The Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of 3I/ATLAS with its Wide Field Camera 3.

Telescopes Reveal Surprising Chemistry of a Rare Interstellar Object Passing Through Our Solar System

Called 3I/ATLAS, the object is only the third of its kind known to astronomers, and it’s likely been heading our way for billions of years, carrying pristine material from another star system

The only human development on Tetepare is a small research center and ecolodge on the western corner of the island, which is otherwise covered in lush rainforest and lined by coral reefs and meadows of seagrass.

Why Is Tetepare the South Pacific’s Largest Uninhabited Island?

Descendants of the island’s former inhabitants struggle to balance environmental conservation with sustaining their community’s livelihoods

In some countries, it’s not uncommon to bring cows and other farm animals into the house with humans for the winter. It protects them from the chill and adds a source of heat to the home in frigid months.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Get a Glimpse of Farm Life All Around the World

These 15 images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest will grow on you

Mexican tetras lost their eyes in multiple ways.

These Cavefish Lost Their Eyes, but They Gained Some Pretty Nifty Traits

Mexican tetras that got swept into pitch-black caverns had no use for the energetically costly organs

Researchers are studying pollen grains for applications across medicine and engineering.

For the Allergy-Ridden, Pollen Can Be a Nuisance. But Scientists Are Using the Powdery Stuff to Make Paper, Sponges and More

Re-engineered into a microgel, pollen could become a critical material for eco-friendly products

Early whales walked on land and swam in the shallows to hunt.

Before Whales Took to the Sea, These Ten Species Walked on Land

The creatures, which ranged in size from that of a fox to more than 50 feet long, divided their time between the coast and the water

Gedi is another precolonial African site that was occupied from about 1000 to 1500 C.E. The courthouse from the site is shown.

Understanding the Gaps in Africa’s Archaeological Record

Sites and artifacts are revealing clues to the continent’s recent history. An archaeologist explains the findings and threats to this heritage

Several species have evolved in response to human environmental impacts.

Five Astounding Ways Humans Are Driving Animal Evolution, Including Causing Lizards to Grow Longer Legs and Leading Moth Populations to Become Darker

When people build cities and introduce invasive creatures, resident critter populations sometimes adapt

Scientists are currently studying whether cannabis use may cause schizophrenia.

Inside the Quest to Understand the Link Between Cannabis and Schizophrenia

Recent studies have examined the relationship between the drug and psychoses and looked at how the brain responds to the substance

Jim Lovell while training for the Apollo 13 mission

Jim Lovell, Apollo 13 Commander Who Thrived Under Pressure, Dies at 97

The space explorer was determined throughout his life, says Teasel Muir-Harmony, the curator of the Apollo Collection at the National Air and Space Museum

Throughout time, women and children have processed food on a daily basis, playing a central role in the story of human survival and evolution.

Through Much of Human History, Women Have Shaped Evolution Through Food Processing

An anthropologist highlights the revolutionary role of the practice, which was often led by women, and was just as crucial to surviving and thriving as hunting

Only a small fraction of the world’s fisheries—roughly 2 percent—are currently monitored by observers, meaning the vast majority of fishing activity, including the bycatch of protected species, happens without oversight.

Could Artificial Intelligence Make It Easier and Safer to Monitor Fisheries?

New A.I. analysis systems aim to count fish and identify species, streamlining the time-intensive process of recording commercial fishing activity

A patient with the new prosthesis walks over an obstacle. 

This New Bionic Knee Is Changing the Game for Lower Leg Amputees

Scientists have developed a prosthesis that is directly integrated with muscle and bone in order to improve movement

Artist illustration of a pack of Borophagus secundus

What Happened to the Bone-Crushing Dogs That Once Hunted Across North America?

Before going extinct roughly two million years ago, canids known as borophagines took down and consumed much larger prey

Piper betel leaf, the areca nut, limestone paste, tobacco and bark filaments are often combined to get a high.

Were Humans in Thailand Getting High Off Betel Nuts 4,000 Years Ago?

Scientists believe they have found the earliest biochemical evidence of people chewing the popular psychoactive plant

Boston terriers are said to be affectionate with human family members, good with children and playful.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Celebrate Man’s Best Friend With These 15 Photographs of Good Dogs

Delight in dogs with snapshots from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

Danielle Boyer wears a Skobot on her shoulder.

Can A.I. Help Revitalize Indigenous Languages?

Indigenous researchers and roboticists are crafting innovative tools to help save endangered dialects

New light microscopy techniques can distinguish objects down to less than ten nanometers. 

These Super-Resolution Microscopes Are Revealing the Inner Lives of Cells

Advanced light microscopy techniques are giving scientists a new understanding of human biology and what goes wrong in diseases

Feral cats have made their home on Fire Island.

Why Fire Island Has Seen an Explosion of Feral Cats

In New York’s only federal wilderness area, the loss of a key predator has led to the rise of a new one—with dire consequences for the island’s native birds

A variety of tyrannosaurs roamed the planet before T. rex evolved.

Meet Ten Tyrannosaurs That Came Before T. Rex, From Small, Feathery Creatures to 30-Foot-Long Bone-Crushers

Everyone knows the famous tyrant lizard king, but its relatives amaze, too

Page 4 of 453