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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

Some of the best picture books of the year

Best of Children’s Books 2011: For Picture Book Readers (Part I)

As you begin your holiday shopping, review these selections of the best picture books of the year

Hawkmoths prefer columbines with long, slender spurs.

The Columbines and Their Pollinators: An Evolutionary Tale

New research provides insight into an evolutionary concept introduced by Charles Darwin

Did Kinect hackers inspire a new breakthrough in technology?

How Hackers Made Kinect a Game Changer

Machines that respond to your touch, motion or voice are making keyboards obsolete. Is your TV remote next?

The Hirshhorn Museum is illuminated red in honor of World AIDS Day

Hirshhorn Goes Red for World AIDS Day

The distinctive building is Washington, D.C.’s first structure to be illuminated red for the annual occasion

Books on Bike Perfection and Women’s Bike-Won Freedom

Women’s clothing was a problem, and to efficiently ride a bike there was only one thing to do: Take it off

Burning fat

Cooking May Have Driven Human Evolution

Why have humans and our ancestors been cooking for all this time? A first-of-its-kind study suggests cooked food gives the body a “pick-me-up”

Gorgosaurus as envisioned by Lambe. Clockwise from the upper left - standing, sitting, in repose, and feeding.

Lambe’s Lazy, Scavenging Gorgosaurus

Back when tyrannosaurs were new to science, paleontologist Lawrence Lambe cast them as bumbling scavengers that ate rotten flesh

World War II veteran Chief Joseph Medicine Crow, a featured speaker of the "Native Americans in the Military" panel.

Weekend Events Dec. 2-4: Native Americans in the Military, Dress to Empress Soiree and All About Body Art

Join a panel of Natives who have served in the armed forces, spend the night at an exclusive Chinese-themed soiree, and explore the world of tattoos

Bottlenose dolphins are good swimmers

For Dolphins, Pregnancy Comes With a Price

A bigger body means increased drag, slower speeds and greater vulnerability to predators

The "Roo de Loo" in Paris

Julia Child in Paris

Though the American chef popularized French cuisine, she hasn’t yet received her due in the city she loved

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The Latest Destination for Human Spaceflight

The latest proposed destination for human space missions illustrates the essential hollowness of the current direction of our civil space program

The ʻIʻiwi, or Scarlet Hawaiian Honeycreeper, with an elongated bill adapted for extracting nectar from flowers.

The Hawaiian Honeycreeper Family Tree

A new study unravels the relationships among a group of spectacular songbirds that diversified as the Hawaiian Islands emerged from the Pacific

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Pollster George Gallup Jr. Looks to the Year 2000

Sea otters have teeth that resemble those of Paranthropus

Strange Animal Models of Human Evolution

What do sea otters, wolves and capuchin monkeys reveal about our hominid ancestors?

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Learning to Love Sponsored Films

By any count, sponsored films are the most numerous genre of film, and they are also the ones most in danger of being lost

A reconstructed skeleton of Rapetosaurus on display at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

Inside Sauropod Armor

A hollow, thin-walled bone is not exactly the sort of structure that is going to protect a sauropod from attack—so what was its purpose?

Water crystallizes into ice at 32 degrees Fahrenheit most of the time, but not always.

Ask Smithsonian

At What Temperature Does Water Freeze?

The answer is far more complicated than it first appears—water doesn’t always turn to ice at 32 degrees Fahrenheit

Mocktails

Mocktails for Expectant Moms and Hangover-Free Holidays

Going beyond the usual soft drinks, some bars and restaurants are starting to get creative with their nonalcoholic beverages

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The Story of the Decade

The future may look bleak for many Americans, but hope is always just around the corner

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