Articles: News & Features | Smithsonian Magazine

Four New Red Panda Cubs at the National Zoo

The National Zoo welcomes four new red panda cubs

July 22, 2011

Several crocodile species are known to attack humans

Most of us never come in contact with a deadly predator, but there are still enough encounters to remind us that humans are not the top of the food web

July 22, 2011

S’mores: More American Than Apple Pie

Marshmallows are from Egypt; chocolate is Mesoamerican. But Graham crackers were invented—or at least inspired—by a Connecticut Presbyterian minister

July 22, 2011

Line drawings of the skulls of Acristavus (top), Maiasaura (middle), and Brachylophosaurus (bottom)

Acristavus: North America’s New Hadrosaur

Dinosaurs with weird structures such as sails and arrays of horns often make the news, but in this case, the lack of specialized structures is important

July 22, 2011

The Mystery of Murray Hall

Hall realized his death would set off a national political scandal, inspiring the genuine wonder that he had never been what he seemed

July 21, 2011

Visitors participating in the "Forensic Friday" event at which a child's cast iron coffin and other skeletal remains from the Richards Family Crypt are analyzed by Dr. Doug Owsley and Kari Bruwelheide. This Friday’s guest is the FBI Explosives Unit

Weekend Events July 22-24: Forensic Science, a Summer Concert and an Afternoon of Poetry

July 21, 2011

Bananas have been cultivated for thousands of years. But are the days of the familiar Cavendish numbered?

Taming the Wild Banana

When and where did people learn to cultivate one of our favorite snacks?

July 21, 2011

Kersey in 1957. Although Jack Merriott's watercolor presents an idealized image of the village – it was commissioned for use in a railway advertising campaign – it does give an idea of just how 'old' Kersey must have looked to strangers in the year it became central to a 'timeslip' case.

When Three British Boys Traveled to Medieval England (Or Did They?)

A 1957 “time traveler” recalls “a feeling of unfriendliness and unseen watchers which sent shivers up one’s back”

July 21, 2011

South America’s First Dinosaur Tracks

Tracks now readily recognizable as belonging to dinosaurs were once attributed to prodigious birds and other creatures

July 21, 2011

A leatherback turtle is just one of many predators in the ocean

Where the Pacific’s Predators Go

Scientists have found that predator species trade off between prey availability and water temperature in their travels

July 21, 2011

Iron Chef-Style Showdown Sunday at the American Indian Museum

Mitsitam Cafe’s own Chef Richard Hetzler does battle against Chef Don McClellan (Cherokee) using ingredients of the Three Sisters–corn, beans and squash

July 21, 2011

Welcome to Past Imperfect

Past Imperfect is history with all the interesting bits left in. It’s a blog about the larger than life and the strange but true; about memorable names and faces, times and places, told with passion and precision. We don’t expect the blog to have too many limits-we plan to take you to the furthest reaches […]

July 21, 2011

The Champ has been used in experiments to see if depressed people are more likely to cry than non-depressed people.

The Saddest Movie in the World

How do you make someone cry for the sake of science? The answer lies in a young Ricky Schroder

July 20, 2011

The List: Seeing Red? Celebrate Mars Day at Air and Space

Celebrate Mars Day this Friday at the National Air and Space Museum

July 20, 2011

American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music

“American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music,” invites visitors to explore the Latino music, a sound that is at once distinctive, and all-American

July 20, 2011

DIY Carbonation: The Fizz Biz Lifts Off

The gadget’s entry into the U.S. market comes as economic, environmental and health concerns have converged with an interest in do-it-yourself everything

July 20, 2011