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Should We Fall Out of Love with Robot Surgery?

The FDA is investigating whether doctors aren’t getting enough training before they start using machines to do surgery. Is the “wow” factor to blame?

The “fairy coffins” discovered on Arthur’s Seat, a hill above Edinburgh, in 1836. Were they magical symbols, sailors’ memorials—or somehow linked to the city’s infamous mass murderers, Burke and Hare?

Edinburgh’s Mysterious Miniature Coffins

In 1836, three Scottish boys discovered a strange cache of miniature coffins concealed on a hillside above Edinburgh. Who put them there—and why?

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When Modern Art Met the Classic Chess Set

How far can you push the design of a knight before it stops looking like a knight?

Learn how to knit! Classes run by Smithsonian Associates start on Tuesday.

Events April 16-18: Art Classes, 19th Century Laundry and the Peacock Room

This week, learn how to knit or make pottery, appreciate how much of a luxury your washing machine is and experience the prettiest room on the Mall

A ginger sow and her piglets at the Ginger Pig’s Yorkshire farm.

How One Family Helped Change the Way We Eat Ham

The Harris family struck gold when they introduced the ice house to England in 1856, but what were the costs of their innovation?

Educating Americans for the 21st Century

The 10 Worst Teachers and Principals From Pop Culture

From Ferris Bueller’s Day Off to Mean Girls, on-screen educators have a talent for causing trouble. Here are the worst offenders.

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If You Watch Slow Loris Videos on YouTube, Are You Threatening the Species’ Survival?

Never has been being so cute been so dangerous

Animals Use Medicine, Too

From chimps to caterpillars to birds and flies, all sorts of animals use medicine

An Asiatic black bear, also known as a moon bear

Brain Surgery Performed on a Bear for the First Time

Champa the bear has made a swift recovery following surgery at her bear sanctuary in Laos

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Why Humidity Makes Your Hair Curl

Humid air causes hydrogen bonds to form between water molecules and the proteins in your hair, triggering curls and frizz

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ stadium, PNC Park, is one of the favorites in America and has become a strong tourist draw for ballpark fanatics.

Inside the Great American Baseball Road Trip

Forget loyalty. In 2013, it’s all about the stadium, as ballpark chasers take to the road with the goal of seeing a game in every stadium on the continent

With each new frontier of exploration and travel came new challenges.

Lost in Space and Other Tales of Exploration and Navigation

A new exhibit at the Air and Space Museum reveals how we use time and space to get around every day, from maritime exploration to Google maps

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Revealed: The Part of Our Brains That Makes Us Like New Music

Imaging technology shows that a reward center known as the nucleus accumbens lights up when we hear melodies we love

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One World Government and the War of Tomorrow

In 1950, journalist Vincent Sheean argued that renouncing national sovereignty was the only way to prevent nuclear war

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When The Gap Was Everywhere

Through staged fashion shoots, an artists’ collective critiqued the ascendant sportswear retailer

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Where Have the Trees of Guam Gone?

Scientists are investigating whether the obliteration of the island’s bird species is thinning the tree canopy and could alter the forests’ structure

Grantland Rice, Gene Sarazen and Craig Wood at the 1935 Augusta National Invitational Tournament.

Agony and Ecstasy at the Masters Tournament

It would take a miracle to beat Craig Wood in 1935. Gene Sarazen provided one

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The Best Way to Handle the Coming Cicada Invasion? Heat Up the Deep Fryer

For 17 years, these insects have been lurking, waiting to return, so here are some suggestions to eat your way through the infestation

Nam June Paik’s “Video Flag” (1985-96). Celebrate the avant-garde artist’s life and work on Sunday with a symposium and performance organized by some of his most prominent contemporaries.

Events April 12-14: Experimental Films, Airplanes, Nam June Paik and Cherry Blossoms!

This weekend, watch shorts from a South Korean film festival, learn about flight, celebrate the work of an avant-garde great and enjoy the cherry blossoms

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Researchers Turn Brains Transparent By Sucking Out the Fat

By turning brains clear and applying colored dyes, connections between neuron networks can now be examined in 3D at unprecedented levels of detail

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