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Science
Gimme Shelter
Best Friends Animal Society has a sprawling campus in the canyons of Utah, but its influence has grown to reach almost every shelter in the country
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How a Sudden Winter Storm in 1617 Sparked the Deadliest Witchcraft Trials in Norwegian History
During the 17th-century Finnmark witch trials, 91 people were executed in Norway's northernmost region, mainly by burning at the stake
Smart News
Earthquakes Deep Below Antarctic Waters Seem to Have Surprising Effects on Life at the Surface
This Is the Only Museum Dedicated to Weather Artifacts in America. It May Shut Down Due to Funding Shortages
The British Museum Plans to Hire a Treasure Hunter. Duties Include Recovering Missing Artifacts Before They’re Lost to History
When Male Deer Mark Trees, Those Spots May Glow Like Neon Lights at Dusk and Dawn, Though Humans Usually Can’t See Them
This Early-Universe Cluster of Galaxies Is Way Hotter Than It Should Be
Latest Features
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History
The Lost City of the Silk Road
Researchers are uncovering what they think is the metropolis of Marsmanda, an iron-making city that could rewrite the history of the famed trade route
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History
A Grand New Design
A train wreck that caused the death of more than a dozen commuters near the turn of the 20th century was the impetus behind a monumental project that changed the urban landscape
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Most Popular
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Special Report
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America’s 250th Anniversary
To mark the 250th anniversary of America’s founding on July 4, 1776, Smithsonian magazine is highlighting the people, places and events that shaped the United States’ fight for independence from Great Britain
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Photo of the Day
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Camel Herder on Sand Dune, Gobi Desert
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Podcast
Smithsonian Podcast: There’s More to That
Smithsonian magazine covers history, science and culture in the way only it can — through a lens on the world that is insightful and grounded in richly reported stories. In There’s More to That, meet the magazine’s journalists and hear how they discover the forces behind the biggest issues of our time.
Latest Episodes
The ‘Edmund Fitzgerald’ Sank Half a Century Ago. We’re Still Fascinated.
November 6, 2025 | 28 minutes
History
How a Sudden Winter Storm in 1617 Sparked the Deadliest Witchcraft Trials in Norwegian History
During the 17th-century Finnmark witch trials, 91 people were executed in Norway’s northernmost region, mainly by burning at the stake
Science
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Rockhopper Penguins’ Athleticism Makes Them the Daredevils of the Animal World. Will a Warming Climate Slow Them Down?
A visit to the Falkland Islands, where the fearless seabirds navigate the rugged topography with tenacious spunk, shows the new challenges they face
Innovation
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The High-Stakes Quest to Make Snakebites Survivable Took Leaps Forward This Year, With Promising New Avenues to Safer Antivenoms
A wave of fresh science is challenging a century-old treatment and offering hope to the people snakebites harm most—often far from hospitals and help
Travel
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The Oldest Restaurant in the World Just Turned 300 Years Old
Madrid’s Sobrino de Botín is filled with legends, ghosts and priceless art. The food is pretty good, too
Arts & Culture
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A Famed Street Photographer Chronicled What Christmas Looks Like Across America Over the Course of Decades
Lee Friedlander’s new book, “Christmas,” collects his work from all over the country on the topic of our sentimental and materialistic connection to the holiday
At the Smithsonian
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Recovered Steamer Trunks Reveal the Overlooked Histories of Filipino American Farm Workers in the Early 20th Century
The artifacts serve as time capsules for an entire generation of “manong” workers and they’re now displayed at the National Museum of American History