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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

The Muppet Show Puppeteer Frank Oz Actor poses with Muppets Fozzie Bear Miss Piggy

A Theory About Muppet Master Frank Oz

The prodigious puppeteer looks back at his most beloved creations, from Grover to Fozzie Bear

A volunteer helps redirect a stranded seabird.

Newfoundland’s Volunteer Puffin Patrol Helps Save Hundreds of Baby Seabirds Confused by Light Pollution

Baby birds leaving the nest for the first time sometimes confuse urban lights for the moon and stars as they try and head out to sea from Witless Bay

A photograph of Yamei Kin in 1912

The Chinese-Born Doctor Who Brought Tofu to America

Yamei Kin was a scientific prodigy who promoted the Chinese art of living to U.S. audiences

Betsy Congdon, lead engineer for Parker Solar Probe’s heat shield, looks on as technician Tony Ahan attaches the interface plates that will allow the heat shield above them to eventually be installed onto the spacecraft.

Behind the Scenes With the Spacecraft That Will Soar Through the Sun’s Atmosphere

The probe, which launches Sunday, will attempt to solve enduring mysteries about the sun

The corn variety Sierra Mixe grows aerial roots that produce a sweet mucus that feeds bacteria. The bacteria, in turn, pull nitrogen out of the air and fertilize the corn. If scientists can breed this trait into conventional corn, it could lead to a revolution in agriculture.

The Corn of the Future Is Hundreds of Years Old and Makes Its Own Mucus

This rare variety of corn has evolved a way to make its own nitrogen, which could revolutionize farming

More like not-so-great white shark. Like today's sharks, prehistoric sharks sported a vast array of body sizes, shapes, and ornamentations.

Megalodon Wasn’t the Only Impressive Shark in the Prehistoric Seas

No longer thought of as “living fossils,” ancient sharks sported a crazy amount of variety

Darwin, described by caretakers as a bit "goofy," befriended even the Zoo's cassowary, widely considered one of the world's most dangerous birds.

The National Zoo’s Beloved, Aging Emu Has Died

Darwin delighted zoo patrons for 21 years with his clever antics and charisma

LIDAR can detect changes in the ground over time.

Driverless Car Technology Could Help Find Unmarked Graves

The same LIDAR technology that lets driverless cars “see” their surroundings can be used to spot changes in a landscape indicative of grave sites

Nine Travel Tips From Astronauts

What can terrestrial travelers learn from people who have been to space?

Ad Astra per Astra by America Meredith

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Meet the Little-Known Math Genius Who Helped America Reach the Stars

It’s time for Mary Golda Ross to be remembered as an aerospace pioneer

The Malama Kī Forest Reserve, seen from a helicopter, has been inundated with lava. What the lava hasn't covered, volcanic gases have browned, defoliated and suffocated.

How Volcanoes Reshape Ecosystems

Volcanic eruptions change the natural world in dramatic ways

The residents and tribal members of Isle de Jean Charles are the first federally-funded community to be moved because of environmental degradation and displacement.

Prospects Are Looking Up for This Gulf Coast Tribe Relocating to Higher Ground

As Louisiana’s Isle de Jean Charles slips away, the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribe plans community renewal and a museum for their new home

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