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Articles

Scientists Spot Beautiful Optical Illusion at Bottom of the Sea

More than 6,000 feet under the surface of the ocean, the extreme conditions can play tricks on your eyes

Decommissioned oil rigs attract both sea life and scuba divers.

American South

The Gulf of Mexico’s Hottest Diving Spots Are Decommissioned Oil Rigs

These artificial reefs are proving to be prime habitats for a plethora of sea creatures

As a person with autism, Grandin is deeply familiar with the anxiety of being in an unfamiliar environment. She has used her uncommon insight into the experience of livestock to invent a number of systems for improving livestock handling.

Temple Grandin’s Pig-Stunning System Came to Her in a Vision

Patented 20 years ago, the invention never took off. But the renowned animal science professor still thinks its time may come

Marking the entry point for Section 14 is the sculpture Agua Caliente Women by artist Doug Hyde.

How the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Held On in Palm Springs

The one-mile square area, known as Section 14, competes for sovereignty with the wealthy in Southern California

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Smithsonian Voices

Smithsonian Paleontologist Hans Sues Is Taking Your Questions About Dinos, Humans and Even, Cats

Smithsonian’s new YouTube series, “The Dr. Is In.”

The Italian poster was created for Lamarr's 1946 World War II film, I Conspiratori (The Conspirators). Her image reflects the allure that led to her being called the “most beautiful woman in the world.”

Ingenious Women

Thank This World War II-Era Film Star for Your Wi-Fi

As the National Portrait Gallery acquires a film poster of Hedy Lamarr, it’s worth reflecting on her double life as an actress and a pioneering inventor

A partially exposed, 65-million-year-old fish from the Tanis deposit in North Dakota.

Fossil Site May Capture the Dinosaur-Killing Impact, but It’s Only the Beginning of the Story

The Tanis site in North Dakota contains evidence of the asteroid impact that killed off the dinosaurs

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Smithsonian Voices

Meet Native Fashion Designer Norma Baker-Flying Horse, Creator of Red Berry Woman

This year, Paris Fashion Week featured her work. “To be a Native American designer showing for the Fashion Week Studio was amazing.”

A man smokes a cigarette as he talks to an armored guard at a protest in People’s Park circa May, 1969, in Berkeley, California.

Scenes From 50 Years Ago This Spring, When Americans Turned Out to Protest the Vietnam War

In Los Angeles, Boston and New York, students and veterans alike challenged the government’s ongoing support for the lengthy war

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Smithsonian Voices

How Time-Based Media Intersects With Perspectives From the LGBTQ Community

The curator of time-based media at the Smithsonian American Art Museum talks about upcoming initiatives emphasizing women artists and LGBTQ+ perspectives

Cherry blossoms in peak bloom on April 1, 2019 at Washington's Tidal Basin.

Take In the Scene of Washington’s Cherry Blossoms at Peak Bloom

The trees’ spring beauty should be on full display for about a week, the National Park Service reports

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Smithsonian Voices

Works of Pioneering Photographer Constance Stuart Larrabee to Be Digitized

The work of Constance Stuart Larrabee, a pioneering photographer, will soon be digitized

The team with the metamaterial. Reza Ghaffarivardavagh is front-center, Xin Zhang is rear-center.

This New Material Acts Like a Giant Mute Button

The metamaterial silences noise while allowing for airflow, making it a potential soundproofing material for airplanes, HVAC and more

Typical Tiwanaku-period offerings at Khoa Reef in Lake Titicaca, Bolivia, including stone carvings and sacrificial animal bones.

Before the Inca Ruled South America, the Tiwanaku Left Their Mark on the Andes

Artifacts including gold medallions and sacrificial llama bones reveal the ritual pilgrimages taken around Lake Titicaca

The years when the teenage Lincoln was an accomplished prankster are retold in an old Smithsonian radio broadcast.

When Abraham Lincoln Played Prankster-in-Chief

Old is new again, as Smithsonian’s Sidedoor podcast revisits a radio drama from 1938

Rod Serling working at his Westport, Connecticut, home in 1956.

Pop History

An Early Run-In With Censors Led Rod Serling to ‘The Twilight Zone’

His failed attempts to bring the Emmett Till tragedy to television forced him to get creative

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Smithsonian Voices

25 Things to Do at the Smithsonian in April

25 Things to Do at the Smithsonian in April

The Patents Behind Basketball

This March Madness consider how the sport has evolved in its 128-year history, through innovations in ball design, hoops and training devices

This moth specimen was mistakenly identified as a butterfly in 1793, leaving biologists to wonder what happened to the missing "butterfly" for more than 200 years.

One of the ‘Rarest Butterflies Ever’ May Have Been a Moth All Along

A species description from more than two centuries ago has fooled scientists until now

Mi Vida by Jesse Treviño, 1971-73

How American Artists Engaged with Morality and Conflict During the Vietnam War

The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s new show documents the turbulent decade and the provocative dialog happening in a diverse art community

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