Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News

A lightsheet used to reveal hidden text in a manuscript of William Camden's Annals

Cool Finds

Hidden for 400 Years, Censored Pages Reveal New Insights Into Elizabeth I’s Reign

Scholars used advanced imaging to read crossed-out, pasted-over passages in the first official account of the Tudor queen’s time on the English throne

The research team stands alongside the SARS-CoV-2 wet cyclone aerosol sampler they developed.

New Device Can Detect Covid in the Air Within Five Minutes

Researchers report the technology is 77 to 83 percent accurate in finding any of the coronavirus variants in a room

Researchers caught and tagged a 13-foot-long female sawfish off the coast of Cedar Key, Florida, in June.

13-Foot Endangered Sawfish Spotted in Northern Florida Hints at a ‘Slow Recovery’

Scientists tagged the rare animal farther north than any such fish in decades, suggesting the species is returning to areas it once lived

The memorial wall inside the new Africatown Heritage House

New Exhibition Tells the Story of the ‘Clotilda,’ the Last Known American Slave Ship

A display spotlighting the schooner’s survivors is now open inside the new Africatown Heritage House in Mobile, Alabama

A southern Pacific rattlesnake. Previous studies had found examples of companionship reducing stress in birds and mammals, but not reptiles.

Having a Companion Could Help Rattlesnakes Stay Calm

During a stressful event, snakes experienced a smaller spike in heart rate when they were in the presence of another snake, according to a new study

A portrait of the Ramesses II (left) and researchers Philippe Walter and Catherine Defeyt using portable X-ray fluorescence equipment to take measurements (right)

New Research

X-Rays Uncover the Secrets of 3,000-Year-Old Egyptian Paintings

A new study provides insight into how tomb painters altered their work over time

This polishing stone is more than 5,000 years old and was once used to sharpen ax heads.

Cool Finds

Rare Neolithic ‘Polishing Boulder’ Discovered in England

Used to sharpen axes, the 5,000-year-old polissoir is only the second of its kind ever found in the country

A magpie nest in Antwerp, Belgium, made with anti-bird spikes

Crows and Magpies Snatch Anti-Bird Spikes to Build Their Nests

Birds in Europe are prying up the metal barbs, meant to repel them from roosting on buildings, and using the devices as nesting material

Inside Pennsylvania's State Capitol building, lawmakers are working on efforts to adopt a new official state song.

Pennsylvanians Might Soon Be Singing a New State Song

The state’s official tune simply can’t compete with the likes of “Georgia on My Mind,” lawmakers argue

Opill was first approved by the FDA about 50 years ago, but until now, users needed a prescription to access it.

FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill

Experts say the decision will increase access to safe and effective contraceptives for millions of Americans

Scientists found that carvings on the bones of giant sloths were made within a few years of the animals' deaths.

New Research

Humans May Have Arrived in the Americas Earlier Than Previously Thought

Researchers say that humans coexisted with giant sloths in Brazil some 25,0000 years ago

Phytoplankton form swirls of green in the Barents Sea north of Norway. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image on July 27, 2004.

Climate Change Is Shifting the Color of Earth’s Oceans

More than half of our oceans have taken on a greener hue in the past 20 years, a trend that cannot be fully explained by natural variation, per a new study

Models Shannon Summers, Joshua Cairns and Grace Dempsey arrive at the National Museum of Scotland ahead of the opening of "Beyond the Little Black Dress."

The Evolution of the Little Black Dress

A new exhibition showcases how the meaning of the garment has changed since its invention in 1926

A saber-toothed tiger skull during a press preview at Sotheby's in July 2022.

Saber-Toothed Tigers and Dire Wolves Suffered From Bone Disease

Some fossils preserved in the La Brea tar pits showed signs of an inherited joint condition that may have proliferated as the animals neared extinction

The train will now travel along two seasonal routes between Singapore and Penang.

This Luxury Passenger Train Will Return to Southeast Asia

The revamped Eastern and Oriental Express will begin running again in February 2024

The so-called puss caterpillars have sharp spines that can inject powerful venom into humans.

Scientists Reveal Why Asp Caterpillar Stings Are So Excruciatingly Painful

A toxin in the insect’s venom, which can punch a hole in cell walls, could inspire new drug-delivery methods in humans

Archaeologists are still speculating as to why the remote location was chosen as a burial site.

Mysterious 2,500-Year-Old Skeletons Found in Israel’s Negev Desert

The tomb was located at the crossroads of two trading routes—and far away from any ancient settlements

Aerial view of Crawford Lake

This Canadian Lake Could Mark the Start of an Epoch Altered By Humans

With evidence of fossil fuels, nuclear weapons and a warming climate buried in its sediment, Crawford Lake represents the Anthropocene, scientists say

An artist's rendition of the highly reflective exoplanet LTT 9779 b orbiting its host star.

This Mirror-Like Exoplanet Is the Most Reflective Ever Discovered

The ultra-hot world is wreathed in metallic clouds that prevent the planet from evaporating and keep its atmosphere intact

The historic railway is the highest in America.

You Can Now Take a Sunrise Train Ride to the Top of Pikes Peak

See the panoramic vistas from atop the 14,000-foot mountain that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write “America the Beautiful”

Page 252 of 1143