Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Science / Human Behavior

Can a letter in your name truly affect your purchasing habits?

Does Your Last Name Affect Your Buying Habits?

Researchers claim that people with names at the end of the alphabet respond more quickly to purchasing opportunities

Repeated in pop culture for a century, the notion that humans only use 10 percent of our brains is false. Scans have shown that much of the brain is engaged even during simple tasks.

Top Ten Myths About the Brain

When it comes to this complex, mysterious, fascinating organ, what do—and don’t—we know?

None

The Curious World of Zombie Science

Zombies seem to be only growing in popularity, and I’m not talking about the biological kind

None

Is There A “Homer Simpson Effect” Among Scientists?

Despite decades of progress for women in science (and some arguments that no more is needed), the playing field still isn’t level

This is the story of a missing link that never was.

Piltdown Man, Paleoanthropology’s April Fool’s

This is the story of a missing link that never was

None

Women in Science

Smithsonian spotlights the women that are changing the face of scientific research

Under the right conditions, patterns emerge from the brain's monumental complexity.

Beauty of the Brain

Stunning new images reveal the marvelous and mysterious world inside our heads

None

How to Keep the Needles on Your Christmas Tree

Putting up a live Christmas tree can be a lot of work

From hiccups to wisdom teeth, our own bodies are worse off than most because of the differences between the wilderness in which we evolved and the modern world in which we live.

The Top Ten Daily Consequences of Having Evolved

From hiccups to wisdom teeth, the evolution of man has left behind some glaring, yet innately human, imperfections

Page 23 of 29