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The U.S. Coast Survey map calculated the number of slaves in each county in the United States in 1860.

These Maps Reveal How Slavery Expanded Across the United States

As the hunger for more farmland stretched west, so too did the demand for enslaved labor

A red-winged blackbird, the males of which (pictured) feature bright red spots. Females, on the other hand, are a mottled brown.

New Research

Drab Female Birds Were Once As Flashy As Their Male Mates

Biologists always assumed that sexual selection primarily drove differences in looks between male and female birds, but a new study challenges that notion

Monks lead a candlelight procession around the ordination hall during Vesak celebrations in rural Nakhon Nayok, Thailand.

Photos: Vesak, Buddha’s Birthday, As Celebrated All Across Southeast Asia

One of the holiest Buddhist holidays, Vesak marks the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha

A drawing of the West Indian or Caribbean monk seal based on a specimen collected in Matanzas, Cuba.

New Research

For the First Time in More Than 100 Years, Scientists Discover New Seal Genus

The now extinct Caribbean monk seal shares an evolutionary connection with the endangered Hawaiian monk seal—one more reason to save the species

Water extracted from beneath California’s San Joaquin Valley keeps farm fields green. But it may also be affecting earthquakes in the region.

New Research

Pulling Water Out of the Ground May Lead to Quakes on the San Andreas Fault

Ground movements linked to water extraction may change stresses on the fault famously responsible for California earthquakes

Tuberculosis Pavilion Lobby

Exploring New York City’s Abandoned Island, Where Nature Has Taken Over

Nestled in between the Bronx and Manhattan, North Brother Island once housed Typhoid Mary, but now is an astonishing look at a world without humans

In her seminal rose diagram, Florence Nightingale demonstrated that far more soldiers died from preventable epidemic diseases (blue) than from wounds inflicted on the battlefield (red) or other causes (black) during the Crimean War (1853-56). “She did this with a very specific purpose of driving through all sorts of military reforms in military hospitals subsequent to the Crimean War," says Kieniewicz.

Art Meets Science

Infographics Through the Ages Highlight the Visual Beauty of Science

An exhibit at the British Library focuses on the aesthetic appeal of 400 years of scientific data

Man posing with construction workers at the top of the Washington Monument. The first restoration of the Monument began in 1934 as a Depression-era public works project.

Washington, D.C.

Historic Photos of Washington’s Great Monuments, Memorials and Buildings Under Construction

Take a step back in time to see the building of some of D.C.’s most famous icons

The mash floor of George Washington's Distillery. The 210 gallon boiler, left, heats water to 212 degrees so it can be used to make mash in the barrels on the right.

Washington, D.C.

Long Before Jack Daniels, George Washington Was a Whiskey Tycoon

The Founding Father spent his post-presidency years presiding over a booming alcohol business

A view of the Tidal Basin with the Jefferson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr., Memorials.

Washington, D.C.

The Best View of Washington is Now Open to the Public

Take in views of our nation’s capital from the Washington Monument, more than 500 feet about the National Mall

Letters written by Abraham Lincoln

Letters from Mothers to President Lincoln

A sampling of motherly missives to the president

Bees from a single species aren't as effective in pollinating as bees from a diversity of species, a new study shows.

New Research

A Diversity of Bees Is Good for Farming—And Farmers’ Wallets

A new study shows that if more species of bees are available to pollinate blueberry flowers, blueberries get fatter

Advertisement for a United stateroom trunk, 1911, with the familiar proportions of a modern suitcase.

The History of the Humble Suitcase

Modern luggage has been constantly reinvented during its short 120-year history

10 Things Science Says About Being A Mom In 2014

Among them: she usually underestimates the height of her youngest child and her diet when she conceives could change her offspring’s DNA.

Brown and Silver: Old Battersea Bridge, James McNeill Whistler, 1859—1863

Washington, D.C.

See 19th-Century London Through the Eyes of James McNeill Whistler, One of America’s Greatest Painters

The largest U.S. display in 20 years of Whistler artworks highlights the artist’s career in England

A c. 1945-1947 postcard from Florida's Gerbing Gardens depicts the sunken pool and fountain, framed in marigolds and azaleas.

Gardens May Change From Season To Season, But Their History Lives On At the Smithsonian

Smithsonian Gardens announces a new digital archive to collect the stories, photographs, legend and lore of America’s gardens and gardeners

Think Big

Watch the Universe Evolve Over 13 Billion Years

A new computer simulation, called Illustris, can take you on an epic journey through space and time

One of the National Zoo's new lion cubs, born this spring.

Meet the Babies of the National Zoo

The National Zoo is home to babies of all species this Spring. You can just smell the cuteness in the air

Around three billion people worldwide depend on rice for their diet. But a new study finds that rice and other crops grown under high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide results in lower levels of some nutrients.

New Research

More Carbon Dioxide in the Air Makes Some Crops Less Nutritious

Crops such as rice and wheat have lower concentrations of some nutrients when they’re grown under an atmosphere with higher levels of the greenhouse gas

Daiquiri mixing machines at Wet Willie's.

The Surprising History of Making Alcohol a Powdered Substance

A startup is seeking approval to sell alcohol in tiny inconspicuous packets. But the science is decades old

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