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Articles

Being Selfish Is a Winning Life Strategy, For a While

Dominating and controlling others is the best way to get ahead, until you come up with a like-minded opponent

Om nom nom

Antibiotics May Be Making You Fat

By wiping out gut bacteria, researchers found that antibiotics could make mice fat

Biking while wearing stretchy knit hot pants, 1972

Hit-Making Hot Pants

In 1971, the eye-popping short shorts fad caught the attention of pop singers

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Birmingham’s Smoking Dinosaurs

In 1938, awful dinosaurs roamed Birmingham, England

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Your Mouth-Watering Roundup of the Best State Fair Foods

The top five foods from this year’s state fair season are so bad they’re good

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Researchers Working on a “Chill Pill” for Sharks

In response to stress, sharks can undergo dangerous changes in blood chemistry, so scientists are attempting to develop a solution

The birdcage dress is always a favorite with partygoers. Or, if you’re looking for something a bit more low-key, try on a flower mask. (No birds were harmed in the making of this illustration.)

Going Out This Weekend? Try Some Dress-Up Ideas from the Collection

Birdcages, floppy hats and shamrock hats–that’s right, it’s party night at the Smithsonian Libraries

Visitors can now enjoy the antics of the Zoo’s three-month old fishing cat kittens.

Baby Fishing Cats Up the Zoo’s Cute Factor

More from the Zoo’s baby boom, three-month-old kittens frolic on display

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The Unbuilt High-rise Designs of Rem Koolhaas and OMA

The radical, unbuilt high-rises designed by Rem Koolhaas are witty, subversive, and surprisingly simple

View of the “kurgan” burial mounds at Berel in East Kazakhstan

Burial Mounds Preserve Culture of Ancient Nomads in Kazakhstan

A new exhibit at the Smithsonian Sackler Gallery brings nomadic Kazakh culture to Washington, D.C., for the first time, shedding light on ancient trade

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Bicentenaria and the Rise of the Coelurosaurs

Paleontologists describe a new dinosaur that yields clues about how one of the most spectacular groups of theropods got their start

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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