Helen Thompson

Helen Thompson

 

Helen Thompson writes about science and culture for Smithsonian. She's previously written for NPR, National Geographic News, Nature and others.

Evidence from reindeer combs, like the one above, hints that the Vikings may have traded with Denmark before they started raiding England.

Vikings Didn't Just Raid, They Traded Too

Reindeer artifacts found at Medieval market sites suggest the famed raiders tried the merchant thing first

The "South Pacific Ocean Uninhabited Area" or spacecraft cemetery, as it's affectionately dubbed, is located in the middle of nowhere, thousands of miles off the coast of New Zealand.

There's a Spacecraft Cemetery in the Pacific

The middle of the Pacfic Ocean is one of the two places spacecrafts are laid to rest

Murray's bagels in New York City.

How Chemistry Gives New York City Bagels an Edge

Is it really all in the water?

At 3.3 million years old, tools unearthed at the Lomekwi 3 excavation site in Kenya, like the one pictured above, represent the oldest known evidence of stone tools, researchers suggest.

The Oldest Stone Tools Yet Discovered Are Unearthed in Kenya

3.3 million-year-old artifacts predate the human genus

Baker's or brewer's yeast, like the sample pictured above, could one day be used for more efficient opiate production.

Engineered Yeast Could Open up a DIY Painkiller Market

The modified microbes could also make cheaper and better opiates

A spider prepares to "balloon" by shooting a threat of silk out of its butt. By catching the wind with their silk, baby spiders can explore or colonize new habitats. When millions of spiders do this at the same time, it resembles rain or snow.

No, It's Not Really Raining Spiders in Australia

The arachnids are simply catching a ride on the wind

Don't try this at home.

Healers Once Prescribed Chocolate Like Aspirin

From ancient Mesoamerica to Renaissance Europe, the modern confectionary treat has medical roots

No snowman is perfect, but a bit of physics know-how can help in the construction process.

Do You Want To Build a Snowman? Physics Can Help

Here’s what you need to know about the science of constructing your very own Olaf

Researchers exhumed the mummy of Cangrande della Scala in 2004 to perform a modern autopsy on the famous Italian autocrat.

Poison Hath Been This Italian Mummy's Untimely End

A lethal helping of foxglove seems to have triggered the downfall of a warlord of Verona

An Asian tiger mosquito in action.

Could GM Mosquitoes Pave the Way for a Tropical Virus to Spread?

Modified insects designed to stop dengue fever could make it easier for another disease-carrying species to take root

As you pour your Champagne to celebrate the New Year, remember that the physics behind those bubbles has some real-world applications.

The Physics of Champagne Bubbles Could Help Power the Future

Studying the principles that govern bubble formation in sparkling wine could improve power plant boilers

Small town travel, the Monuments Men, Chernobyl and Stonehenge were all among reader favorites in 2014

Our Top Stories of 2014

From weird red waterfalls to the pleasures of small-town America, these were the most read articles on Smithsonian.com this year

Researchers found that human joint-bone density remained pretty high until recently in our evolutionary history, around the same time that humans began switching from hunting and gathering to farming.

Switching to Farming Made Human Joint Bones Lighter

A more fragile skeleton evolved about 12,000 years ago, probably driven by a shift from hunting to agriculture

NASA is using nighttime pictures of Earth to track energy use during cultural holidays.

NASA Can See Your Holiday Lights From Space

Scientists can use holiday lights during Christmas and Rammadan as a proxy for overall energy use in urban areas

Though playing music is common in operating rooms, sleeping is not.

What’s Your Surgeon’s Jam? Probably Classical or Soft Rock

British doctors make the case for playing music during an operation

The Shape of Things to Come, Antarctic Sound, February 2010: "As we sailed with the land to our backs, I saw this bright, jagged iceberg with a dark-blue sea," writes Seaman.

These Photos Capture a Decade of Change at Earth's Poles

From courting penguins to moody icebergs, photojournalist Camille Seaman shares her personal journey through polar habitats

Scientists found deliberate scratching on a fossil Pseudodon, likely an engraving made by Homo erectus at Trinil in Indonesia.

Zigzags on a Shell From Java Are the Oldest Human Engravings

The early human <em>Homo erectus</em> also made the oldest known shell tools half a million years ago

Jura 103

The Physics of Whisky’s Aesthetically Pleasing Residue

A photographer teamed up with scientists to figure out the fluid dynamics behind patterns left in whisky glasses

Bath salts obtained by the Tampa Bay Times for testing back in 2012.

No, “Bath Salts” Won’t Turn You Into a Cannibal

But now we have a better idea what the latest generation of the drugs is really doing to your brain

Chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) fight. Infanticide in baboons is driven by a mating structure built on male competition.

Why Some Mammals Kill Babies of Their Own Kind

Male mammals that commit infanticide developed the behavior in response to their species' mating style

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