Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News

Phobos

Mars’ Tiny-Looking Moon Is Slowly Crash-Landing on the Planet

Mars’ moon Phobos may look small in the sky, but it won’t for long

None

Woman Builds a Prosthetic Leg Out of Legos

Vanity prosthetic legs aren’t new - but this is probably the first one built out of LEGOS

Kids Will Eat Their Veggies If You Explain Why They Need To

Explaining to kids why veggies are good for them and making a show of just how tasty they can be are effective strategies for getting kids to eat greens

None

Virus Hunters Are Testing Bats, Camels, Goats And Cats to Find a Deadly Illness’ Origin

Bats have been pinpointed as the most likely culprits behind MERS, though camels are a close second

None

These Contact Lenses Can Zoom In and Out, Give You Telescopic Vision

These contact lenses can switch your vision back and forth from regular sight to a 2.8x zoom

None

Obama Tackles Illegal Wildlife Trade

Obama’s plan will specifically address poaching of elephants and rhinos, though he has also reportedly begun conversations with China about curbing demand

None

Yoga a “Distinctly American Cultural Phenomenon,” California Judge Decrees

Though its roots are in India, American yoga is a whole different thing

None

One Thousand Robots Face Off In a Soccer Tournament

The roboticists behind RoboCup want their team of bots to beat the World Cup champions on a level playing field by 2050

Museum to Preserve Lonesome George, in All His Lonesomeness, Forever

There are no other Pinta Island tortoises preserved anywhere else in the world, so George will be alone forever

Happy 315th Birthday to the Steam Engine

Three hundred and fifteen years ago today James Savery’s patented the steam engine

A Museum in New York City Is Exhibiting Fragments of a Melting Glacier

After the exhibition concludes, the ice will be relinquished to its original fate - a melted puddle

Invasive Lionfish Are Such Effective Predators They’re Becoming Obese

Unfortunately, so far local human populations haven’t taken to eating the invasive, piggy lionfish out of existence

First Death During Cirque du Soleil Performance

For 29 years, Cirque du Soleil had defied death, never seeing a performer die on the job. Until this past weekend

Killer Whales May Be Two Distinct Species

Researchers estimate that up to six or seven different species or sub-species of killer whales may live around the world

A 1963 ad featuring the Postal Service’s Mr. Zip.

Happy 50th Birthday, ZIP Codes

Half a century ago today the U.S. Post Office introduced the ZIP Code

Firefighters stand near the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona over the weekend.

19 Veteran Firefighters Die in Arizona Blaze, the Worst Wildfire Disaster in 80 Years

A fire at Yarnell Hill, Arizona over the weekend killed 19 experienced firefighters

None

These Beautiful Maps Show Where All Known Birds, Mammals And Amphibians Live

The maps include data on birds, mammals and amphibians, but not reptiles or fish since not enough is known about those organisms’ distribution

None

We Can Handle a Hurricane or Tornado, But What About a Mega-Disaster?

Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson in the ISS’ Cupola, where a micrometeorite hit the window last year.

How Do You Shield Astronauts and Satellites From Deadly Micrometeorites?

Supersonic space dust can do a lot of damage. How do astronauts protect against it?

Image Credit:ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center.

Colorado Wildfires Are So Big They Can Be Seen From Space

Page 1047 of 1143