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Articles

Switzerland Just Opened the World’s Longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge

You won’t — but you definitely will — want to look down

This month, several news outlets misleadingly reported that women's birth control was causing "transgender" fish.

How One Bad Science Headline Can Echo Across the Internet

Recent articles claiming birth control causes “transgender” fish show how science communication can mislead—even when it relies on facts

How Baltimore Quietly Became the East Coast’s Next Cool City

One native Marylander travels to the city he first knew as a kid to meet the doers and dreamers driving Baltimore’s next act

Robots in the "kid-size" (really around 16 inches tall) Robocup soccer league face off. These "Rhoban" bots, built by students at the University of Bordeaux, took first place in their division in the 2017 competition.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Why Funny, Falling, Soccer-Playing Robots Matter

The 2017 RoboCup brings small changes and big competition to a broad technical challenge

The annual swan upping ceremony of the queen's swans on the Thames.

Europe

The Fascinating, Regal History Behind Britain’s Swans

The aristocratic bird’s has a legacy as a luxury status symbol that dates back centuries

This summer, Smithsonian reporters took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Freer Gallery and shot exclusive photographs of the building in its preparatory state.

Take an Exclusive Sneak Peek Inside the Renovated Freer Gallery, Reopening in October

Charles Lang Freer gifted this meditative haven for art lovers to the nation and was James McNeill Whistler’s friend and patron

The Pleistocene world was filled with megafauna like woolly mammoths and saber-tooth cats. Did humans kill them all off?

New Research

Are Humans to Blame for the Disappearance of Earth’s Fantastic Beasts?

100,000 years ago, giant sloths, wombats and cave hyenas roamed the world. What drove them all extinct?

Aurora Australis seen over Lake Dunstan, New Zealand.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

The Best Places to See the Southern Lights

The aurora australis is the southern cousin to the northern lights

If you've eaten an avocado lately, chances are it was a Hass.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Holy Guacamole: How the Hass Avocado Conquered the World

Why one California postman’s delicious mistake now graces toast and tacos from California to New Zealand

North Korean soldiers carry flags and a photo of late leader Kim Il-sung during a military parade on Saturday, April 15, 2017, in Pyongyang, North Korea.

History of Now

Why North Korea Needs an Enemy Like America to Survive

The nation’s complicated history hinges on three words that explain the totalitarian regime’s behavior

Highly social, narwhals travel in pods, often broken off by sex, and communicate via complex vocalizations that seem to be specific to their herds.

Does the Narwhal’s Majestic Tusk Have a Point?

A Connecticut dentist, turned curator of a new exhibition, has long worked to solve the secrets of the whale’s characteristic horn

There are mind-bogglingly vast quantities of alcohol in outer space. Sadly, it's so dispersed you’d have to travel half a million light years to make a pint of beer.

Guess What? Space is Full of Booze

We’ll toast to that

The Secret Ingredient in Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Is Seventh-Day Adventism

America’s favorite processed breakfast was once the pinnacle of healthfulness—and spiritual purity

The moment of impact when the trains exploded. Later, members of the audience rushed forward to collect pieces of the smoldering ruin.

A Train Company Crashed Two Trains. You Will Believe What Happened Next

When a Texas railway agent came up with a new marketing scheme, he had no idea how explosive it would be

This Breathtaking Landscape Is Canada’s Newest Protected Area

The park includes a spectacular beach described in sagas that chronicle Viking explorations of the Canadian coast

Armenia

Unraveling the Mystery of the “Armenian Stonehenge”

The slug-inspired glue is a tough adhesive that can be used for a range of applications, like closing wounds, or making adorable slug models.

Slugs Inspire Super-Strong Glue to Seal Wounds

One day this mollusc-inspired invention might just save your life

The fin of a blacktip shark glides through the waters in the Bahamas.

New Research

Ten Things We’ve Learned about Sharks Since Last Shark Week

In light of Shark Week 2017, here are some revelations about the fearsome fish we’ve made in the past year

Amelia Ceja is breaking boundaries at Ceja Vineyards, which was founded by Amelia, Pedro, Armando and Martha Ceja.

Food, Glorious Food

¡Salud! to the Mexican-American Wine Revolution

Ceja Vineyards breathes new life into Napa Valley’s wine industry

Cenote Ik-Kil, Tinúm Municipality, Yucatán, Mexico

Dive Into Five of the World’s Deepest Freshwater Swimming Holes

Take the plunge into some interesting geology

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