Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Articles

Flooded streets in Kolkata following heavy June rains Elsewhere in the country, flooding from the monsoon was much more extensive.

5,700 Dead As India Struggles With Changing Monsoon

As the climate changes, India’s monsoon is changing with it

The Battle of Chapultepec, which resulted in a U.S. victory, was waged on September 13, 1847 in Mexico City.

Brainpower and Brawn in the Mexican-American War

The United States Army had several advantages, but the most decisive was the professionalism instilled at West Point

None

When Lettuce Was a Sacred Sex Symbol

For nearly 3,000 years lettuce was associated with the Egyptian god of fertility, Min, for its resemblance to the phallus

ARBIMON—a system of distributed recording stations and centralized analysis software—was used to track populations of the endangered plains coqui frog, in Puerto Rico.

A New Technology Can Remotely Analyze an Ecosystem’s Species By its Sound

By distributing networks of microphones to wetlands and forests around the world, biologists could track biodiversity in a whole new way

Close inspection showed that a T. rex tooth was lodged in a hadrosaur’s vertebrae, the result of an ancient attack gone awry.

Caught in the Act: Scientists Find A T. Rex Tooth Stuck in a Hadrosaur Tail

The ancient attack proves once and for all that the T. Rex was a hunter, not just a scavenger

Grab some popcorn for this summer’s blockbusters.

Minions! Did You See How Much a Movie Ticket Might Cost One Day?

Best way to beat the heat, says curator Amy Henderson, is the summer blockbuster, but are they going the way of the dinosaurs

Warlpiri youth in Australia’s Northern Territory

A New Language Is Being Born in This Remote Australian Village

A unique language is being born in northern Australia

After 163 Years, India Sends Its Last Telegram

Thousands crammed into India’s telegram offices on Sunday as the 163 year old service shuts down for good

None

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Wait, Have I Been Here Before? The Curious Case of Déjà Vu

Although the strange sensation’s cause remains unknown, scientists are searching for ways to induce that nagging feeling of familiarity

None

Scientists Get Best View Yet of the Structure of Glass

The amorphous solid holds many mysteries, but a new study using a high-powered microscope shows that atoms in glass are organized into distorted shapes

Satellite imagery from NOAA shows the hurricane just a few hours ago.

Already Dealing With Deadly Flooding, China Faces Down a Hurricane

A category 2 hurricane will make landfall in southeastern China today

Rina Banerjee’s “A world Lost…” is now on view in the Sackler Gallery pavilion.

“A world Lost…” Is the Stuff of Dreams and Nightmares

Rina Banerjee weaves personal and global history into her new Sackler Gallery installation, opening July 13

The city of Shanghai presents A True Story (above), an impressive work of mosaïculture, at Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal 2013.

Horticultural Artists Grow Fantastical Scenes at the Montréal Botanical Garden

Take a peek at some of the living artwork entered in an international competition in Quebec this summer

A community of glass sponges under Antarctica’s ice.

Glass Sponges Move In As Antarctic Ice Shelves Melt

Typically slow-growing glass sponge communities are popping up quickly now that disappearing shelf ice has changed ocean conditions around Antarctica

None

These Decapitated Worms Regrow Old Memories Along with New Heads

New experiments show that beheaded flatworms can retain trained behaviors after their brains regenerate

None

Some Day Your Passwords Could Be Replaced by a Pill

Now that passwords are neither secure nor easy, what will replace them? Fingerprint scans? Electronic tattoos? A pill?

Alexander Calder’s ‘Gwenfritz’ will be reinstalled in its original location on the west side of the American History Museum in October. This mock-up shows the sculpture at its new and old home in a reflecting pool, part of Calder’s intended aesthetic.

How Do You Freshen Up an Alexander Calder? Bolt by Precious Bolt

Alexander Calder’s 40-foot black steel sculpture is getting a makeover and then returning to its original location near the American History Museum

What do you see?

Fruits and Veggies Get a Close-Up

In the darkroom, photographer Ajay Malghan creates abstract art by casting light through thin slices of produce

None

There’s an Underwater Forest Off the Alabama Coast

The trees grew on dry ground over 50,000 years ago, but were covered by sediments until Hurricane Katrina dug them up.

None

When the Sun Gets Violent, It Shoots Antimatter at the Earth

When it casts a solar flare, the Sun also launches antimatter

Page 708 of 1325