Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Articles

Plants are keeping time.

The Next Pandemic

To Make Precision Medicine, Scientists Study the Circadian Rhythms in Plants

Biologists are taking a close look at how precisely calibrated timekeepers in organisms influence plant-pathogen interactions

H1N1 influenza virus particles shown in a colorized transmission electron micrograph

The Next Pandemic

Scientists Are One Step Closer to a “Personalized” Flu Shot

While still decades away, new research shows how custom vaccines could be developed

New York Seen from the Terrace [Nueva York desde la terraza] by Rufino Tamayo, 1937

A Mexican Painter Changed by the City, Changes Art 

“In New York, I went berserk over painting,” said Rufino Tamayo, whose works are now on view in a new retrospective

Stanford scientists are building up an archive of mosquito sounds.

The Next Pandemic

Before You Swat That Mosquito, Record It on Your Cell Phone

That’s the strategy behind Abuzz, a crowdsourcing project designed to track mosquito activity around the world

The Ten Best STEM Toys of 2017

Kid tested and parent approved, these tech toys stand out for holiday wish lists

In the film, Whoopi Goldberg emphasizes that ignorance does not equate with evil, and that people are capable of broadening their outlooks when presented with diverse narratives.

‘The Problem with Apu’ Does More Than Pick Apart a ‘Simpsons’ Stereotype

This new documentary tackles Asian representation in media with humor and poise

Libby’s continues to fiercely compete with pumpkin pie peddlers Borden’s, Snowdrift and Mrs. Smith’s for a place on the Thanksgiving table.

The Invisible Way That Marketers Set the Menu for Your Thanksgiving Feast

Advertising from decades ago put in place the traditions we hold dear each year

The Orient Express circa 1883

What Was the Inspiration for “The Murder on the Orient Express”?

Agatha Christie wrote her famous detective novel based on an even more famous kidnapping

This drug delivery system folds up to fit in a capsule, then would reopen in the stomach

Can Digital Pills and Drug Delivery Systems Get People to Take Their Meds?

They are among new approaches to dealing with a big problem in American health care

The proof is in the lack of pudding.

Why You Won’t See Pudding on the Thanksgiving Table

The once-classic American dish has been widely replaced with the casserole—thanks in part to anti-immigrant sentiments

Theatergoers will find Coco to be a powerfully communicated story about the importance of family, community, a sense of belonging, tradition and remembrance.

Did Disney Pixar Get Day of the Dead Celebrations Right in Its Film ‘Coco’?

Smithsonian folklorist Cynthia Vidaurri says: “It’s complicated”

Cabins like these in Laurel Valley are similar to those in the area at the time of the Thibodaux Massacre.

The Thibodaux Massacre Left 60 African-Americans Dead and Spelled the End of Unionized Farm Labor in the South for Decades

In 1887, African-American cane workers in Louisiana attempted to organize—and many paid with their lives

The Ten Best Books About Food of 2017

Hungry minds would enjoy one of these illuminating books about the world of food and drink

A medium-size passenger jet burns roughly 750 gallons of fuel per hour.

Future of Energy

Can Sugarcane Fuel Airplanes?

Scientists have engineered sugarcane to increase its oil content, and they are developing renewable jet aircraft fuel from the oil

The Ten Best Board Games of 2017

Want to be a hit at your next party or family gathering? Bring a board game.

Page 360 of 1327