The Bizarre Tale of the Middle East’s First Space Program
In Lebanon, reminders of what could have been still stand
Meet an Environmental Activist and an Artist Who Share a Passion for “Trashion”
One man’s trash suit is another woman’s work of art
Predicting Chaos: New Sensors Sniff Out Volcanic Eruptions Before They Happen
How volcanologists brave lung-singeing fumes to monitor eruptions with cutting-edge sensors
Ask Smithsonian: What’s the Point of Earwax?
Earwax has a job to do; but many are not hearing the message
Doing Laundry Can Be Deadly for Clams, Mollusks and Other Marine Animals
Pick your wardrobe carefully—the lives of sea animals may depend on it
How Artists, Mad Scientists and Speculative Fiction Writers Made Spaceflight Possible
A new book chronicles spaceflight’s centuries-long journey from dream to reality
Can We Capture Energy From a Hurricane?
Loaded with power, massive storms may be another conduit for renewable energy
The History and Future of the Once-Revolutionary Taxidermy Diorama
In their heyday, these dead animal displays were virtual reality machines
Behind the Scenes at the National Zoo With the World’s Most Dangerous Bird
The zoo’s cassowary “still has that mysterious aura about her—that prehistoric, dinosaur-walking-through-the-rainforest-quality.”
With Deformed Frogs and Fish, a Scientist-Artist Explores Ecological Disaster and Hope
A 20-year retrospective of Brandon Ballengée’s artwork explores humans’ connection to cold-blooded creatures
How Yellowstone Scientists Really Combat Invasive Species
Yellowstone cutthroat trout are on the brink of extinction as invasive lake trout continue to eat them
No, I Don’t Need a Flu Shot: I’m an Alpha Female
For spotted hyenas, like humans, social wealth equals better health
Journey to the Center of Earth
How Earthquakes and Volcanoes Reveal the Beating Heart of the Planet
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program has stitched together a visual archive of the world’s earthquakes and volcanoes
A Hungry Snake Finds a Whole Colony of Sociable Weavers
Nesting in close proximity to each other has a lot of advantages for sociable weavers
How Drones in the Sky Unlock Secrets of the Sea
Researchers are using aerial technology to track coastal erosion, map coral reefs and even give whales a breathalyzer
The Strange Reappearance of the Once-Vanished Green Sea Turtle
It’s a conservation biology riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a hard shell
North America Used to Have its Very Own Hyena
These giggly beasts didn’t just roam Africa and the Middle East. They were right here in our backyard
The Animals That Venom Can’t Touch
Meet the creatures who look into the face of venomous death and say: Not today
Move Over, Steel: The High Rises of Tomorrow Are ‘Plyscrapers’
Light, strong and renewable, wood may change how tall buildings are built
What Living Like Goats and Badgers Can Teach Us About Ourselves
Two Englishmen won the Ig Nobel Prize for eating grass, earthworms and worse in the name of science
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