Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Science / Human Behavior

None

Powering the 21st Century

To Develop Tomorrow’s Engineers, Start Before They Can Tie Their Shoes

The Ramps and Pathways program encourages students to think like engineers before they’ve reached double digits

Kalelicious Smoothie Pops: A big hit at the Fancy Food Show

Food Science Brings Us Kale on a Stick and Twinkies That Last Longer

With so much interest in what’s in our meals, food innovators are focusing on making the healthy palatable.

How do we resist when burgers and bacon beckon?

Can We Be Tricked into Not Eating So Much?

Just posting calorie counts isn’t very effective. What may work, though, is framing overeating in terms everyone understands

Plant impressions found underneath a pair of ancient humans (at left) indicate they were buried atop a bed of flowers (as depicted at right).

Archaeologists Find Evidence of Flowers Buried in a 12,000-Year-Old Cemetery

Plant impressions found underneath a pair of ancient humans in Israel indicate they were buried ceremonially, atop a bed of flowers

None

Why Living in a City Makes You More Innovative

Research suggests that the more opportunities you have to connect with different people—and fresh ideas—the more creative and productive you tend to be

Our uncommon shoulder flexibility allows us to throw extremely fast, as compared to other primates—a trait we likely evolved two million years ago to aid with hunting.

How the Human Body Evolved to Throw Fastballs

Our shoulder flexibility allows us to hurl things at high speeds compared to other primates—a trait we likely evolved for hunting two million years ago

Research says dogs have learned to behave like children.

Are Dogs Now Just Furry Kids?

Research is showing how much the bonds between dogs and their owners have become like a parent-child relationship

None

Scientists Use Snails to Trace Stone Age Trade Routes in Europe

Why is a snail variety found only in Ireland and the Pyrenees? DNA analysis suggests that it hitched a boat ride with early travelers

None

This Castle’s Toilet Still Holds Parasites From Crusaders’ Feces

The presence of whipworm and roundworm eggs suggest that crusaders were especially predisposed to death by malnutrition

None

Seeing Pictures of Home Can Make It Harder To Speak a Foreign Language

Being exposed to faces or images that you associate with your home country primes you to think in your native tongue, a new study shows

Science gives fathers some props.

10 More Things We’ve Learned About Dads

Scientists keep finding reasons why fathers matter. They also think it’s not a bad idea for dads to ask their kids, “How am I doing?”

None

Cracking the Code of the Human Genome

Scientists Sequence DNA of Bacteria Responsible for Medieval Leprosy

Genetic information gathered from centuries-old exhumed bones reveals that the infection hasn’t changed much in the past 1,000 years

Languages that evolve at high elevations are more likely to include a sound that’s easier to make when the air is thinner, new research shows.

Do Geography and Altitude Shape the Sounds of a Language?

Languages that evolve at high elevations are more likely to include a sound that’s easier to make when the air is thinner, new research shows

A Neanderthal rib bone was discovered to have a lesion associated with a tumor (top specimen). The missing bone tissue is starkly apparent compared to a normal Neanderthal rib shown below.

Evidence for the Oldest Ever Bone Tumor Was Just Found in a Neanderthal Fossil

A 120,000-year-old rib bone, originally found in Croatia, shows that tumors aren’t always caused by exposure to pollution

Darwin himself considered language and fire the two most significant achievements of humanity.

Why Fire Makes Us Human

Cooking may be more than just a part of your daily routine, it may be what made your brain as powerful as it is

The Ginger.io app looks for health clues in a phone log trail.

How You Use Your Phone May Tip Off Health Problems

Among the new technology geared to preventive health care is an app that tracks your social behavior and has been described as a human “check engine” light

New archaeological analysis shows that King Richard’s remains were buried in an awkward position, leaning against the wall of a grave that wasn’t dug large enough.

New Study Finds That King Richard III Was Buried in a Hurry

The British king’s remains, discovered in a parking lot, were dropped in an awkward position in a grave that wasn’t dug large enough

None

One Day Your Phone Will Know If You’re Happy or Sad

By analyzing every tiny facial gesture, voice inflection or even how quickly we tap out a text message, devices are getting good at reading our emotions

It’s beautiful, but does it know art?

Can Brain Scans Really Tell Us What Makes Something Beautiful?

Some scientists think we’ll be able to define great art by analyzing our brains when we see or hear it. Critics say don’t hold your breath

None

The World According to Twitter, in Maps

A new geographic analysis of millions of tweets provides a remarkably broad view of humanity, by language, location and other factors

Page 16 of 29