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Energy Innovation

Document Deep Dive: The Patent for the First Practical Solar Cell

See how three scientists at Bell Laboratories in 1954 invented the silicon solar cell that became the model for converting sunlight into electricity today

This statue of King Kamehameha in Honolulu is paired with another that resides in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall.

Happy King Kamehameha Day!

Celebrated in Hawaii and in D.C., June 11 honors the unification of the Hawaiian islands

Do cats always land on their feet? Scientists figured out the answers to this and other pressing questions once and for all.

Do Cats Always Land on Their Feet? (and Other Absurd Scientific Studies)

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Scientists figured the answers to this and other pressing questions once and for all

“Rainbow Ice” is a top selling flavor for Dippin’ Dots.

Is Dippin’ Dots Still the “Ice Cream of the Future”?

How founder and CEO Curt Jones is trying to keep the tiny ice cream beads from becoming a thing of the past

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The Vibrant Patterns of Portuguese Men-of-War

Beachgoers despise the stinging animals, but photographer Aaron Ansarov finds surreal beauty in them

White-tailed deer making do in a harsh winter wonderland.

Deer May Be Peeing Themselves Out of Their Favorite Winter Habitats

Special patches of trees shield deer from harsh winter weather, but deer urine stimulates growth of competitive plants in those havens

The logo for the NSA’s PRISM project

400 Words to Get Up to Speed on Edward Snowden, the NSA And Government Surveillance

NSA’s PRISM, monitoring the internet, and the recent history of domestic surveillance

Baltimore’s waste-to-energy station creates energy by incinerating waste. Learn about whether or not this process is right for DC in a talk at the Anacostia Community Center on Tuesday.

Events June 11-13: Waste-to-energy, Teenage History Stars and the World’s Best Nature Photos

This week, learn about an alternative way to save energy, see the work of National History Day contestants and see nature like you’ve never seen it before

Emerging research indicates that low doses of the active chemical psilocybin can have positive psychiatric effects.

Could “Magic” Mushrooms Be Used to Treat Anxiety and Depression?

Emerging research indicates that low doses of the active chemical psilocybin, found in the fungi, can have positive psychiatric effects

Can this little thing really ride hurricane winds?

How Swarming Drones Can Explore a Hurricane

A University of Florida engineer is building a squadron of hand-sized drones that he says will be able to gather data as they ride on hurricane winds

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Warming, Rising Acidity and Pollution: Top Threats to the Ocean

Since the last World Oceans Day, we’ve documented trash in the deep sea, sea snails with acid-weakened shells, high ocean temperatures and more

A Galactic GPS System That’s Now in the Works Could Help Our Descendants Navigate Through the Universe

The International Space Station aims to be testing out an interplanetary GPS system by 2017

Designer Kate McLean creates detailed smell maps of cities around the world, such as this map of the the “Smelliest Block in New York.”

Mapping the Smells of New York, Amsterdam and Paris, Block by Block

Designer and cartographer Kate McLean charts the sweet scents and pungent odors that fill a city’s olfactory landscape

‘Whoomp! (There It Is)’ Still Makes $500,000 a Year

BMW Guggenheim Lab, Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin

From New York to Mumbai, the Top 100 Design Trends of the Urban World

From micro apartments in New York City to the slums of Mumbai, these are the issues currently obsessing designers around the world

The way a baby chimpanzee gestures to her mother resembles how a human infant interacts with its mother.

Gestures of Human and Ape Infants Are More Similar Than You Might Expect

Comparing the body language of baby chimps, bonobos and humans suggests that gesticulation came first in the evolution of speaking

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Is Spaghetti and Meatballs Italian?

The classic dish can be found in red-and-white tablecloth spots across the United States, but there’s a fascinating history behind where it got its start

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Scientists Discover the Genetic Reason Why Birds Don’t Have Penises

Developing bird embryos do have penis precursors, it turns out, but a genetic signal causes the penis cells to die off during gestation

Learn about Central American ceramics on Sunday in a pottery festival at the American Indian Museum.

Events June 7-9: A Chinese Action Film, Craft Day and Central American Pottery

This weekend, solve a 1920s Shanghai mystery, learn to make crafts from the experts and discover Central America’s past through its ceramics

A Neanderthal rib bone was discovered to have a lesion associated with a tumor (top specimen). The missing bone tissue is starkly apparent compared to a normal Neanderthal rib shown below.

Evidence for the Oldest Ever Bone Tumor Was Just Found in a Neanderthal Fossil

A 120,000-year-old rib bone, originally found in Croatia, shows that tumors aren’t always caused by exposure to pollution

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