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Remains of a stillborn infant with Down syndrome from the Iron Age, found in a 2,800-year-old house at the Las Eretas archaeological site in Spain.

DNA Reveals Presence of Down Syndrome in Ancient Society

The burials of infants with Down syndrome in Europe provide insight into how babies with genetic conditions were cared for in premodern times, according to a new study

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which stretches across North Carolina and Tennessee, was the most-visited park of 2023.

These Were the Most—and Least—Popular National Parks in 2023

The National Park Service recorded 325,498,646 recreation visits across 400 sites, which is close to pre-pandemic levels

The mural, now known as Entrée du port, depicts buildings, ship banners and masts piercing a sky.

Cool Finds

This Cézanne Mural Was Hidden in the Walls of the Artist’s Family Home

Workers found fragments of a naval scene while renovating the mansion in the south of France

Gene editing has produced a healthy "founder population" of pigs that are immune to a deadly virus called porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, according to a new study.

Gene-Edited Pork Could Be Coming Soon to Your Dinner Plate

Scientists are using CRISPR technology to make pigs immune to a deadly virus—and they’re hoping for FDA approval by early next year

An adult humpback whale and calf. In the new study, the researchers blew air into the larynxes of three deceased whales, including a humpback, to learn how the the organ makes sound.

Scientists Discover How Some Whales Can Sing While Holding Their Breath Underwater

Baleen whales have evolved unique voice boxes essential for song, a new study finds—but these low-frequency vocalizations must compete with the noise of humans’ ships

The 1,500-year-old gold ring's semiprecious red stone likely served as a symbol of power.

Cool Finds

Metal Detectorist Finds Rare 1,500-Year-Old Gold Ring in Denmark

The distinctly decorated artifact may be linked to a powerful family in the area with ties to the Merovingians

Joro spiders aren't particularly bothered by the vibrations of a busy city environment.

Joro Spiders, Spreading in the Southeast, Can Survive Surprisingly Well in Cities

Unlike most spiders, the hustle and bustle of urban areas doesn’t seem to disturb the non-native Joros, a new study finds

Keith Richards and his partner Anita Pallenberg at the 1971 Monaco grand prix

Cool Finds

See Stunning Photos of the Rolling Stones Found in a London Loft

The previously unseen images of the band are going on display in a new exhibition, “Elegantly Wasted”

Flaco, a Eurasian eagle-owl, sits in a tree in Central Park. The bird roosted and hunted in the park during the year following his escape, becoming popular with local birders, before his death on February 23.

Flaco, the Famous Owl That Escaped the Central Park Zoo, Dies After Hitting a Building

The Eurasian eagle-owl had been living free in New York City after someone cut the wires on his zoo cage last year

The Granada Relocation Center, also known as Amache, had cramped Army-style barracks that housed thousands of Japanese Americans and people of Japanese descent.

A Japanese American Incarceration Camp in Colorado Is America’s Newest National Park

More than 10,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned at the Granada Relocation Center, also known as Amache, during World War II

An artist's illustration of how a Neanderthal may have used an early stone tool, with a handle made from an adhesive mixture of ocher and bitumen.

Neanderthals Made a Special Glue to Engineer Grips for Stone Tools, Study Suggests

An analysis of forgotten museum artifacts reveals the oldest evidence of a complex adhesive in Europe

The Mississippi John Hurt Museum stood on the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta.

Fire Destroys Museum Honoring Legendary Blues Musician Mississippi John Hurt

The three-room shack in the town of Avalon, Mississippi, was once the singer and guitarist’s home

Odysseus passes over the near side of the moon after entering into lunar orbit on Wednesday. The spacecraft successfully landed on the moon Thursday evening Eastern time.

An American Spacecraft Successfully Lands on the Moon for the First Time Since 1972

After a tense touchdown process with last-minute changes, U.S.-based company Intuitive Machines received a signal from its uncrewed Odysseus lunar lander on Thursday evening

Abraham Lincoln pardoned Moses J. Robinette on September 1, 1864.

Abraham Lincoln Pardoned Joe Biden’s Great-Great-Grandfather, 160-Year-Old Records Reveal

Historian David J. Gerleman discovered the link between the two presidents while reviewing historic documents at the National Archives

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are two of the giant pandas who lived at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in recent years. They were returned to China in November 2023.

More Giant Pandas Are Coming to the U.S. in a New Loan From China

China plans to send a male and a female panda to the San Diego Zoo as early as this summer, and negotiations are underway for pandas’ possible return to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

Northern gannets plunge into the water to hunt in Shetland. This image won the British Waters Wide Angle category.

See 15 Otherworldly Images From the Underwater Photographer of the Year Awards

A hunting monkey, ‘kissing’ scorpionfish and playful dolphins feature in just a few of the 130 striking photographs distinguished with honors in the competition

The USS Jacob Jones, an American destroyer, sank off the southwest coast of England in December 1917.

Divers Recover Bell From Wreck of American Destroyer Sunk in World War I

Sixty-four American sailors died when a German torpedo hit the USS “Jacob Jones” on December 6, 1917

The trove of goods was discovered alongside the graves of three individuals who died 1,700 years ago.

Cool Finds

Graves of Roman Family Held Jewelry, Coins and ‘Exquisite’ Vials for Storing Mourners’ Tears

Archaeologists in Bulgaria unearthed the remains of three individuals interred with rare treasures dating to the third century

The National Museum of Natural History holds the majority of the human remains in the Smithsonian's collections.

The Smithsonian’s Human Remains Task Force Calls for New Repatriation Policies

The report provides recommendations regarding the return of human remains in the Institution’s collections

Sandhill cranes fly over Nebraska's Platte River, where they gather each year during their spring migration, in 2009.

38,000 Sandhill Cranes Flock to Nebraska in a Record-Breaking Start to Spring Migration

Wildlife biologists counted the birds—likely lured by the region’s mild winter temperatures—during their first aerial survey of the season

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