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The University of Coimbra’s grand old Biblioteca Joanina houses both books and bats.

Bats Act As Pest Control at Two Old Portuguese Libraries

It’s not clear how long the bats have been doing this important job

Chen Lihua is a self-made and worth $6 billion.

China Has More Self-Made, Female Billionaires Than Any Other Country

Although most women in China now hold jobs and account for about 20 percent of the country’s entrepreneurs, they are still largely subservient to men

Why Some Autistic Kids Don’t Catch Yawns

Researchers once thought it had something to do with their troubles empathizing with others, but new research suggests something different

24c Curtiss Jenny inverted block of four, 1918 This upside-down blue plane within a red frame is the most famous U.S. stamp and one of the world’s most famous printing errors. Only one misprinted sheet of 100 stamps was sold. Loan from William H. Gross.

World’s Largest Stamp Gallery to Open in Washington, D.C.

America’s most famous stamp, the Inverted Jenny, goes on permanent view for the first time in history

Once a Toxoplasma Parasite Infects Mice, They Never Fear Cats Again

Toxoplasma is estimated to infect nearly one-third of humans worldwide, but what these results mean for humans remains to be seen

Hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus)

Diana Beltran Herrera’s Flock of Paper Birds

We are not talking origami here. The Colombian artist has created paper sculptures of more than 100 species, and they are startlingly realistic

Good Cop, Bad Cop Might Not Work

By combining brute force and gentle understanding cops can get the criminal to confess to his crime. The problem is, that might not actually work

Game Over: Former Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi Dies at 85

The man who oversaw Nintendo’s transformation into a video game company died today

“The Eight Years of the War of the American Revolution,” wood engraving by John Warner Barber c 1871. You’re really going to want to zoom in on this one.

This Engraved Infographic of the Revolutionary War Is From 1871

This engraved infographic from 1871 shows the major events of the Revolutionary War, and some beautiful subtle additions

Women Can Now Map Street Harassment, One Catcall at a Time

Some, however, are doubtful that the app will actually enact any change

But… the rum’s gone!

How to Eat Like a Pirate on International Talk Like a Pirate Day

While we all have a communal sense of how pirates talked, our sense of how pirates ate lies, by comparison, in uncharted waters

Rosetta eyeing the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Europe’s Space Agency Is Going to Harpoon a Comet And Ride It Into the Sun

A three billion mile hunt will climax soon when Rosetta, quite literally, harpoons a comet

Legos Helped Restore a 3,000-Year-Old Sarcophagus

Lego platforms propped the sarcophagus in place from the inside, allowing the researchers to work on the ancient materials without fear of collapse

Edward Pickering and his female assistants, known as the “Harvard computers.”

The Women Who Mapped the Universe and Still Couldn’t Get Any Respect

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of women known as the Harvard Observatory computers helped revolutionize the science of astronomy

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This Crazy, Hacker-Friendly 3D Scanner Helps Make a Copy of Anything You Can See

A 3D scanner, similar to Microsoft’s Kinect, is coming to your mobile device

The bartending robot James is here to serve.

Bartending Robot Can Tell If a Customer Wants a Drink or Is Just Standing Around

Using videos of thirsty customers lining up for bar-side drinks, they created algorithm equivalents for “I want a drink” body language

Was Beethoven’s Metronome Wrong?

Mathematic and musical detectives have discovered that perhaps Beethoven’s tempo was so strange because his metronome was broken

Secretary G. Wayne Clough, leader of the Smithsonian, or what he calls a “self-reliant, vibrant, relevant organization.”

Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough Announces He Will Retire in 2014

The Smithsonian Institution’s 12th Secretary says he’ll step down next October

“Sonic Bloom,” a solar sculpture at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle

Energy Innovation

Sonic Bloom! A New Solar-Powered Sculpture

Dan Corson’s latest installation in Seattle—flower sculptures that light up at night—show that solar energy is viable even in the cloudy Pacific Northwest

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The Best of the Smithsonian’s Answers to #AskaCurator Tweets

The best questions and responses as pulled from Twitter

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