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Articles

Throughout the mid-1800s, improvements on the spectroscope allowed physicists to more accurately measure the wavelengths of light and identify new elements—like helium.

How Scientists Discovered Helium, the First Alien Element, 150 Years Ago

First found only on the sun, scientists doubted the mysterious element even existed for more than a decade

Milwaukee Bucks center Lew Alcindor (13), later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Los Angeles Lakers center Wilt Chamberlain, left, at the L.A. Forum on November 21, 1970.

A Brief History of the One-Size-Fits-All Tube Sock

Originally marketed as sportswear, the tube sock became a stylish accessory thanks to Farrah Fawcett and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

At the National Portrait Gallery's inaugural American Portrait Gala, Franklin was honored in 2015 with a Portrait of the Nation Prize.

Museum Curators Reflect on the Legacy of the Queen of Soul

Aretha Franklin dies at 76; her memory lives on at the Smithsonian in artwork, photographs and other ephemera

Some of the ‘remarkable beetles’ Wallace collected in Borneo.

Tracing Alfred Russel Wallace’s Footsteps Through the Jungles of Borneo

A biologist treks to the site where the little-known naturalist penned a paper on evolution that would spur on a rivalrous Charles Darwin

How Accurate Is the Theory of Dog Domestication in ‘Alpha’?

The “boy and his dog” tale is a piece of prehistoric fiction, but scientists are uncovering the true origins of our incredible relationship with dogs

These electrode-embedded chopsticks can simulate saltiness.

Using Electric Currents to Fool Ourselves Into Tasting Something We’re Not

Nimesha Ranasinghe is bringing a new dimension to virtual reality, embedding electric taste simulation technology into utensils

With "Hey Jude," (above: the Smithsonian's 45 rpm single), the Beatles "seem to have struck their most resonant chord," says John Troutman, the curator of American music at the National Museum of American History.

“Hey Jude” Still Makes Everything “Better, Better, Better”

The Beatles’ biggest single hit skyrocketed on the charts in August of 1968

The dairy aisle

Nut Milks Are Milk, Says Almost Every Culture Across the Globe

Even though the dairy industry may not like it, labeling the juice from almonds and soy beans ‘milk’ follows centuries of history

A proposed street of the future could be made of hexagonal blocks containing lights.

Rethinking How We Build City Streets

Sidewalk Labs envisions modular streets that can morph to meet the everyday needs of a neighborhood

Elephants, which can weigh up to 100 times as much as humans, should be riddled with cancer—but they aren't.

Cancer Is One Worry Elephants Can Feel Free to Forget

The gentle giants’ cells contain a tumor-fighting self-destruct button.

Vuë de la Ruë grande vers l'Eglise du Sud des Presbiteriennes a Boston. Augsbourg, 1778

European Printmakers Had No Idea What Colonial American Cities Looked Like, So They Just Made Stuff Up

To satisfy customers hungry for visions of the British colonies, these artists created wildly imaginative and inaccurate scenes

Apple I

The Computers That Changed the World

A Seattle museum keeps its vintage computers in working order, so that visitors can experience the evolution of the machine

Smithsonian Voices

Why Curators Killed Hatcher, the 66-Million-Year-Old Triceratops

The popular dinosaur has a new starring role in the upcoming “Deep Time” exhibition—a meal for T. rex

Sparrow Mart

This Los Angeles Grocery Store Has 31,000 Items — and You Can’t Eat Any of Them

Browse rows of Butterfingers, ramen packets and “fresh” produce crafted out of felt

Scarlet macaws are native to the tropics. So how'd they end up in New Mexico?

A Macaw Breeding Center Supplied Prehistoric Americans With Prized Plumage

This yet-undiscovered breeding center is likely one of the first instances of exotic animal husbandry in the region

Beer-drinking cups being excavated at Khani Masi held some of the earliest chemical evidence of beer. Researchers had to take extra precautions to avoid contaminating the cups with modern compounds.

Ancient Ceramic Cups Reveal Oldest Direct Evidence of Beer in Mesopotamia

Researchers are working on resurrecting the recipe

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