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Latest Features

“People always liked and admired Colette, but after [World War I], with this need to consolidate French identity, Colette really becomes a classique,” says Kathleen Antonioli. 

HISTORY

Colette Revolutionized French Literature With Her Depictions of Female Desire

Fall/Winter Sears catalog from 1957

INNOVATION

Before Folding 30 Years Ago, the Sears Catalog Sold Some Surprising Products

NASA has 42 current astronauts to select from for a possible mission to the moon.

SCIENCE

How NASA Is Selecting the Next Astronauts to Walk on the Moon

Indigenous people brought to Spain by Hernán Cortés play the game patolli.

HISTORY

The Indigenous Americans Who Visited Europe

Jill Biden addresses a crowd at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History on January 25. Inaugural ensembles by Gabriella Hearst (left) and Alexandra O'Neill (right) stand next to her.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Jill Biden's Inaugural Attire Is on View at the Smithsonian

An artist’s reconstruction of Ignacius dawsonae surviving in the warm but dark forests of Ellesmere Island

SCIENCE

Primate-Like Critters Survived in the Arctic When It Was a Lush, Warm Swamp

Saliva impacts how different foods taste.

SCIENCE

How Saliva Changes the Flavor of Food

The new solar panels would filter light more efficiently.

INNOVATION

Farmers May Not Have to Choose Between Crops and Solar Panels

Current Issue

Smithsonian magazine January/February 2023 issue cover

Most Popular

1.

History

Inside the Tombs of Saqqara

Dramatic new discoveries in the ancient Egytptian burial ground. A special report produced with Smithsonian Channel

2.

Smart News

The Spin of Earth's Inner Core May Be Changing, Scientists Say

A new study finds our planet's iron center shifts between spinning slightly faster and slightly slower than the surface—but not all experts agree

3.

Smart News

This Shape-Shifting Robot Can Liquefy Itself and Reform

The technology could one day assemble and repair hard-to-reach circuits, act as a universal screw or retrieve foreign objects from a body, researchers say

4.

Smart News

The Real Zombie Fungus That Inspired HBO's 'The Last of Us'

Humans will probably never face a fungal apocalypse, but in the insect world, mind-controlling fungi can pose a serious threat

5.

Smart News

An Asteroid Just Passed Very Close to Earth

The truck-sized space rock came within 2,200 miles of our planet, closer than some satellites

Smithsonian Voices
Earth Optimism

Bunnies, Bears, and Other Stories to Beat the January Blues

National Museum of Natural History

2022 in Review: The Year’s Top Discoveries by Museum Researchers

National Portrait Gallery

Historic Lincoln Portrait Goes on View in February

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

Meet the Experts Who Care for Smithsonian Film Collections

Smithsonian Associates

Earn a Smithsonian World Art History Certificate in 2023

Smithsonian Education

Transforming K-12 STEM Education by Diversifying the STEM Teacher Workforce

See All

Special Report
The famed Ruby Slippers were worn by by Judy Garland in her portrayal of Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

The Stars Are Aligned at the National Museum of American History

Artifacts from the stage, screen and sports highlight how what we watch defines who we are

View Full Report

Featured Stories

The Enduring Legacy of Celia Cruz, the 'Queen of Salsa'

The Rise and Fall, and Rise Again, of America’s First Celebrity—a Woman Who Loved Other Women

A Portrait of Eliza Hamilton and a Costume Worn by Lin-Manuel Miranda for 'Hamilton' Arrives at the Smithsonian

  image   image

Smithsonian Channel

Preview thumbnail for video 'Drones Now Play an Active Role in Sea Turtle Census

Drones Now Play an Active Role in Sea Turtle Census

Play
Preview thumbnail for video 'A Single Male Lemur Stands Up to a Entire Troop of Invaders

A Single Male Lemur Stands Up to a Entire Troop of Invaders

Preview thumbnail for video 'The Dam Buster Bombers Set Their Sights on Hitler’s Last Battleship|

The Dam Buster Bombers Set Their Sights on Hitler’s Last Battleship|

Photo of the day

This photo was taken from Brigantine Beach in New Jersey. The clouds were clearing just in time to give this spectacular sunrise. Sunrise over the Atlantic

History

“People always liked and admired Colette, but after [World War I], with this need to consolidate French identity, Colette really becomes a classique,” says Kathleen Antonioli. 

