Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Science

The giant swallowtail, a Southern butterfly, has historically not been found in Massachusetts, but in recent years it has appeared more and more frequently.

New Evidence for Climate Change: Butterflies

The meticulous records of an amateur butterfly club in New England are opening a window into changes happening to the regional climate

Kitchen tech teaches chefs to cut along a virtual line.

Cooking With Robots

Along with motion-sensing cameras and projectors creating augmented reality, they’ll likely be among the tools training chefs of the future

An Air Force plane sprays dispersant onto the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon spill. New research could produce safer dispersants that include ingredients found in food.

An Oil Dispersant Made From Ingredients in Peanut Butter, Ice Cream and Chocolate?

New research is yielding oil dispersants that are non-toxic and prevent oil from sticking to birds and wildlife

The nodosaur Animantarx. While this dinosaur is from Utah, it represents the sort of dinosaur that made the track found at the Maryland NASA campus.

NASA’s Nodosaur Track

Over 110 million years ago, dinosaurs roamed where a major NASA facility now sits

None

The Best Places to See Hominid Bones Online, Part II

The Internet is full of great websites where you can play with hominid fossils

A pair of Stegoceras on display at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, Alberta, Canada.

How Domed Dinosaurs Grew Up

Dome-headed dinosaurs dramatically reshaped their skulls. How does this affect how we count dinosaur species?

Brain research is now part of the daily news.

Brain Science: 10 New Studies That Get Inside Your Head

This new research reveals how little we know about the brain and how it affects our daily lives

None

These Rainbow-colored Transparent Ants Are What They Eat

Droplets of food coloring and an exotic species of Indian ant made for a stunning set of photographs

None

Scientists Make Progress Towards a Male Contraceptive Pill

A new molecule originally developed to fight cancer looks to be a promising compound in the search for a male contraceptive

Soft tissue traces of the ankylosaur Tarchia. Black asterisks denote large osteoderms, scale impressions are pointed out by an arrowhead and small ossicles are identified by the arrow.

An In-Depth Look at Ankylosaur Armor

An exceptional ankylosaur preserves the position of ancient armor

The skulls and necks of Majungasaurus (top) and Carnotaurus (bottom) compared.

Carnotaurus Had a Hefty Neck

Could the hefty neck of Carnotaurus explain why this dinosaur had puny arms?

An artist’s vision of a Neanderthal and her baby. If the Neanderthal lived 47,000 to 65,000 years ago, her baby might have been the result of breeding with a human.

Neanderthal and Human Matings Get a Date

New research shows modern humans bred with Neanderthals 47,000 to 65,000 years ago as our ancestors left Africa

A new technology harnesses the energy in wastewater to produce electricity.

Could Sewage Be Our Fuel of the Future?

A new way of treating wastewater uses bacteria to produce electricity, potentially solving a pair of environmental problems

None

The 5 Coolest Planets Orbiting Distant Stars

Of the hundreds of exoplanets discovered by scientists, we list of some of the most interesting

Banjo’s reconstructed hand, with the thumb claw on top

Banjo Gets a Hand

Recently-discovered fossils fill out the arms of one of Australia’s formidable predatory dinosaurs

Augmented reality puts flesh on dinosaur bones.

Augmented Reality Livens up Museums

We still have to wait a bit for Google Goggles, but augmented reality is moving mainstream, even bringing museum dinosaurs to life

Some chemicals in antibacterial soap have been banned by the FDA after testing showed they did not provide any benefit over normal soap and water.

Triclosan, a Chemical Formerly Used in Antibacterial Soaps, Was Found to Impair Muscle Function

In a study, the chemical inhibited muscle activity in individual human heart cells, mice and minnows

None

Tooth Chemistry Confirms Early Homo Loved Meat

Two million years ago hominids evolved more specialized diets with early Homo preferring meat and Paranthropus choosing plants

None

Scientists Create Worm-like Robot That Can Inch Along the Ground

The Meshworm uses artificial muscles and peristalsis to creep quietly along the ground

None

Dinosaurs Better Off Lost

Even in film, searching for Africa’s mythical dinosaurs is a mistake

Page 278 of 441