Articles: News & Features | Smithsonian Magazine

Virtual Superhuman Powers Translate into Real Life Helpfulness

Thinking like a superhero in virtual reality may induce people to be more helpful in real life

January 31, 2013

Americans Buy So Many Wings, They’re Now the Most Expensive Part of the Chicken

Each February, the nation’s thirst for chicken wings hits the roof, making the delicate wing the most expensive bit of the bird

January 31, 2013

How to Tour Louis Armstrong’s New Orleans

Jazz is synonymous with the Big Easy, and there’s no bigger name in the history of the genre than Satchmo

January 31, 2013

The utterly strange-looking star-nosed mole sees the world with one of the most sensitive touch organs in the animal kingdom.

How the Star-Nosed Mole ‘Sees’ With Its Ultra-Sensitive Snout

The utterly strange-looking creature sees the world with one of the most sensitive touch organs in the animal kingdom

January 30, 2013

These Machines Will Be Able to Detect Smells Your Own Nose Cannot

We’re getting closer to the day when your smartphone knows you have a cold before you do

January 30, 2013

Doug E. Fresh (shown above, performing at the Legends of Hip Hop Tour in February 2011) was a beatboxing pioneer in the 1980s.

Beatboxing, as Seen Through Scientific Images

To see how certain sound effects are humanly possible, a team of University of Southern California researchers took MRI scans of a beatboxer in action

January 30, 2013

About 15 miles north of Quito, a yellow line representing the Equator runs up a long, regal walkway to the base of the Mitad del Mundo monument, built in 1979. The thing is, they built the structure several hundred feet south of the true Equator.

Much Ado About Nothing at the Equator

Just north of Quito stands a grand and glowing tribute to one of Ecuador’s proudest features: the Equator. The problem is, it was built in the wrong place

January 30, 2013

How Did Avocados Become the Official Super Bowl Food?

Did you know this off-season penchant for guacamole is an industry creation?

January 30, 2013

1913 Nickel Could Sell for More Than $2 Million

The coin is one of only five 1913 Liberty Head nickels known to exist, though this one has an illicit, serendipitous back story

January 30, 2013

Walter Cronkite gives a tour of the home office of 2001 on his show The 21st Century (1967)

3D-TV, Automated Cooking and Robot Housemaids: Walter Cronkite Tours the Home of 2001

In 1967, the most trusted man in America investigated the home of the 21st century

January 29, 2013

Feral Cats Kill Billions of Small Critters Each Year

A new study shows that cats—especially feral ones—kill far more birds and small mammals than scientists previously thought

January 29, 2013

Falernum, a syrup that originates in Barbados, pairs nicely with rum.

Falernum: The Elusive Cocktail Syrup to Name Drop At Your Next Party

This tiki-era mixer, best served with rum, has a hazy past and an island-y bite

January 29, 2013

Coming Out of the Closet May Be Good For Your Health

For lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals, a new study suggests that coming out provides a tangible health benefit, both mentally and biologically

January 29, 2013

After Eleven Years, the DSM-5 Is Finally Finished

After eleven years, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has updated the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

January 28, 2013

The Berger Cookie is Baltimore’s Gift to the Chocolate World

For nearly 200 years, the true black-and-white cookie has been delighting residents of Charm City

January 28, 2013

If you can name these dashing gentlemen, you’re off to a good start for Thursday’s rock-and-roll trivia night at the National Portrait Gallery.

Events January 29-31: Ancient Chinese Artifacts, Opera Masters and Rock-and-Roll Trivia

This week, see chinese artifacts once collected in a New Jersey apartment, learn about two of opera’s greatest composers and show off your rock knowledge

January 28, 2013