Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News

Don’t you want to be like this guy?

Let ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic Teach You How to Make a Good Parody

Sit back and relax while the master teaches you how to do what he does best: parody.

None

Safe from Sandy? Help a Hurricane Researcher

If the worst of Hurricane Sandy has passed you by and you’re safe and dry, think about helping a researcher out

None

Why We May Not See the Next Sandy Coming

Failing weather satellites will reduce our ability to forecast and track future storms

None

While the East Coast Focused on Sandy, Typhoon Son-tinh Battered East Asia

Sandy was not the only tropical cyclone this week

Invasive nutria in the Southern U.S.

Guilt-Free Meat-Eating Strategy: Hunt Invasive Species

A new book describes how invasive species may provide vegetarians a welcome meat-eating freebie

None

To Evacuate or Not To Evacuate?

Issuing mandatory evacuation orders is an effective means of encouraging residents to leave unsafe zones, but fear mongering is more iffy

None

Top Ten Most Damaging U.S. Hurricanes

Surprisingly, Hurricane Katrina is not the most damaging storm on record

None

Scaredy Cats Unite—Not Everyone Loves Being Afraid

A big part of Halloween is getting scared, intentionally. Why in the world would anyone want that?

None

Some People See Their Future-Selves as Strangers

Some people see their future-selves as strangers, and thus don’t plan ahead for their own old age

None

The Best Video Game Players Are Also the Jerkiest

How do people who are really good at these games make moral choices?

After the sea lice feast

Here’s What Happened to Jack Because Rose Didn’t Save Him

After Jack’s cold body sank down to the bottom of the North Atlantic in Titanic, here’s probably what it looked like

None

Ways to Watch Sandy That Are More Interesting Than Looking Out the Window And Safer Than Going Outside

Ways to Watch Sandy That Are More Interesting Than Looking Out the Window And Safer Than Going Outside

Incredible Halloween Costumes Inspired by Famous Works of Art

Culture-hounds take heart: Halloween doesn’t have to be all Honey Boo Boos and internet memes

None

This Guy Learned Linear Algebra in Ten Days, And You Can Too

At MIT you can take a ton of science classes online. And, in true MIT fashion, someone just did them all at an extraordinary speed

None

Not Even the Greeks Thought the World Was Flat, But These People Do

There are some people today who claim to still believe that the Earth is flat

This man is ghost riding. Wikipedia says so.

In Honor of Wikipedia’s Near-Completion, Here Are Its Most Awesomely Weird Entries

Splat.

Giant Paintball Gun Could Save the World From Death-by-Asteroid

A big asteroid will eventually hit the Earth. What can we do to push it out of the way?

None

Track Star Lolo Jones Is Now Would-Be Bobsledding Star Lolo Jones

Lolo Jones, the U.S. sprinter who runs the 60 and 100 meter hurdles, was just added to the U.S. bobsledding team roster

None

What If You Replaced All of New York City’s Carbon Dioxide Emissions with Big Blue Bouncy Balls?

Watch New York City get buried under its own carbon emissions

None

How To Film a Cheetah Sprinting at 61 Miles Per Hour

National Geographic shows how a team filmed Sarah, the fastest cheetah in the world, sprinting at top speed

Page 1098 of 1132