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Articles

A reproduction 5th century Corinthian helmet given by a visiting Greek Army officer. It's become the logo for "The Art of War – Gifts of Peace" initiative.

At an Army Base in Kansas, There’s a Secret Collection of Incredible Finds

Are these priceless artifacts or worthless trinkets? No one knows for sure, but a local art gallery is pitching in to find out

Some parents cut a cake, while others release pink or blue balloons from a box.

What Does the Gender Reveal Fad Say About Modern Pregnancy?

A new ritual speaks to anxieties surrounding the medicalization of childbearing

An extensive longitudinal study looks at the connection between childhood environment and diseases in adulthood.

Your Childhood Experiences Can Permanently Change Your DNA

An investigation into more than 500 children shows that upbringing can have dramatic effects on human health

How Agriculture Came to Be a Political Weapon—And What That Means for Farmers

In his new book, Ted Genoways follows a family farm and the ways they’re impacted by geopolitics

570 stone weirs dot the coastline of Penghu.

These Massive Land Art Constructions Are Actually Ancient Fishing Weirs

Stone tidal traps were built off the coast of Taiwan as early as the Qing Dynasty

Armenia

Armenia Might Be One of the Oldest and Youngest Beer-Making Countries in the World

Art Meets Science

See the Sounds of the Amazon in This Mesmerizing Video

Artist Andy Thomas helps people experience nature in a new way

The Hirshhorn purchased all four current installments of artist Ragnar Kjartansson’s ongoing video series Me and My Mother,” including any future installments.

Why the Artist Ragnar Kjartansson Asked his Mother to Spit On Him

The Icelandic performance piece Me and My Mother is latest Hirshhorn acquisition

The Juggling Genius of Paul Cinquevalli

Remembering a showman who gave his life to his craft

Researchers have devised a new way to monitor sleep stages without sensors attached to the body.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

This Device Uses Radio Waves To Track How You’re Sleeping

Scientists think it could help them better understand progression of chronic diseases like Parkinson’s

Tuna isn't always what it claims to be.

What’s Really in That Tuna Roll? DNA Testing Can Help You Find Out

This rapidly evolving tech aims to empower consumers and shine a light on the food industry

APVA Jamestown Memorial Church, 1607 James Fort

The Misguided Focus on 1619 as the Beginning of Slavery in the U.S. Damages Our Understanding of American History

The year the first enslaved Africans were brought to Jamestown is drilled into students’ memories, but overemphasizing this date distorts history

Tyler Lyson at the site for the Hadrosaur femur

The Ultimate Summer Camp Activity: Digging for Dinosaurs

Meet the intrepid teenagers and teenagers-at-heart who swelter in the heat hunting for fossils

J. Ralph (left) and Sting (right), the night's honorees. Visible in the foreground is Sting's 1978 Stratocaster guitar, which is now a part of the Smithsonian collections.

Acclaimed Musicians Sting and J. Ralph Spread Social Justice Through Song

The Smithsonian honors two composers whose work and philanthropy are inextricably linked

Yes, oysters can get herpes.

Oysters Can Get Herpes, And It’s Killing Them

A deadly virus threatens to decimate oyster populations around the world

The smart bin prototype

The Innovative Spirit fy17

A Smart Recycling Bin Could Sort Your Waste for You

It’s sometimes difficult to know where to put different types of plastic, but computer vision could remove any confusion

Developers are breathing new life into indoor shopping malls.

The Transformation of the American Shopping Mall

Headlines claim malls are dying, and some are. But many others are having second lives as churches, schools, hospitals, even farms

Aerial view of Pennsylvania Station

Five Architects on the One Building They Wish Had Been Preserved

From an elegant solution to urban density to a magnificent financial hub

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