Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Articles

Artist Jananne al-Ani discusses her work at the Sackler Gallery this Saturday at 2pm.

Events August 24-26: Bones, Steel Pans, and Photographic Ingenuity

This weekend, bone up on your skeletal knowledge, survey new artwork from the Middle East and celebrate the steel pan

None

Why Did the Mayan Civilization Collapse? A New Study Points to Deforestation and Climate Change

A severe drought, exacerbated by widespread logging, appears to have triggered the mysterious Mayan demise

Can sensors make you jump higher?

Is That a Computer in Your Shoe?

Sensors in sports shoes get all the attention, but other devices can identify you by how you walk and help Alzheimer’s patients find their way home

None

The Robot Hall of Fame: Vote Rosey 2012

For the first time, Carnegie Mellon University’s Robot Hall of Fame is allowing the public to vote on which robots will be inducted

A row of brand new Cadillacs awaits drivers. 1917

Cadillacs, 110 Years and Going…Biking?

A staple in the collections, Cadillac marks its 110-year anniversary today as the company looks to branch out and go biking

None

Tracking Raptors

At an Early Cretaceous site in China, paleontologists have discovered a rich trove of raptor tracks

The Smoothest Con Man That Ever Lived

“Count” Victor Lustig once sold the Eiffel Tower to an unsuspecting scrap-metal dealer. Then he started thinking really big

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

Five Accidental Hominid Fossil Discoveries

Sometimes finding Neanderthals, australopithecines and other human ancestors is a complete accident

None

Playing Music as a Child Leads to Better Listening as an Adult

A new study indicates that musical instruction for just a few years during childhood can have long-lasting benefits

Simple but safe: An elaborately painted bike lane in Portland marks among the few places on America’s roadway system where cars are not allowed.

Is Portland, Oregon the Best City for Bikes in the Country?

With dedicated bike lanes and businesses catering to cyclists, the Oregon city is a true pedaler’s paradise

Alphonse Mucha in front of his first poster for Sarah Bernhardt

How Alphonse Mucha Designed the Nation State of Czechoslovakia

When the country gained its independence after World War I, Alphonse Mucha was called upon to design an important part of any country’s identity - money

A Triceratops at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.

Huge Triceratops Uncovered in Alberta

Paleontologists in Canada have just uncovered a rare, especially big Triceratops skeleton

The giant swallowtail, a Southern butterfly, has historically not been found in Massachusetts, but in recent years it has appeared more and more frequently.

New Evidence for Climate Change: Butterflies

The meticulous records of an amateur butterfly club in New England are opening a window into changes happening to the regional climate

Comic Phyllis Diller, the Betty Friedan of Comedy, Dies at 95

A collection of the standup comic’s jokes, costumes and even her signature prop–the cigarette holder–reside at the American History Museum

None

Bill Gates’ Potty Mouth – His Eco-friendly Toilet Contest Hands Out $100,000 in Prizes

None

Top 10 Chanelisms: Coco’s Wise Words to Mark Her Birthday

Today the French fashion designer’s observations seem wise, clever or amusingly dated

Literary food bloggers draw inspiration from favorite books.

From the Page to the Plate: Bringing Literary Dishes to Life

Authors like Roald Dahl or James Joyce never could have predicted that their words could be spun into these tantalizing meals

Kitchen tech teaches chefs to cut along a virtual line.

Cooking With Robots

Along with motion-sensing cameras and projectors creating augmented reality, they’ll likely be among the tools training chefs of the future

Hugo Gernsback’s 1922 proposal for a monument to Alexander Graham Bell

Crowdfunding a Museum for Alexander Graham Bell in 1922

Long before the age of Kickstarter, Hugo Gernsback used his magazine to garner interest for a monument devoted to the inventor of the telephone

An Air Force plane sprays dispersant onto the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon spill. New research could produce safer dispersants that include ingredients found in food.

An Oil Dispersant Made From Ingredients in Peanut Butter, Ice Cream and Chocolate?

New research is yielding oil dispersants that are non-toxic and prevent oil from sticking to birds and wildlife

Page 785 of 1322