nyrdri-Ofaera River, meaning the “impassable northern river.” The river flows into Eldgja, or the “Canyon of Fire.”  

Go Chasing Waterfalls With These 15 Awe-Inspiring Images

At the Smithsonian

Honoree Lonnie G. Bunch III, the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian speaks on stage during National Archives Foundation Records of Achievement Award Ceremony and Gala 2023 at the National Archives Museum on December 4, 2023, in Washington, D.C. 

The Head of the Smithsonian Talks About America’s 250th, Why Experts Still Matter and What to Expect From the Institution in 2025

In an extensive interview, Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III spoke on the current political climate, the process of returning human remains from the Institution’s collections, the awe-inspiring scope of Smithsonian science and much more

Charles M. Schulz, creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip, at his studio drawing table with a picture of his character Charlie Brown and some awards behind him in 1978

Why the ‘Peanuts’ Characters Still Thrive 25 Years After the Last Original Comic Strip Was Published

Did colonial Americans wear wristwatches? 

Did Colonial Americans Wear Wristwatches? And More Questions From Our Readers