Ask Smithsonian

A volcano can provide a great deal of geothermal energy

Could Yellowstone's Volcanoes Provide Geothermal Power and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

One of this issue's questions is about the starfish's namesake shape.

Why Are Starfish Shaped Like Stars and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

If Light Can't Escape Black Holes, How Do We Get Photos of Them... and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Does the Same Goose Always Lead the Flying V and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Could Lava Incinerate Trash and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Do Marine Mammals Yawn and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

How Come U.S. Currency Never Changes Its Face and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

What's the Difference Between Moths and Butterflies and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Ask Smithsonian

Why Don't We See Fireflies in the Western U.S.?

You asked, we answered

The handbones seen in the whale model in the center of this image tell the curious story of how whales went from land to water.

Ask Smithsonian

What’s a "Missing Link"?

While some still use the term, experts abhor it because it implies that life is a linear hierarchy

Ask Smithsonian

Who Was the First First Lady to Adopt a Cause and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Many animals, like this red sphinx cat, are bred to be hairless. Other times, animal baldness is a symptom of stress and other factors.

Ask Smithsonian

Do Other Animals Besides Humans Go Bald?

From Andean bears to Rhesus macaques, non-human mammals have hair woes of their own

A replica of Foucault's famous experiment at the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e Tecnica in Milan, Italy

Ask Smithsonian

How Does Foucault's Pendulum Prove the Earth Rotates?

This elegant scientific demonstration has been delighting everyday people for nearly 200 years

Ask Smithsonian

Can All Living Things Exhibit Albinism?

You asked, we answered

What's a dinosaur, anyways? The answer is in the evolutionary tree.

Ask Smithsonian

What Makes a Dinosaur a Dinosaur?

The question may sound like a "duh," but it gets to the heart of how we categorize and define nature

Ask Smithsonian

Do Other Animals Cry and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Ask Smithsonian

Why Do So Many Train Stations Have the Same Name?

You asked, we answered

Ask Smithsonian

When Did East Asian Countries Adopt the Western Calendar and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

How Many Ways Can Snake Venom Kill You and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

A NASA image of Hurricane Sandy moving along the United States' East Coast. Extreme weather events like this are becoming more frequent, but scientists still face challenges when attributing any one storm to climate change.

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Does Climate Change Cause Extreme Weather Events?

It's a challenge to attribute any one storm or heat wave to climate change, but scientists are getting closer

Page 3 of 8