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Art Hiding in New York is a new book by Lori Zimmer featuring 100 pieces of artwork hidden around New York City.

Eight Works of Art Hiding in New York City

In her new book, author Lori Zimmer reveals some of the city’s best art pieces not found in museums

School children are spaced apart in one of the rooms used for lunch at Woodland Elementary School in Milford, Massachusetts on Sept. 11, 2020.

Covid-19

Exactly How Far Should You Distance From Others to Avoid Covid-19?

The CDC recommends 6 feet or more, the WHO about half that distance, but experts say the science is far from settled

A mid-1970s painting by illustrator Rick Guidice depicts an extraterrestrial colony designed by Princeton University physicist Gerard O'Neill.

How NASA Marketed Its Space Program With Fantastical Depictions of the Future

When it came to exploring the stars, Americans had to see it to believe in it

Some exhibitions, galleries, interactives, theaters or indoor spaces may be closed or operating at limited capacity, but the Kogod Courtyard at Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery is always a pleasant place to relax.

Here’s What’s New to Explore as Smithsonian Museums Reopen

Two more museums, the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of the American Indian, open Friday

Towers of the Stadtkirsche rise above Wittenberg, Germany. Much of the church was demolished and replaced in 1522, but the “Judensau” has remained despite controversy.

Germany May Have Banished Nazism, but Its Medieval Anti-Semitism Is Still in Plain Sight

In the city where Martin Luther revolutionized Christianity, a vile, 700-year-old sculpture openly denigrates Jews. Why is it still there?

Ed Bearss on a Smithsonian Associates tour of the Antietam battlefield.

What Made Ed Bearss a Rock Star of Civil War History

On any battlefield, he struck the mystic chords of memory

Some Covid-19 patients are reporting that foods including coffee, chocolate and red wine smell awful.

Why Covid-19 Patients Are Suffering From Distorted and Phantom Smells

An increasing number of patients are reporting awful scents that aren’t present

A child sleeps in his parents bed.

Researchers Say the Purpose of Sleep Shifts During the ‘Terrible Twos’

A multidisciplinary team offers up an exact age when REM sleep decreases

Marble Canyon, Grand Canyon, Arizona, U.S. Down on the mile-deep floor of the Grand Canyon, the stillness allows the subtlest natural sounds to emerge, from the call of a peregrine falcon overhead to the scamper of a scorpion underfoot. Rock layers tell their own story, revealing nearly two billion years of geology. But the serenity is no longer guaranteed. It is frequently broken by air tours. In 1999, Senator John McCain of Arizona introduced a law that helped cut down on this persistent source of human noise. But up to 400 flights still cross the canyon or fly below the rim each day.

Photographs From the Last Quiet Places on Earth

Little can compare to the healing power of silence

A portrait in marble of the emperor, circa A.D. 60.

Nero, History’s Most Despised Emperor, Gets a Makeover

For nearly 2,000 years, the Roman ruler has been depicted as an egotistical monster who fiddled while Rome burned. But is this image accurate?

Are there other imaging agents hiding in plain sight?

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

Could Tattoo Ink Be Used to Detect Cancer?

A new study on medical imaging agents shows common pigments and dyes could help with early diagnosis

Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, left, and Cuban President Fidel Castro, center, are seen outside the Hotel Theresa in the Harlem neighborhood of New York.

Fidel Castro Stayed in Harlem 60 Years Ago to Highlight Racial Injustice in the U.S.

The Cuban revolutionary shined a light on the stark economic disparities in America, much to the chagrin of the U.S. government

Pirsig’s 1966 Honda Super Hawk motorcycle, featured in his novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values.

Why Robert Pirsig’s ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’ Still Resonates Today

The author’s meditation on technology treads a whole new path in the modern, digital world

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Alexander von Humboldt

Alexander von Humboldt: The Man History Forgot

Rediscover the 19th-century naturalist who traveled on four continents, wrote 2,500 letters, 36 books and hugely influenced early America

When Alexander von Humboldt (right) traveled to England in 1790, he met a young chemist named James Smithson, the founder of the Smithsonian. Humboldt's influence still resonates throughout the massive museum and research complex.

Alexander von Humboldt

How the Revolutionary Thinker Alexander von Humboldt Helped to Create the Smithsonian

The 19th-century polymath continues to influence the Institution’s research; a major Smithsonian exhibition explains how and why

Badger Clark in 1954.

Saddle Up With Badger Clark, America’s Forgotten Cowboy Poet

The unsung writer, known to many as “Anonymous,” led a life of indelible verse

This marks the first time the fossil has been back in America since 1847, when it made its way through Europe and ultimately ended up at The Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt in Germany.

Alexander von Humboldt

This Mastodon Is a Centerpiece of an Art Exhibition. Why?

Meet the hugely influential Alexander von Humboldt, who foretold of climate change and inspired artists, writers and presidents

A humpback whale breaches off the coast near Alameda, California. Ships collide and kill an estimated 80 endangered whales a year off of the West Coast.

Innovative New Whale Detection System Aims to Prevent Ships From Striking Animals

Whale Safe launches in Southern California waters to help reduce deaths of the iconic marine mammals

The Virtual Online Museum of Art (VOMA) features art by global artists, including "Pinga," a powder-coated steel sculpture by Misha Milovanovich.

Education During Coronavirus

The World’s First Entirely Virtual Art Museum Is Open for Visitors

VOMA—the Virtual Online Museum of Art—is a free and fully immersive art experience

Teaching computers to assess the emotional tone of a piece of writing—a task called sentiment analysis—is becoming more widely used as researchers, companies and even mental health professionals delve into people’s social media musings for insights.

How Algorithms Discern Our Mood From What We Write Online

While sentiment analysis is far from perfect, it distills meaning from huge amounts of data—and could one day even monitor mental health

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