Why Do Some People Thrive on So Little Sleep?
Short sleepers cruise by on four to six hours a night and don’t seem to suffer ill effects
Missed the Auroras in May? Here’s How to See Them Next Time
Three veteran aurora chasers and a NASA scientist share everything you need to know to check these dazzling displays off your bucket list
How Did Humans Evolve to Use Everyday Tools?
An anthropologist explains why we experience many objects, from tennis rackets to cars, as extensions of our bodies
What We’ve Learned Through Sports Psychology Research
Scientists are probing the head games that influence athletic performance, from coaching to coping with pressure
Thirteen Discoveries Made About Human Evolution in 2023
Smithsonian paleoanthropologists reveal some of the year’s most fascinating findings about human origins
How Stone Walls Became a Signature Landform of New England
Originally built as barriers between fields and farms, the region’s abandoned farmstead walls have since become the binding threads of its cultural fabric
Could Humans Survive Unprotected Outside of Earth’s Atmosphere for Even Ten Seconds?
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
When Did Humans Start Settling Down?
In Israel, new discoveries at one of the world’s oldest villages are upending the debate about when we stopped wandering
Fourteen Discoveries Made About Human Evolution in 2022
Smithsonian paleoanthropologists reveal the year’s most riveting findings about our close relatives and ancestors
Our Ancestors Ate a Paleo Diet, With Carbs
A modern hunter-gatherer group known as the Hadza has taught researchers surprising things about the highly variable menu consumed by humans past
Why Do Some Humans Love Chili Peppers?
An anthropologist traces the origins and paths of one of his favorite kinds of plants
This Is the Oldest Human-Made Object in the Smithsonian Collections
Roughly two million years ago, simple items like the Kanjera tool sparked a revolution in the way humans lived
Why Humans Sleep Less Than Their Primate Relatives
Ancient humans may have evolved to slumber efficiently—and in a crowd
Seven New Things We Learned About Human Evolution in 2021
Paleoanthropologists Briana Pobiner and Ryan McRae reveal some of the year’s best findings in human origins studies
Five Ways Humans Evolved to Be Athletes
An archaeologist explores how our prowess in sport has deep roots in evolution
Women in Science Propose Changes to Discriminatory Measures of Scientific Success
The scientists advocate shifting the current value system, which is biased against women and minorities, towards a more diverse and inclusive model
Why Do Older Individuals Have Greater Control of Their Feelings?
Psychologist Susan Turk Charles talks about findings that reveal the elderly have higher emotional well-being
14 Fun Facts About the Science of Motherhood
A short list of the amazing changes and behaviors that transform both humans and animals on the journey of motherhood
Why You Can’t Spot a Liar Just by Looking
Psychologists say you can’t confirm deception by the way a person acts—but experts are zeroing in other methods that might actually work
How Film Helps Preserve the World’s Diversity
The Smithsonian’s Human Studies Film Archive houses eight million feet of film which can help future generations reflect on the past
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