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Articles

Before the Civil War, There Were 8,000 Different Kinds of Money in the U.S.

It wasn’t until after the war that the U.S. started to really use the dollar

The lodge at Bolivia’s Chacaltaya Glacier was once the world’s highest ski resort—until the glacier melted away almost entirely in just 20 years. The lodge closed its ski facilities in 2009 and stands today amid a rocky, almost snowless moonscape.

As the World Warms, the Future of Skiing Looks Bleak

Climate change is delivering serious wounds to the winter sport all over the globe

Mr. Spacely takes a swing from his flying golf cart (1962)

A Futuristic Golf Game in the Sky

In the year 2062, you really, really don’t want to hit a ball out of bounds

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Beyond the Childhood Dinosaur Phase: Why Dinosaurs Should Matter to Everyone

Dinosaurs can help us unlock essential secrets about the history of life on Earth

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Your Guide to Selecting the Best (or Is It Worst?) Ugly Christmas Sweater

Holiday cheer with a touch of nostalgia celebrates garish knitwear from the 1940s to ‘80s

A new study shows that microscopic barbs allow porcupine quills to slice into flesh easily and stay there stubbornly.

Could Porcupine Quills Help Us Design the Next Hypodermic Needle?

Microscopic barbs allow porcupine quills to slice into flesh easily and stay there stubbornly—qualities that could prove useful in medical applications

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Start Hoarding Your Beans, Thanks to Climate Change, $7 Coffee May Be the Norm

Starbucks most expensive cup of coffee to date raises the question, how high can we go?

Shimabukuro considers himself a traditional ukelele player, though his fans encompass young and old.

Hawai`i’s Troubadour of Aloha

An upcoming documentary will highlight Hawaiian ukulele-playing sensation Jake Shimabukuro, who performed for Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific American Center

In 1921, a miner found Kabwe 1, also called the Broken Hill Skull.

Four Species of Homo You’ve Never Heard Of, Part II

The history of anthropology is littered with many now-defunct hominid species that no longer have a place on the human family tree

The Lake Ellsworth drilling camp

British Scientists Will Drill Through Three Kilometers of Ice Into an Ancient Antarctic Lake

More than a decade of planning will come together this week for a five-day push through three kilometers of ice

A reconstruction of Irritator

I is for Irritator

The name of the long-snouted dinosaur Irritator hints at the troubled history surrounding the spinosaur’s classification

Another medicinal tattoo of the Kayan

Can Tattoos Be Medicinal?

In his travels around the world, anthropologist Lars Krutak has seen many tribal tattoos, including some applied to relieve specific ailments

The artist who transformed the Hirshhorn will be in the building Thursday to explain why.

Events December 11-13: The Interviewer, The Conservator and the Provocateur

This week, talk with artist Lincoln Schatz about his new video portrait, conservators for the Smithsonian, and artist Barbara Kruger

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Should Trophy Hunting of Lions Be Banned?

Some argue that tourist safari hunts generate important money for African nations—but can lions afford the loss?

Did Deinonychus and other “raptors” use their foot claws to restrain prey?

How Did Raptors Use Their Fearsome Toe Claws?

Claw Shapes: A Glimpse Into the Lifestyle of Raptors?

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Quirky Holiday Gift Ideas for Science Nerds

A roundup of unique (if impractical) science gifts, from glass anatomical models to retro adding machines

Part rocking chair, part charging station

10 Gifts to Celebrate Innovation

From glasses that fight jet lag to a plant that waters itself to a rocking chair that fires up the iPad, here are presents no one will forget

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What Prehistoric Reptile Do These Three-foot Claws Belong To?

Claws once thought to belong to a giant turtle turned out to be from one of the weirdest dinosaurs ever found

Motopia as illustrated in 1960 by Arthur Radebaugh for “Closer Than We Think”

Motopia: A Pedestrian Paradise

Visit the futuristic town where drivers and non-drivers live in perfect harmony

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Where to Watch the Biggest Waves Break

From Waimea Bay to “Mavericks,” here are some superb sites to watch surfers catch the biggest breakers in the world this winter

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