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Smithsonian’s annual Garden Fest will be held in the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Tuesday. Come learn about composting and worm farming!

Events May 10-12: Plant Potting, Super Science Saturday and a Musical Tribute to Mother’s Day

This weekend, celebrate the earth by playing in a garden, unlock the mysteries of astronomy and take mom to hear some great classical music

Helpless babe or capable professional navigator?

Baby Weddell Seals Have the Most Adult-Like Brains in the Animal Kingdom

The newborn seal pups possess the most well-developed brains compared to other mammals, but that advantage comes with a cost

New research shows our brains have a specialized system to anticipate the location of moving objects, located in V5 region of the visual cortex.

How the Human Brain Tracks a 100-mph Fastball

Research shows that our brains have a specialized system to anticipate the location of moving objects, located in the visual cortex

The National Zoo's two giant pandas don't know how to mate with each other. But thanks to artificial insemination Mei Xiang (L) and Tian Tian (R) have produced two cubs, and a third may be on the way. Photo courtesy of the National Zoo

How Does Science Help Pandas Make More Panda Babies?

A behind-the-scenes look at the ways the National Zoo assists Washington’s most famous sexually frustrated bear couple

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What Happens When a Keyboard Goes From Tactile to Touchscreen?

There’s a word for that odd quirk of Apple iPads that hold on to design components of old keyboards

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What Phone Companies Are Doing With All That Data From Your Phone

They’re mining it and selling it. But don’t worry, it’s all anonymous. Maybe

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Interactive: The 50 Largest Ports in the World

Investigate for yourself the mechanisms of global trade

Thousands of Dutch fans celebrate a soccer match between Netherlands and Germany in the Ukranian city of Kharkiv in 2012. The fans and their German counterparts likely share hundreds of genetic ancestors from the past thousand years.

Cracking the Code of the Human Genome

My Big Fat European Family: What Genomics Tell Us About Shared Ancestors

Any two modern-day Europeans, even those living on opposite sides of the continent, may be more closely related than they might think

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PHOTOS Baby’s First Romp: Andean Cubs Play in the Rain

With their new yard baby-proofed, the two cubs took the outside for a day in the rain before their public debut Saturday

Rev. Dennis Kamakahi performs at the 2012 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards.

Hawaiian Musician Dennis Kamakahi Donates His Guitar

Slack Key guitar music sounds new notes for history of cowboys and the West in ceremony honoring the Hawaiian composer

Cavemen Used Some of the Same Words We Do

Our modern language still has some remnants of the grunting cavemen who came before us

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The History of Baseball Stadium Nachos

From a Mexican maitre ‘d’s mishap in 1943 to the gooey, orange stuff you put on your chips at the baseball game today.

Recent testing shows that, contrary to prior findings, new plastic helmets reduce the risk of concussions by 45 to 96 percent.

Are Modern Football Helmets Any Safer than Old-School Leather Ones?

Recent testing shows that, contrary to prior findings, new plastic helmets reduce the risk of concussions by 45 to 96 percent

The Hindenburg disaster was captured on camera and in eye-witness accounts.

A Hindenburg Passenger Ticket, Possibly the Only One to Still Exist, Goes On View

On the 76th Anniversary of the fiery crash, what may be the only passenger ticket to survive the crash can be seen at the National Postal Museum

In celebration of Bolivia’s culture, the American Indian Museum is holding a quinoa festival this week.

Events May 7-9: Finding Our Way, a Quinoa Celebreation and String Quartets

This week, learn how time can tell us where we are, experience Bolivian culture and listen to musicians from the Marlboro Music Festival

The creamy sticks of color seen here are just the latest in a long history of lipsticks—historical records suggest that humans have been artificially coloring their lips since 4,000 B.C.

Heavy Metals, Insects and Other Weird Things Found in Lipstick Through Time

From seaweed and beetles to lead and synthetic chemicals, lipstick has seen its share of strange—and dangerous—components

A street food market in San Andrés Cholula, in Mexico's Puebla state

What to Really Eat on Cinco de Mayo

Put down the margaritas and tacos, and pick up a chalupa

Bozie will go into quarantine for a minimum of 30 days upon her arrival at the National Zoo, per standard procedure. An expert team of elephant keepers, nutritionists and veterinarians will care for her. Following quarantine, Zoo staff will begin the process of introducing her to females Ambika and Shanthi and male Kandula.

Breaking News: Bozie the Elephant to Join National Zoo

A new Asian Elephant will soon arrive at the National Zoo, on loan from the Baton Rogue Zoo

Citizens of East Dennis, Massachusetts, filed this petition against the repeal of the Personal Liberty Laws in 1860.

African-Americans Sent Thousands of Anti-Slavery Petitions in the 18th and 19th Century

The petitions lend insight into the lives of African Americans during this tumultuous period in U.S. history, and now they’re being digitized

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg and her DNA-derived self-portrait.

Cracking the Code of the Human Genome

Creepy or Cool? Portraits Derived From the DNA in Hair and Gum Found in Public Places

Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg reconstructs the faces of strangers from genetic evidence she scavenges from the streets

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