Science

Paleontologists Uncover Oldest Known Dinosaur Nest Site

The “lay ‘em and leave ‘em” strategy might not have been the ancestral state for these dinosaurs

January 25, 2012

Fearsome Dinosaur Had Ridiculously Short Arms

The forelimbs of this animal look like an evolutionary joke

January 24, 2012

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Where Did Dragons Come From?

In honor of the Year of the Dragon, we take a look at some potential inspirations for the dragon myth

January 23, 2012

Some Dinosaurs Used Natural Heat for Their Nests

The sauropod site may have resembled Yellowstone National Park, with geysers, hot springs and mud pots

January 23, 2012

A Comet’s Death Caught on Camera

Comets dive into the sun frequently, but previous ones had been too small and dim to be seen against the glaring backdrop

January 20, 2012

What Are the Worst Roadside Dinosaurs?

The concrete and plastic dinosaurs beside America’s highways are often sad, malformed creatures. What do you think is the best of the worst?

January 20, 2012

The Largest Ceratosaurus

How many species of this rare, ornamented genus were there?

January 19, 2012

Inside Dr. Who’s Dinosaur Invasion

Dr. Who sported some of the worst dinosaurs on television. This video explains why

January 18, 2012

Nine Ways to Lure a Lover, Orchid-Style

Beauty, mystery and deceit—the Smithsonian’s collection of nearly 8,000 live orchids has it all

January 18, 2012

Dinosaur Division is All in the Hips

Thanks to one 1888 paper, paleontologists still divide dinosaurs between the bird-hips and lizard-hips

January 17, 2012

Dinosaurs of a Feather

Some researchers insist that birds are not dinosaurs, but do they have any evidence?

January 13, 2012

Money is in the Eye of the Beholder

A new study shows that our perceptions of wealth don’t always match up with reality

January 13, 2012

The Dinosaurs That Never Were

If the non-avian dinosaurs hadn’t died out 65 million years ago, what would they look like today?

January 12, 2012

Meet the Contenders for Earliest Modern Human

Scientists have several candidates for the title of earliest Homo sapiens

January 11, 2012

The Way of the Dinosaur

“Going the way of the dinosaur” is a popular phrase, but one drawn from bizarre 20th century ideas that dinosaurs were due for an extinction

January 11, 2012

Could the Death Star Destroy a Planet?

Students in England concluded that the Star Wars space station could easily have destroyed an Earth-like planet

January 11, 2012

Dinosaurian Snorkels, Air Tanks and Tubas

Parasaurolophus is one of the most perplexing dinosaurs - what did it use its huge crest for?

January 10, 2012

What Is Enriched Uranium?

Naturally occurring uranium doesn’t have enough of the fissile isotope U-235 to set off a nuclear reaction, but scientists found ways to increase the stuff

January 10, 2012

Charles H. Sternberg’s Lost Dinosaurs

On December 6, 1916, a German military vessel sunk a highly-valued shipment of Canadian dinosaurs

January 9, 2012

Did Bigfoot Really Exist? How Gigantopithecus Became Extinct

Dental, dietary and environmental clues help explain why the world’s largest ape vanished

January 9, 2012