Articles

A replica of a Peking Man, or Homo erectus, skull on display in China.

The Mystery of the Missing Hominid Fossils

Seventy years ago, an important collection of "Peking Man" fossils disappeared in China. They are still missing today

The craze for collecting toy soldiers began with the French in the 18th century. In this scene, British foot soldiers attack a French officer.

The Great Battles of History, in Miniature

At a museum in Valencia, Spain, over one million toy soldiers stand at attention, prepared to reenact the wars that shaped the world

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The Most Pungent Prize: Hunting the Truffle

“As a journalist working on a story about truffles, it felt like risky business. There’s a lot of cash flowing around, there’s a black market”

The Portrait Gallery's Model Hall is an "architectural boast of the first order."

Amy Henderson: American History On-Site in Washington, DC

The Portrait Gallery's Cultural Historian Amy Henderson discusses the sites and scenes on a walking tour of Washington, D.C.

Violette Szabo was awarded the British George Cross and the French Croix de Guerre.

Behind Enemy Lines With Violette Szabo

She was young, married and a mother. But after her husband died in battle against the Nazis, she became a secret agent for the British

Shrimp and rice grits.

Rice Grits: Southern Comfort Food From Flaws

Nearly all of the intact grains were exported, but Carolinians developed a fondness for the faulty brokens, or middlins, that stayed at home

A tyrannosaur bursts from the pages of Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Lost World'

Dinosaur Sighting: Hardcover Tyrannosaurus

The "Library Phantom" strikes again, and transforms a copy of The Lost World into a prehistoric scene

A woolly mammoth sinks into the tar at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles.

Annalee Newitz of io9: Why I Like Science

Best of all, science is a story with an open ending. Every discovery ends with more questions

The kindness of strangers can pay dividends.

A Game Where Nice Guys Finish First

Researchers found that when it comes to building social networks, people much prefer someone who likes to cooperate over a person who looks out for himself

May 28, 1954 Collier's magazine cover

Weather Control as a Cold War Weapon

In the 1950s, some U.S. scientists warned that, without immediate action, the Soviet Union would control the earth's thermometers

The Tyrannosaurus in Fantasia was given a nearly-accurate, tail-off-the-ground pose like this mount of Gorgosaurus at the American Museum of Natural History.

Disney’s Age of Dinosaurs

As ugly as they were, some of Fantasia's dinosaurs were ahead of their time

A Depression-era hobo–one of thousands who traveled the roads and rails of the United States during the 1930s.

Making the Rounds With Santa Claus Smith

For six years, an elderly tramp toured the U.S., paying those who helped him with checks for sums of up to $900,000

Heo Yoon Jeong performs on the janggu as part of the Tori Project.

Events Dec. 5-8: Through the Eye of the Needle, Basket Weaving, Holiday Tour, and the Tori Project

This week, see the premiere of a documentary, learn the art of basket weaving, take a holiday tour, and see a groundbreaking musical performance

In this image from Science on Ice, graduate student Maria Tausendfreund collects a water sample from an Arctic melt pond during a brief period of 'ice liberty.'

A Holiday Gift List for Science Lovers

Some books, toys, art and clothing for the scientist or geek in your life

A plate of pizzelle

Inviting Writing: Must-Have Holiday Foods

Tell us, by Friday, December 9, what lengths you've gone to for your favorite celebratory dishes

The skeleton of Oreopithecus bambolii

Human Evolution’s Cookie Monster, Oreopithecus

For the past 60 years, scientists have argued over the enigmatic, human-like fossils of the nine-million-year-old Italian ape

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Unflinching Portraits of Pearl Harbor Survivors

Seventy years after the day that lives on in infamy, the soldiers stationed at Pearl Harbor recall their experiences

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Thinking About the End of Film

Film is dying, according to several reports. Or maybe it isn't. Alexander Payne, among others, chimes in

Department of Anthropology Staff, 1931

A History of Anthropological Work at the Smithsonian

Early research by the Smithsonian revealed the origin of thousands of mysterious earthen mounds across the country

Bones from the foot of a hadrosaur attributed to Edmontosaurus annectens

A Detailed Guide to a Hadrosaur’s Foot

This is not super-sexy research, but some of the biggest gaps in our understanding about dinosaurs involve relatively simple things

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