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Innovation

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Virtual Travel

Travel the Globe—and Beyond—From Your Living Room

From virtual museum tours to space exploration, ancient worlds and natural phenomena, this hub has you covered

Jason Hayman, managing director of Sustainable Marine Energy, checks out Plat-I, the company’s primary project.

Planet Positive

The Push for Tidal Power Faces Its Biggest Challenge Yet

The renewable energy source has never quite lived up to its potential, but a new experiment in Nova Scotia could flip the script

Insect expert Dan Babbitt talks about the Chilean Rose Tarantula on “Smithsonian Science How,” a video series for students

Smithsonian Voices

Seven Ways to Learn About Natural History From Home

Deepen your understanding of the natural world with these free resources

Planet Positive

Six Crazy Attempts to Geoengineer the Weather

These scientists and inventors set out to change the planet with these out-of-the-box ideas

The EVA of Astronauts James Irwin, or Apollo XV EVA, Pierre Mion.

I Was Among the Lucky Few to Walk in Space

On July 31, 1971, Al Worden performed the first deep-space extra-vehicular activity. “No one in all of history” saw what he saw that day

Documents from the Smithsonian's "Jogbra, Inc. Collection" include the company's marketing and advertising materials (above).

How the First Sports Bra Got Its Stabilizing Start

It all began when three frustrated women sought the no-bounce zone

Frea is a year-old, zero-waste vegan restaurant in Berlin.

The Rise of ‘Zero-Waste’ Restaurants

A new breed of food establishment is attempting to do away with food waste entirely

Isle au Haut thoroughfare

A Tiny Island Off the Coast of Maine Could Be a Renewable Energy Model for the Rest of the World

Remote Isle au Haut is integrating time-tested technology with emerging innovations to create its own microgrid

In this photo taken on March 6, 2020, primary school teacher Billy Yeung records a video lesson for his students, who have had their classes suspended due to coronavirus, in his empty classroom in Hong Kong.

Education During Coronavirus

What Happened When Hong Kong’s Schools Went Virtual to Combat the Spread of Coronavirus

A temporary solution during months-long school shutdowns, the online classrooms may be an experiment the rest of the world can learn from

The Microbus revolutionized the automobile industry just as America's social revolution was beginning.

How the Volkswagen Bus Became a Symbol of Counterculture

Seventy years ago, the German car manufacturer started producing the Microbus—the first van and a striking vehicle for protest

The military latched on to the trampoline as a training device for pilots, to allow them to learn how to reorient themselves to their surroundings after difficult air maneuvers.

How the Trampoline Came to Be

Inspired by circus performers, George Nissen created the bouncing ‘tumbling device’ that still captures imaginations 75 years later

Elisabeth Moss in The Invisible Man

Science in the Movies

‘The Invisible Man’ Isn’t Real, but This Invisibility Technology Is

A new take on H.G. Wells’ classic novel is in theaters, but how far has real-life cloaking tech come?

A robot and human interacting.

A New Study Finds People Prefer Robots That Explain Themselves

Engineers at UCLA explain how A.I. systems should be designed to both perform a task and win the trust of humans

Vegas Vicky, Las Vegas, Nevada

Virtual Travel

A Vibrant Tour of America’s Neon Signs

In his upcoming book ‘Neon Road Trip,’ photographer John Barnes captures a luminous part of advertising history

Graphic illustrating the MAVEN spacecraft encountering plasma layers at Mars.

Ten Trends That Will Shape Science in the Decade Ahead

Medicine gets trippy, solar takes over, and humanity—finally, maybe—goes back to the moon

The History of the Hard Hat

With some canvas, leather, shelac and black paint, inventor Edward Bullard helped America usher in a new era of workplace safety

Left: Walker in 1912; Right: Octavia Spencer as the inspiring businesswoman in the Netflix series “Self Made,” which debuts this month.

Women Who Shaped History

Madam C.J. Walker Gets a Netflix Close-Up

A turn-of-the-century hair-care magnate who shared her wealth gets the spotlight

The wingless Horten Ho 229 V3 on display with other Nazi aircraft.

Why the Experimental Nazi Aircraft Known as the Horten Never Took Off

The unique design of the flyer, held in the collections of the Smithsonian, has infatuated aviation enthusiasts for decades

Cooking as a First Language has hosted Moroccan, Bangladeshi, Ecuadorian, South African and Caribbean dinners, among others.

These Supper Clubs Are Using Food to Cross Cultural Divides

Cooking classes in a growing number of cities are teaching U.S.-born residents to embrace their immigrant neighbors

Allene Goodenough (right) and Helyn James of the Young Women's Christian Association mop up a spot on the sidewalk where someone expectorated by an anti-spitting sign during a public health campaign in Syracuse, New York, in 1900.

Women Who Shaped History

When a Women-Led Campaign Made It Illegal to Spit in Public in New York City

While the efficacy of the spitting policy in preventing disease transmission was questionable, it helped usher in an era of modern public health laws

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