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Samba school Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel performs at the sambodromo during the carnival of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 03 March 2014.

World Cup 2014

Samba and Sway to These Brazilian Songs Compiled By Smithsonian Folkways

Take a virtual tour through the country’s diverse musical traditions

The Gurranes — Moonlight, Castletownshend, Ireland, 2005

11 Photographs of Mysterious Megaliths

Photographer Barbara Yoshida traveled across the globe to capture prehistoric stone monuments shrouded in moonlight

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Tech Watch

With $20 And Some Cardboard, You Too Can Enter Google’s Virtual World

A new project from the tech giant hopes to entice developers by creating a low-cost platform users can assemble on their own.

More than 1,200 newspapers serve ethnic communities across America. Current front pages from some of those publications are on display at the Newseum.

Washington, D.C.

News For All: How the Immigrant Experience Shaped American Media

From Benjamin Franklin to Noticiero Univision, the Newseum discusses the profound influence of immigrants on modern news

A vendor offers dates for sale on a roadside, as Muslims across the world prepare for the holy month of Ramadan, in Peshawar, Pakistan.

Five Ways to Eat Dates

During the month of Ramadan, millions of Muslims break fast with the superfood

Satay at Lau Pa Sat in Singapore

Three International Twists on BBQ

This summer, ditch the tired menu of burgers and hot dogs, and instead, try grilling Turkish kofte or slathering fish in Singapore’s spicy sambal sauce

A group of Chilean devil rays basking in shallow waters around an underwater mountain near the Azores.

New Research

Chilean Devil Rays Found to Be Among the Deepest-Diving Animals in the Ocean

The surface-dwelling marine creatures regularly dive more than one mile deep, scientists find

Itinerant African American musicians played to so many different audiences that they had to be as versatile as a jukebox.

Before There was the Blues Man, There Was the Songster

A new release from Smithsonian Folkways celebrates the diverse sounds of turn-of-the-century itinerant musicians

New fabrication techniques and digital technologies are expanding the possibilities of the analog medium.

Forget Vinyl. Forget the Cloud. In the Future We’ll Listen to Music on UV-Cured 3D-Printed Resin

Musicians, developers, and inventors prove that there’s more to records than vinyl

The current go-to method for testing blood-alcohol is a breathalyzer. But lasers could help police officers detect drunk drivers as soon as next year.

Tech Watch

Lasers Could Detect Drunk Drivers On The Road

Polish researchers say they have developed a method to check blood alcohol levels through car windows

The Scoop works like a mini sound mixer.

Tech Watch

Having Trouble Hearing? There’s An App For That

Called the Scoop, this earpiece is a mini-mixer, allowing the wearer to adjust to his or her environment.

Mixing caipirinhas, the popular Brazilian cocktail made with cachaça, on Ipanema Beach.

World Cup 2014

You Know Rum—But What Is Cachaça?

Get to know Brazil’s most popular alcohol

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Washington, D.C.

Please DO Touch the Dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum

This summer an augmented reality exhibit transports visitors back to the Cretaceous period when dinosaurs ruled the land

Sunrise over Convict Lake

15 Beautiful Reader-Submitted Photos Celebrate Yosemite on Its 150th Birthday

To celebrate the park’s enduring beauty, check out some incredible Yosemite pictures from our photo contests

A pre-war daguerrotype of James R. McClintock. Inventor, likely crook, possible spy.

The Amazing (If True) Story of the Submarine Mechanic Who Blew Himself Up Then Surfaced as a Secret Agent for Queen Victoria

The leading mechanic of the famed H.L. Hunley led quite the life, if we can believe any of it

Document Deep Dive

A Deeper Look at the Politicians Who Passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Fifty years later, a dive into what it took to make the historic legislation law

Harry Rossoll, who drew a popular "Smokey Says" newspaper cartoon in the mid-1940s, modeled his sketches after the campaign hat he wore as a member of the United States Forest Service.

Before Pharrell, Smokey Bear Donned This Now-Trendy Hat As a Symbol of Fire Safety

This is the story of Smokey Bear’s hat, and how it was lost—twice—before finally joining the collections at the Smithsonian

Imperiled survivors: A herd migrates across Chad, once home to tens of thousands of elephants. After a surge in poaching, only about 1,000 remain.

The Race to Stop Africa’s Elephant Poachers

The recent capture of a notorious poacher has given hope to officials in Chad battling to save the African elephant from extinction

Rise of the Sea Urchin

In the icy waters off Norway, one intrepid Scot dives deep to satisfy the latest fjord-to-table craze at Europe’s finest restaurants

How Scientists Are Using Games to Unlock the Body’s Mysteries

They’re not just for kids anymore

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