Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Articles

Geckos have amazingly-structured feet, but new research indicates that the lizards' skin also possesses exceptional properties.

New Research

Water Drops Leap Off Gecko Skin Thanks to Tiny Spines

Specialized hydrophobic structures on gecko skin encourage dewdrops to be swept away by the wind or to collide and shoot off one another like pool balls

Bartender making mint julep cocktail.

Are We Re-Entering a Golden Age of American Bartending?

At the turn of the century, America was a hotbed of cocktail innovation—then Prohibition happened. Now, bartenders are trying to reclaim the golden age.

Commemorate the storied document's 800th anniversary with a few special accessories.

The Ridiculous World of Magna Carta Kitsch

Throughout the United Kingdom, retailers are going mad over an 800-year-old document

The bola, or tiŋmiagniasutit, from the collections of the National Museum of the American Indian, is featured in the video game, "Never Alone."

How a Smithsonian Artifact Ended Up in a Popular Video Game

To connect with a worldwide audience, an Alaska Native community shared its story with the creators of “Never Alone”

Bordetella phage BPP-1.

New Drawings Show the Strange Beauty of Phages, the Bacteria Slayers

Phage viruses rearrange genes, prey on bacteria and maintain microbial diversity. Can we harness them to do our bidding?

A man throws colored water as he celebrates Holi in Nandgaon, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, February 28, 2015.

Holi 2015: Stunning Photos of Holi, the Festival of Colors

Celebrated all over India and around the world, the Hindu festival heralds the beginning of spring

Scanning electron micrograph of a greenfly eye. Greenflies (aphid) have a pair of compound eyes. The small protrusion coming from the side of the eye is called an ocular tubercle, and it is made up of three lenses.

Art Meets Science

A Goat’s Stomach Never Looked So Good

Eleven venues worldwide will exhibit these 20 striking micrographs, MRI scans and illustrations—all winners of this year’s Wellcome Image Awards

The Well of Death came from the American motordome racing popular in the early 1900s.

India’s Dying Well of Death

Brave stuntmen have long been riding the near-vertical walls of India’s Well of Death—but the popular spectacle is on the decline

None

Ask Smithsonian: Will the Leaning Tower of Pisa Ever Topple?

Imperceptible changes are occurring, but no worries, a collapse is not in the forecast

The Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama

Who Was Edmund Pettus?

The march to freedom started on a bridge that honors a man bent on preserving slavery and segregation

A reader can point a smartphone at the pages of this children's book to reveal surprising animations.

This Week in Crowdfunding

An Augmented Reality Children’s Book, Bacon Jerky and Other Wild Ideas That Just Got Funded

Never worry about halitosis again with the Breathometer Mint bad breath tracker

Best Space Photos of the Week

These Cosmic Visions Include a Mars Ocean and a Supernova Quartet

The red planet’s deep blue sea and a rare Einstein cross feature among the week’s best space images

How Close Are We to Creating a Real-Life Chappie?

Despite the potential danger, some scientists believe it’s only a matter of time before autonomous sentient robots walk among us

A Norwegian Company is Transforming Deserts Into Farmland

Solar power plants in Qatar and Jordan, not far from the sea, are powering desalination systems that irrigate plants in and around greenhouses

A dog sitting in a field of wildflowers in California's Anza Borrego Desert State Park.

American South

Best Places to See Wildflowers Around the United States

Snow and cold got you down? Remember, spring is around the corner, and that means wildflowers

Dragonfly wings have a complex, rigid surface that is maintained by a network of veins. The subtle colors of this immature Black Meadowhawk are caused by sunlight reflecting off the not-quite transparent wings.

Think Big

These Dragonflies Helped an Astronomer Find Ghostly New Galaxies

A Yale scientist set out to capture the insect’s full lifecycle and ended up discovering hidden wonders of the cosmos

A student uses the Skill Champ app, which emphasizes visual learning.

Smart Startup

These Apps Help Kids With Autism Learn Basic Skills

Infiniteach, a Chicago startup, is building learning tools for the one in 68 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders today

None

New Research

How Praying Mantises Can Jump Faster Than the Blink of an Eye

Stunning slow-mo videos capture juvenile mantises as they corkscrew through the air and precisely land their target

Killer whale mothers know best.

New Research

After Menopause, Killer Whale Moms Become Pod Leaders

When their reproductive years are done, females take on new roles as wise survival guides

Page 563 of 1324