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Ask Smithsonian 2017

Which Seat Should You Pick at the Movie Theater?

When you walk into a theater, you’re probably still going to argue with your friends about which seat to pick. But now you know the right answer

This Man Made the First Canned Cranberry Sauce

How Marcus Urann’s idea revolutionized the cranberry industry

Before Trivia Nights, Bars Had Turkey Raffles

There were lots of ways you could win the turkey at the bar. They all involved drinking

Resurrection Bay, Alaska (1939), by Rockwell Kent

Art Meets Science

Art Chronicles Glaciers As They Disappear

The Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington, is exhibiting 75 works of art pulled from the past two centuries—all themed around ice

Bodies of would-be native mates may have nourished this invasive female M. caffra, here pictured laying eggs.

New Zealand’s Native Mantises Are a Little Too Attracted to Invasive Females

Nearly 70 percent of love-blinded males that were lured towards the invasive females were then eaten by the object of their desire

Here’s How Astronauts Will Eat Thanksgiving Dinner in Space

Yum yum yum, irradiated smoked turkey and thermostabilized yams

Can This Water-Recycling Shower Save $1,000 in Bills?

A Swedish industrial designer hopes his unique filtration system is the answer for rising water costs

This menorah made by Manfred Anson (1922-2012), an immigrant to the United States celebrates American and Jewish traditions.

This One-of-a-Kind Menorah Represents the True Spirit of Thanksgivukkah

A Hanukkah tradition melds with an icon of Americana

One species ant can build floating rafts (above), resilient bridges and temporary shelters using nothing but their own bodies.

Watch Fire Ants Use Their Bodies To Form Living Architecture

One species of ant can build floating rafts, resilient bridges and temporary shelters using nothing but their own bodies

The Microbes Living in Our Bodies Were Probably Once Evil Pathogens

The Salmonella of the past may today help us break down food in our gut, for example

It’s time to give thanks for your taste buds.

10 Things We’ve Learned About Taste

Do following rituals before a meal make the food taste better? What about the ambience of the room in which you’re eating it?

This Spray-On Fabric Is a Wardrobe In a Can

Inspired by silly string, British designer Manel Torres’ spray-on clothing is re-wearable and recyclable

Lumbini in Nepal, identified as the Buddha’s birthplace

Archeologists Think They’ve Unearthed the Buddha’s Nativity Site

Legend has it that the Buddha’s mother, Queen Maya Devi, birthed her son at Lumbini while clutching the branch of a tree at that temple’s garden

Playing Sports Is Getting Too Expensive for Many Kids’ Families

Organized sports are really expensive, and informal practice grounds are disappearing

Soon this field in inner-city Detroit could be lined with maple trees.

Can Planting Gardens and Orchards Really Save Dying Cities?

Urban planners sure hope so, particularly in places like Detroit where a company plans to start filling abandoned lots with small forests

George Mallory, far right in the back row, during an Everest expedition in 1921.

George Mallory’s Frozen Body May Have Been Discovered Decades Earlier on Everest

Frank Smythe may have spotted Mallory’s body in 1936, but kept the news to himself out of respect for the fallen mountaineer

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Your Life Experiences Aren’t So Special—Here’s Proof

There’s this feeling that each of us is wandering through life, the unique product of our own past and our own experiences.

The seahorse may appear ungainly, but it’s actually a sophisticatedly engineered copepod-killing machine.

The Seahorse’s Odd Shape Makes It a Weapon of Stealth

The shape of the seahorse’s snout and its painfully slow movements create help create minimal water disturbance, increasing its odds of bagging prey

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With 502,165 Bulbs, Australian Man Retakes World Record for Most Christmas Lights on a Single Home

David Richards first claimed that title back in 2001, with a paltry 331,038 lights, but last year he was overtaken by a New York family

Cracking the Code of the Human Genome

Here’s Why the FDA Is More Than a Little Freaked Out by Personal Genetic Testing

Really, this debate isn’t about 23andMe, but about a broader question of how to deliver and interpret personal genetic data

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