Colette Revolutionized French Literature With Her Depictions of Female Desire

Born 150 years ago this week, the author was known for her incisive portrayals of women's everyday lives

A portrait of Anne d’Alégre, a 17th-century French noblewoman who masked her poor dentition with gold wire and an elephant ivory false tooth

What Secrets Lie Beneath This 17th-Century French Aristocrat's Smile?

Indigenous people brought to Spain by Hernán Cortés play the game patolli.

The Indigenous Americans Who Visited Europe

Science

NASA has 42 current astronauts to select from for a possible mission to the moon.

How NASA Is Selecting the Next Astronauts to Walk on the Moon

The space agency has said that it will send the first woman and the first person of color to the lunar surface

An artist’s reconstruction of Ignacius dawsonae surviving in the warm but dark forests of Ellesmere Island

Primate-Like Critters Survived in the Arctic When It Was a Lush, Warm Swamp

An artist's rendition of a cross-section of Earth. The innermost layer, the inner core, is a 1,500-mile-wide ball of iron.

The Spin of Earth's Inner Core May Be Changing, Scientists Say

Innovation

Fall/Winter Sears catalog from 1957

Before Folding 30 Years Ago, the Sears Catalog Sold Some Surprising Products

The retail giant’s mail-order business reigned supreme for more than a century, offering everything from quack cures to ready-to-build homes

Debra Babalola and Shefali Bohra invented Dotplot, a device that can help users monitor their breast health.

A New Tool Could Help Detect Breast Cancer Earlier

Banff Sunshine has pioneered snow farming, which involves setting up miles of fencing across its highest terrain to capture large amounts of wind-blown, natural snow.

This Canadian Ski Area Doesn't Make Snow—It Farms It

Arts & Culture

In our efforts to increase and diffuse knowledge, we highly recommend these 44 titles this year.

The Best Books of 2022

In our efforts to increase and diffuse knowledge, we highly recommend these 44 titles this year

Critics say the portrayal of the Na'avi alien species in Avatar appropriates and homoginizes Indigenous cultures.

Indigenous Activists Criticize 'Avatar' Sequel

The 1989 photograph, Maya Lin working on Civil Rights Memorial by Adam Stoltman, is among numerous works including 3D models, sketchbooks, personal papers and family photos in the exhibition, "One Life: Maya Lin," at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. 

The Private World of the Public Artist Maya Lin

Travel

About 100 miles northwest of Mexico City in the UNESCO-designated Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, up to a billion of the brilliant-winged insects spend November to March clustered on branches.

A Ring of Fire, Millions of Monarchs and Other Rare Natural Phenomena Worth Traveling For

Be in the right place at the right time to witness these sublime sights

The stunning Sydney Modern Project is the modern leg of the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Australia.

The Most Anticipated Museum Openings of 2023

At the Natural History Museum, "Cellphone: Unseen Connections" opens June 23; at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City, "Give Me a Sign: The Language of Symbols" goes on view May 13; and "Ay-Ō's Happy Rainbow Hell" is part of the National Museum of Asian Art's centennial exhibitions, opening March 25.

Twenty-Three Smithsonian Shows to See in 2023

At the Smithsonian

Jill Biden addresses a crowd at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History on January 25. Inaugural ensembles by Gabriella Hearst (left) and Alexandra O'Neill (right) stand next to her.

Jill Biden's Inaugural Attire Is on View at the Smithsonian

The day and evening ensembles are now the centerpiece of the American History Museum's popular "First Ladies" exhibition

The installation Create to Free Yourselves: Abraham Lincoln and the History of Freeing Slaves in America by Georges Adéagbo (above) will be on view at President Lincoln’s Cottage in Washington, D.C. through February 15. ​​

At Abraham Lincoln's Cottage, Artist Georges Adéagbo Pays Homage to the Great Emancipator

At the Natural History Museum, "Cellphone: Unseen Connections" opens June 23; at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City, "Give Me a Sign: The Language of Symbols" goes on view May 13; and "Ay-Ō's Happy Rainbow Hell" is part of the National Museum of Asian Art's centennial exhibitions, opening March 25.

Twenty-Three Smithsonian Shows to See in 2023