Science

Ask Smithsonian: What Is Wind?

Whether arriving on a gentle breeze or a stiff gale, air moves like water responding to high and low pressures around the Earth

January 11, 2016

Age of Humans

Living Bacteria Are Riding Earth’s Air Currents

The high-flying microbes can travel across the globe, spreading disease or even changing climates

January 11, 2016

Age of Humans

Air Pollution Goes Back Way Further Than You Think

Thousands of years ago, humans were adding lead fumes and other pollutants to the air

January 11, 2016

New Research

Stephen Hawking Thinks We Can Solve a Major Black Hole Mystery With Hair

No toupees needed, though. The “hairs” in question are minute changes in spacetime at the fringes of black holes

January 8, 2016

Age of Humans

The Atomic Age Ushered In the Anthropocene, Scientists Say

Geoscientists have concluded that the Age of Humans officially began at the start of the nuclear age.

January 7, 2016

New Research

The Iceman’s Stomach Bugs Offer Clues to Ancient Human Migration

DNA analysis of the mummy’s pathogens may reveal when and how Ötzi’s people came to the Italian Alps

January 7, 2016

Art Meets Science

Does This Sculpture Depict a Coral Reef Collapsing or Recovering?

Artist Courtney Mattison’s spiral-shaped piece explores the uncertain future for coral reefs

January 2016

Anthropocene

These Photographs Show the Bleak New Home for the White Stork: A Landfill

Dutch wildlife photographer Jasper Doest followed the path of the white stork’s migration route, forever altered by human activity

January 2016

Foot Fluids Work in Surprising Ways to Help Insects Stick to Walls

Long though to boost bug stickiness, the fluid may instead help insects mold to contours and make quick exits

January 2016

Does Icy Pluto Have a Hidden Ocean? New Horizons Offers New Clues

Data from the NASA probe are helping to build a solid case for a liquid ocean inside the tiny, distant world

January 7, 2016

New Research

Leopard Sharks Navigate With Their Noses

After being kidnapped and dropped off at sea, the sharks picked up on olfactory cues to find their way back home

January 6, 2016

A Journey to the Oldest Cave Paintings in the World

The discovery in a remote part of Indonesia has scholars rethinking the origins of art—and of humanity

January 2016

How Canoes Are Saving Lives and Restoring Spirit

Native maritime communities are rediscovering their heritage by learning how to craft and paddle together aboard the ancient dugout vessels of their past

January 6, 2016

The Early History of Autism in America

A surprising new historical analysis suggests that a pioneering doctor was examining people with autism before the Civil War

January 2016

How Are Horoscopes Still a Thing?

No, there’s no science behind an astrologer’s prediction for 2016, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be accurate

January 5, 2016

New Research

Biomedical Science Studies Are Shockingly Hard to Reproduce

Limited access to research details and a culture that emphasizes breakthroughs are undermining the credibility of science

January 4, 2016

Everybody Loves Lists

Our Top Ten Videos of 2015

From Hitler’s home videos to the suffocating upbringing of an American princess, here are the most-watched videos on Smithsonian.com this year

December 29, 2015

Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Sneeze?

Whether you sneeze because of a cold, or after sex or a good meal or in sunlight, the good old Achoo is the body’s way of ridding itself of irritants

December 29, 2015

Cool Science Stories You May Have Missed in 2015

Quantum spookiness, a Maya city buried in ash and more in this year’s surprising science

December 28, 2015