Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Articles

Solar Panels in the Screens of Smartphones Could Power the Devices

Kyocera unveils a prototype for a phone with a layer of transparent crystals in its screen that helps to charge it both indoors and outside

None

Announcing the Finalists of the 12th Annual Smithsonian.com Photo Contest

See the finalists of our 2014 photo contest and vote for the Readers’ Choice winner

A closeup of the Ledi jaw taken just steps from where it was found in the Afar region of Ethiopia.

Anthropocene

Oldest Human Fossil Unearthed in Ethiopia

At about 2.8 million years old, the Ledi jaw may belong to “the stem for the Homo genus,” according to its discoverers

Dog sled racing is a classic bit of fun in Alaska. But as that state warms, organizers are having to move or cancel races.

Anthropocene

While the U.S. East Shivers, Unusual Heat Stirs Trouble Across the Globe

Cancelled dog-sled races and restless grizzly bears serve as reminders that global warming is still at work

The impact of EnChroma sunglasses: the left shows what a wearer with red-green colorblindness would typically see. The right shows what they see while wearing the sunglasses.

A Scientist Accidentally Developed Sunglasses That Could Correct Color Blindness

The California company EnChroma is creating lenses that allow some to see colors for the first time

An unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) / drone used for aerial surveillance is flying in the air.

Want to Fly a Drone? Here’s Where You Can Do It (Legally, at Least)

As personal and commercial drones become more prevalent, how are state and federal legislators responding? Explore with this interactive map

Wildlife photographer Christophe Courteau, 46, was taking snaps of a group of silverback gorillas in the forest of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda when the alpha male of the family began to charge at him.

Can a Gorilla Really Get Drunk From Bamboo?

A photographer was punched by an allegedly drunk gorilla—but wildlife biologists are crying foul

Doing science in the field wrecks havoc on the nails

Just Another #ManicureMonday for Women Scientists and Their Dirty Nails

For a Smithsonian researcher, Monday is a day to honor the women in science and other uses for nail polish

FireCast 2.0 targets the most fire-prone buildings, many of which haven't been inspected in years.

How Data and a Good Algorithm Can Help Predict Where Fires Will Start

The New York City Fire Department is using a tool called FireCast to predict which buildings are most likely to have fires

A man overlooks a canyon, filled with glacial meltwater from the surrounding mountains, near Athabasca Falls.

The Beautiful Canadian Rockies Shine in the Photography of Chris Burkard

Known for his work with surfers, Burkard traveled to a much colder climate to immerse himself in a new world

Best Space Photos of the Week

These Cosmic Eye-Poppers Include a Technicolor Comet and an Impossible Black Hole

An ancient monster and a turquoise bay feature among our picks for the week’s best space pictures

This "smart" mattress cover can track sleep patterns along with respiration and heart rates.

This Week in Crowdfunding

A “Smart” Mattress Cover and Other Wild Ideas That Just Got Funded

Don’t have a green thumb? A sensor for your potted plants alerts you when they need watering

Leonard Nimoy in his role as Mr. Spock, the logical, pointed-eared First Officer from the planet Vulcan of the starship Enterprise, on the TV series "Star Trek."

A Smithsonian Curator Reflects on Leonard Nimoy’s Passing and Why “Star Trek” Fans Loved Him

Nimoy, who was best known for his role as the deeply logical Mr. Spock, dies at age 83

Skiing toward the breaking waves on a slush-covered beach.

Anthropocene

How “Slurpee” Waves Formed Along a Nantucket Beach

New England’s record cold created the perfect conditions for waves of slush, offering an unusual opportunity to ski on the beach

Use Virtual Reality to Eliminate That Pain in Your Neck

Altering visual perceptions can trick the brains of chronic sufferers so they can enjoy pain-free motion

A Prado visitor touches a 3-D printed replica of a contemporaneous copy of the "Mona Lisa."

Please Touch the Art: 3-D Printing Helps Visually Impaired Appreciate Paintings

The new “Touching the Prado” exhibit in Madrid showcases 3-D replicas of paintings, so blind visitors can feel key works of art

One of two newly installed wind turbines at the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower Gets a Green Upgrade

The landmark now has two wind turbines above its second level

7 , 5 ° Rø, designed by German artists Wolfgang-A. Lüchow, Sebastian Andreas Scheller and Anja Kilian, offers a unique take on space by dividing the suite into 12 frames, each at an angle of 7.5 degrees from the other, forming a spiral-like suite that creates the illusion of infinity.

The Making and Remaking of the Original Ice Hotel

Often imitated but never duplicated, the world’s original ice hotel turns 25 this year

Chuck Brown (1936-2012), the Godfather of Go-Go, owned this six-string Gibson guitar, now in the collections of the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum.

Chuck Brown’s Guitar Drove the Musician’s Persuasive “Wind Me Up” Rhythm

The Godfather of Go-Go’s family recall how the musician crafted the innovative sound that would define a local tradition

Soldiers with the 173rd battle company, on a battalion-wide mission in the Korengal Valley in the village of Yakachina, Oct 19, 2007

The Courageous Photography of Lynsey Addario

The award-winning photojournalist has spent her adult life capturing the world in crisis, but now she chronicles her own life story

Page 564 of 1324