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Articles

An overview of the Olorgesailie basin landscape, where the archeological site exists that contains stone weapons and tools

To Adapt to a Changing Environment 400,000 Years Ago, Early Humans Developed New Tools and Behaviors

When the East African Rift Valley transformed dramatically, new weapons arose and trade expanded

100,000 people die from venomous snakebites each year, a problem the Instituto Clodomiro Picado seeks to address with its antivenoms.

The Lab Saving the World From Snake Bites

A deadly shortage of venom antidote has spurred a little-known group of scientists in Costa Rica to action

In 1943 the all-wing and jet-propelled Horten Ho 229 promised spectacular performance and the German air force (Luftwaffe) chief, Hermann Göring, allocated half-a-million Reichsmarks to brothers Reimar and Walter Horten to build and fly several prototypes.

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction With Horten’s All-Wing Aircraft Design

New research dispels some of the myths behind the world’s first jet-powered flying wing

An oil-cloth cape worn by a young Republican during a late-night, torch-lit campaign march ahead of the 1880 presidential election.

When Young Americans Marched for Democracy Wearing Capes

In 1880, a new generation helped decide the closest popular vote in U.S. history

The Original Selfie Craze Was the Mirror

Today’s social media obsession has its roots in the development centuries ago of the reflective material

A new form of entertainment and a wandering trainload of frozen turkey triggered a convenience food boom.

A Brief History of the TV Dinner

Thanksgiving’s most unexpected legacy is heating up again

Édouard Dubufe’s portrait of Bonheur, embellished with a bull that Bonheur herself added, is on view in Bonheur’s meticulously preserved studio.

The Trailblazing French Artist Rosa Bonheur Is Finally Getting the Attention She Deserves

She was an international superstar. And then she was ignored. Now one family is working fervently to restore the forgotten genius to greatness

At age 11, Naomi Wadler spoke before a crowd of thousands in 2018 about remembering the lives of black women and girls lost to gun violence.

How Girls Have Brought Political Change to America

The history of activism in young girls, who give voice to important issues in extraordinary ways, is the topic of a new Smithsonian exhibition.

Su Nueva Laundromat in West Lawn, Chicago, is the official polling place for about 700 registered voters.

Eight of America’s Most Unusual Polling Places

To capture democracy in America, photographer Ryan Donnell tracks down polls in surprising locations across the country

Donna Hayashi Smith, a curator, has been in charge of everything from borrowing famous paintings to handling a 19th-century menorah. Here, she holds a French porcelain vase from 1820.

Behind the Scenes With the White House Residence’s Long-Serving Staff

A former first lady salutes the long-serving workers who keep the nation’s foremost home running smoothly

With air temperature at -17 degrees Celsius and water at 1 degree Celsius, Finns take a dip in an unfrozen hole of water after a sauna session in Vaasa, Finland.

Covid-19

What Americans Can Learn From Winter-Loving Cultures

With large indoor gatherings off-limits, the Covid-19 pandemic is giving everyone more reason to stay outside

A father and his daughter engage in a video chat with their doctor.

Covid-19

Should Parents Test for Covid if Their Kid Might Just Have a Cold?

Experts weigh in on when students with runny noses, fevers, and coughs should be quarantined and checked

An illustration from the May 26, 1882 issue of the San Francisco Illustrated Wasp depicts three ghoulish figures called malarium, smallpox and leprosy and one holding a sash that says “Chinatown.”

The Long History of Blaming Immigrants in Times of Sickness

Panelists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History discuss pandemics and scapegoating

Dome and Silhouettes by Roderick Terry, October 16, 1995

These Photos Capture the Unity—and Defiance—of the Million Man March

Roderick Terry’s photographs are now housed at the National Museum of African American History

Xanthia DeBerry, with her daughters Angelica and Aniaya, is part of the seed saving project.

New Project Aims to Revive Ozark Cuisine Through Seeds

St. Louis chef Rob Connoley looks to reconnect black farmers to heritage crops, using records from a 19th century seed store

The skeleton of a T. rex known as "Stan" is displayed in a gallery at Christie’s auction house in September in New York City.

A T. Rex Sold for $31.8 Million, and Paleontologists Are Worried

The auction of a famous specimen named “Stan” is likely to raise tensions between scientists, land owners and commercial fossil dealers

Bennu is shaped like a three-dimensional diamond and seemingly smooth from far away. OSIRIS-REx is in the foreground of this artist’s replication. The spacecraft will gather a sample from Bennu next week.

Smithsonian Voices

What an Asteroid Could Tell Us About Ancient Earth

Knowing those rocks’ origins will help scientists learn more about the composition of objects in the solar system and asteroid belt

Dani Nierenberg wants to ensure equal access to healthy food, produced in a way that’s sustainable for the planet.

Meet the Award-Winning Activist Campaigning for Food Justice

Danielle Nierenberg, the recipient of the 2020 Julia Child Award, is working to make global food systems more equitable

The Netflix film features Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale and Mark Rylance as lawyer William Kunstler.

The True Story of ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’

Aaron Sorkin’s newest movie dramatizes the clash between protestors on the left and a federal government driven to making an example of them

An African forest elephant makes its way out into the open.

How Humans Benefit From a Highway of Trails Created by African Forest Elephants

The paths the pachyderms make aid plants, other animals, and local people—whose way of life is threatened by the species’ decline

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