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Articles

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Africa’s New Fossil Frontier

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Your Brain as a Musical Instrument

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171 Years Ago James Smithson’s Gold Arrives

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The Other Black Gold

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Paleontology in Action at Dinosaur National Monument

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Sunspots and Climate

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African American History Museum to Receive Emmett Till’s Casket

Giant kangaroo

Wild Things: Life as We Know It

Hungry snakes, giant kangaroos, bat noses, and more

Surprise! It's the ants in the acacia that keep the grasslands healthy.

From the Castle

Smithsonian 2.0

Brian Jungen is an installation artist who has a gift for seeing images in mundane objects.

One Man’s Trash is Brian Jungen’s Treasure

Transforming everyday items into Native American artwork, Jungen bridges the gap between indigenous and mass cultures

Merchant seaman Waldemar Semenov used this compass to steer toward safety.

A Compass Saves the Crew

A WWII sailor’s memento recalls the harrowing ordeal when his ship, the SS Alcoa Guide, was struck by a German U-Boat

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Letters

Readers Respond to the July Issue

A Japanese folk tale is immortalized in artwork, such as this 19th-century fan painting by Kawanabe Kyosai.

What’s Up

Frontier photography, Japanese folk tales, indigenous art and more

Despite living in multiple cities throughout the decades, this sports fan can't root against his home team.

Last Fan Standing

Why I’ll always root for the home team

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September Anniversaries

Momentous or Merely Memorable

You can easily spend hours observing the teen scene in Naples.

Naples: Italy in the Extreme

The unpredictable Italian city always has a secret or quirky attraction hidden among its many ancient streets

The show still goes on in ancient Ostia’s theater.

Ostia Antica: Rome’s Ancient Port

The ruins of this one-time commercial center takes visitors back to the time when the Roman Empire ruled the seas

When horses were banned in Venice in the 14th century, gondolas took over. They’ve been a Venice trademark ever since.

Seeing Venice Via Gondola

Used mainly by tourists, the gondolas carry a history of craftsmanship that is as interesting as the city itself

While gondolas are romantic, to get around Venice quickly and cheaply, you’ll need to take motorized bus-boats called vaporetti.

Getting Around Venice by Vaporetto

Forget the gondola, the quickest and most convenient way to see Venice is via the public-transit vaporetti

A Venetian tradition is munching cicchetti—local appetizers that line the counters of little pubs all over town at the end of each workday.

Crawling Through Venice’s Cicchetti Pubs

A trip to Venice would not be complete without a giro d’ombra, or a tour through the city’s many small wine bars

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