Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News

A worker catches chickens at a market in Cambodia, where a girl recently died from avian influenza.

Bird Flu Causes the Death of an 11-Year-Old in Cambodia

A father and daughter both contracted avian influenza, the first cases in the country since 2014

First discovered in 1992, the phallus is 6.3 inches long and made of ash wood.

Is This Wooden Artifact an Ancient Roman Phallus?

Thirty years ago, researchers thought that the 2,000-year-old object was a darning tool

The new exhibition opened in Saudi Arabia this month.

Andy Warhol Exhibition Opens in the Saudi Desert

Critics say the show helps bolster the regime’s reputation—and obscure its human rights violations

An artist's depiction of Macronectes tinae, a newly identified extinct species of giant petrel that lived in New Zealand.

The Wonderful World of Birds

Amateur Fossil Hunter Discovers New Species of Giant Petrel in New Zealand

The now-extinct birds, which lived roughly three million years ago, likely used their hooked bills to feast on seal carcasses

Wild pigs have been in the southern United States for hundreds of years.

Destructive ‘Super Pigs’ From Canada Threaten the Northern U.S.

The animals root through crops, prey on native species, cause soil erosion and carry pathogens that can spread to humans

"Bigger & Closer (Not Smaller & Further Away)" is David Hockney's first immersive exhibition.

David Hockney Is the Subject of His Own Immersive Experience

Using projections and voiceovers, “Bigger & Closer (Not Smaller & Further Away)” examines the renowned artist’s career

Members of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition raise the Australian flag over Heard Island on December 26, 1947.

See Rare Images of Early 20th-Century Antarctic Expeditions

For the first time, hundreds of photos, lantern slides and glass plate negatives are available to the public

Emperor penguins rely on sea ice to reproduce and, as a result, are vulnerable to global warming.

The Wonderful World of Birds

Scientists Discover an Emperor Penguin Colony From Poop Stains in Satellite Images

Researchers pinpointed the group of roughly 500 birds in West Antarctica

A Dark Sky Sanctuary must have exceptionally starry nights.

This Tiny Welsh Island Is Europe’s First Dark Sky Sanctuary

Ynys Enlli joins just 16 other sites of its kind across the world

A googly-eyed rock is among the items up for grabs.

You Can Buy Hot Dog Fingers and Pet Rocks From ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’

A24 is selling props and costumes from the Oscar-nominated film at an upcoming charity auction

Images of the six objects thought to be massive galaxies from the early universe

Webb Telescope Finds Evidence of Massive Galaxies That Defy Theories of the Early Universe

The six “universe breakers” appear much larger than what scientists thought was possible at that time

Archaeologists created replica stone points, then experimented with them by firing them at a goat carcass using different methods.

Cool Finds

Archery May Have Arrived in Europe Thousands of Years Earlier Than Thought

New archaeological research suggests Homo sapiens used bows and arrows 54,000 years ago in present-day France

Yemeni artifacts on display during a ceremony to celebrate their repatriation

The Smithsonian Will Temporarily House 77 Repatriated Artifacts Amid Unrest in Yemen

Until the items can be returned, the National Museum of Asian Art will keep them safe

NASA scientists launch a scientific ballloon from the Halley Research Station in Antarctica on Jan. 30, 2014.

High-Altitude Balloons Aren’t Just for Spying. Here’s How Scientists Use Them

Students, scientists and hobbyists are beginning to worry for their research as balloons are increasingly shot down

Two lucky visitors will spend the night inside the Palais Garnier, exploring the historic opera house and enjoying private tours and other perks.

Parisian Opera House That Inspired ‘Phantom of the Opera’ Becomes an Airbnb

For just one night, two travelers will spend the night in the Palais Garnier’s Box of Honor

Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Marine Guernsey (1883) is one of four paintings that the Musée d’Orsay will restitute to heirs of Ambroise Vollard.

French Court Orders Musée d’Orsay to Restitute Masterpieces Stolen During World War II

Descendants of art dealer Ambroise Vollard won a legal battle over works by Renoir, Cézanne and Gauguin

One of the pieces of Cambodian jewelry returned by the estate of antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford

Looted Gold Jewelry Returns to Cambodia

Now back in Phnom Penh, the 77 items may have been worn by Angkorian royalty

Dog waste bags outside a park in Queens, New York. The maximum fine for not picking up your dog's waste in New York City is $250.

Shoes Carry Poop Bacteria Into NYC Buildings, Study Finds

With “absolutely astonishing” amounts of fecal bacteria on city sidewalks, an expert recommends removing shoes before entering homes

Chichén Itzá is home to famous Maya structures such as El Castillo.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Find Elite Residences at Mexico’s Chichén Itzá

The housing complex is the first discovery of its kind in the ruined Maya city

Ambulance boats and tourist gondolas are having a tough time getting around in Venice.

A Long Low Tide Dries Up Venice’s Smaller Canals

A high-pressure anticyclone is driving the situation, making it difficult to get around the carless city

Page 266 of 1127