Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Stories from this author

What Llama-Poop-Eating Mites Tell Us About the Rise and Fall of the Inca Empire

Lake-dwelling mite populations boomed at the height of the Andean civilization but dropped following the arrival of Spanish conquistadors

Joseph Lee received a patent for his automated kneading machine in August 1894.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame Announces Its 2019 Inductees

Joseph Lee, inventor of the automatic bread and breadcrumb makers, was posthumously honored alongside 18 other men and women

The researchers posit that Darwin contracted Lyme disease while exploring the expanses of Great Britain

Did Charles Darwin Have Lyme Disease?

New study attributes British naturalist’s persistent poor health to tick-borne disease

Founded in 1975, the space boasts a collection of some 7,000 books, 1,500 periodicals, and reams of pamphlets and assorted ephemera

London’s Feminist Library Lives

A successful crowdfunding campaign saved the institution from closure and is financing its move to a new space

When TrailGuard spots unknown persons or vehicles entering a nature reserve, it immediately alerts nearby rangers

New AI Camera Helps Conservationists Spot Elephant Poachers

TrailGuard AI uses machine learning to sort through images in real-time and identify relevant threats

On January 19, Borthwick Castle will host a six-course medieval banquet complemented by talks from local historians

How to Enjoy a Medieval Feast at Borthwick Castle, Former Refuge of Mary, Queen of Scots

The special event is timed to coincide with the U.K. release of the Stuart queen’s latest biopic

It took six days for the scientists to complete the game. Eventually, X emerged victorious

World’s Tiniest Tic-Tac-Toe Game Is Made of DNA Tiles

Brought to you by the creators of the mini ‘Mona Lisa’, the game offers a dynamic, rather than static, way to manipulate microscopic structures

The shell mound erected above the woman's grave prevented acidic soil from destroying her remains

Archaeologists Identify Oldest Known Human Burial in Lower Central America

The unusually muscular young woman was buried in what is now Nicaragua nearly 6,000 years ago

The American Heritage is enjoying a new lease on life as an artificial reef home to hundreds of deep-sea sponges and other marine creatures

He Was on Duty When the Ship Sank. Two Decades Later, the ROV Pilot Aids in Its Exploration

You can now explore a 3-D model of the wreck of the American Heritage

President Barack Obama greets Richard Overton, with Earlene Love-Karo, in the Blue Room of the White House, Nov. 11, 2013.

Richard Overton, Nation’s Oldest Living Combat Veteran, Dies at 112

The beloved World War II vet didn’t let old age stop him from enjoying his 12 daily cigars, whiskey-spiked coffee and butter pecan ice cream

Ice merchants stored imported blocks of frozen Norwegian fjords in this massive egg-shaped structure

London Archaeologists Unearth Subterranean Georgian-Era Ice Store

The entrance to the cavernous chamber, which was used to hold ice before the advent of modern refrigeration, was covered up following the Blitz

Four infected ponies were euthanized at the end of December

Swamp Cancer Kills Seven of Chincoteague’s Beloved Wild Ponies

The deadly infection leaves itchy lesions clustered across victims’ bodies

From L to R: Gymnetis drogoni, Gymnetis rhaegali and Gymnetis viserioni

These New Beetle Species Are Named After the ‘Game of Thrones’ Dragons

Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons—Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion—provided the inspiration for these three beetles’ new names

All of the 45 crewmembers were younger than 30

Laser Scan Reveals Fate of Nazi U-Boat Sunk Near Outer Banks Coast

The July 15, 1942, sinking of submarine U-576 resulted in the deaths of all 45 men onboard

Ring in the New Year With Dazzling Total Lunar Eclipse of a Supermoon

The celestial show will be visible on the East Coast around 12:12 a.m. on January 21, 2019

The portal allows users to narrow down search results by "design-specific" terms, as well as geographic, chronological parameters.

Digital Trove of Typographical Artifacts Set to Launch in 2019

The Letterform Archive’s online database features book jackets, posters, brochures and miscellaneous ephemera dating between 1844 and 2016

Pithiviers as seen in 1941

Museum to Be Built at Site of Nazi-Occupied France’s First Concentration Camp

Some 16,000 Jews were detained at Pithiviers and neighboring Beaune-la-Rolande before being sent to death camps

Artist's rendering of the museum's "Imagined World" gallery

Highly Anticipated Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Announces Its Coming Attractions

The long-delayed museum dedicated to filmmaking teases its inaugural exhibitions

In 2017, researchers recorded a 10-point percentage difference between African-American and Caucasian respondents who slept less than six hours per night

Nearly One-Third of Americans Sleep Fewer Than Six Hours Per Night

The survey reflects a worrying trend of national sleep deprivation, specifically among African-American and Hispanic respondents

The 1999 discovery of the Nebra Sky Disc, a 3,600-year-old bronze object adorned with gold renderings of celestial bodies, sparked resurgence of interest in deceased prince, who was buried at same archaeological site

This Bronze Age Regicide May Be World’s Oldest-Known Political Murder

The prince of Helmsdorf’s skeleton revealed three brutal injuries, including one that suggests he knew his killer and attempted to fend off the attack

Page 33 of 48