Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Articles

Biologist Thomas Seeley says animals other than bees use swarm intelligence—including, sometimes, people.

The Secret Life of Bees

The world’s leading expert on bee behavior discovers the secrets of decision-making in a swarm

"The questions is not what you look at, but what you see." - Henry David Thoreau

Perception, Defined

The renowned author of A Natural History of the Senses visits Florida’s Morikami Japanese Gardens to examine the astonishing wealth of human perception

After playing a sad movie scene for a group of women, researchers collected their tears and placed the unidentified fluid under men's noses. The result was a reduced sexual arousal and testosterone levels.

The Truth About Pheromones

Yes, scientists say, your airborne compounds send signals about your moods, your sexual orientation and even your genetic makeup

After ruling out diet, scientists discover the secret behind blue feathers lies inside how the feathers are made.

Why Are Some Feathers Blue?

New research into a long-puzzling feature of avian life shows there’s more to color than meets the eye

None

Did the Titanic Sink Because of an Optical Illusion?

New research may have found the reason why the ship struck an iceberg: light refraction

People wait in line at the Kogi Korean BBQ truck in Los Angeles.

How America Became a Food Truck Nation

Our new food columnist traces the food truck revolution back to its Los Angeles roots

Almost a whole page of the Dictionary of American Regional English is dedicated to "wampus," a Southern term for a variety of real creatures, such as a wild horse, and imagined ones, such as swamp wampuses and whistling wampuses.

Words from the Dictionary of American Regional English

After half a century of studying jib-jabbing, linguists have just finished the nation’s most ambitious dictionary of regional dialects

On April 15, North Korea will open the tallest and swankiest building in Pyongyang, the Ryugyong Hotel.

A Fabulous New Luxury Hotel—In North Korea?

The 1,080-foot-high Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, opening in April, has also been labeled the “Hotel of Doom”

Artists such as David Hockney were inspired by the SX-70.

How the Polaroid Stormed the Photographic World

Edwin Land’s camera, the SX-70, perfected the art of instant gratification

The Contemplative Court (concept illustration) at the National Museum of African American History and Culture will feature falling water and a dramatic view.

Dream Building

You probably know Errol Morris as an Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker. Roger Ebert called his first film, Gates of Heaven, one of "the ten greatest films ever made."

Errol Morris: The Thinking Man’s Detective

The documentary filmmaker has become America’s most surprising and provocative public intellectual

According to magician Teller, "Neuroscientists are novices at deception. Magicians have done controlled testing in human perception for thousands of years."

Teller Reveals His Secrets

The smaller, quieter half of the magician duo Penn & Teller writes about how magicians manipulate the human mind

None

The Conversation

Readers Respond to the January Issue

The One: The Life and Music of James Brown by RJ Smith records, corrects and carves out historical significance of James Brown's life.

A James Brown Biography and Other Must-Read Books

This vivid new book charts the dazzling contradictions in the life of the Godfather of Soul

In Mass Effect 2, human colonies in space mysteriously vanish.

The Art of Video Games

For decades, video games have enthralled and inspired, and now they are the subject of a new exhibit that views them as serious works of art

None

Music That Rocks the Imagination

The motivation behind Quetzal’s music is stirring dreams – and helping build communities

Twilight’s Taylor Lautner

Behind the Scenes of Twilight

The wildly popular novels and movies depict werewolves as members of the Quileute Indians of Washington State – a new exhibit tells their real story

Explore installations, such as Chromosaturation, by Carlos Cruz-Diez, 1965, at the Hirshhorn until May 13.

Here & Now

The sinking of the world's most famous ship on April 15, 1912 generated waves of Titanic mania.

Why the Titanic Still Fascinates Us

One hundred years after the ocean liner struck an iceberg and sank, the tragedy still looms large in the popular psyche

A life vest from the Titanic.

From the Editor: Fateful Encounters

The Titanic and the elusive nature of perception

Page 851 of 1327