Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News

African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) were able to regrow a functional limb within 18 months of the novel treatment.

Frogs Can Regrow Lost Legs in the Lab. Now, Researchers Say Human Limb Regeneration Could Happen ‘in Our Lifetime’

A 24-hour treatment using a five-drug cocktail kickstarted a yearlong regrowth process in the amphibians

The lead figurine sat on a fireplace mantel in a farmhouse for years before experts authenticated the piece as a rare Henry Moore sculpture.

Rare Henry Moore Sculpture Spent Decades Sitting on Mantelpiece at English Farm

A lead figurine by the famed British artist could fetch upward of $70,000 at auction

Big brown bats Eptesicus fuscus (pictured) are a Yangochiroptera species that uses complex sounds to echolocate. 

A Tiny, Partially Missing Bone Structure in Bat Ears May Have Cleared the Way for Echolocation to Evolve

Nearly 90 percent of the nighttime hunters use sound to find prey

Experts estimate that the bowl is about 2,000 years old.

Cool Finds

2,000-Year-Old Roman Bowl Discovered Intact in the Netherlands

Unearthed in the Dutch city of Nijmegen, the blue glass artifact was in pristine condition

Monarch butterflies cluster together to stay warm.

Monarch Butterfly Numbers Soar in California After Dramatic Losses

The orange-winged insect’s population increased from 2,000 in 2020 to nearly 250,000 in 2021

Hippos may appear inactive, but a recent study shows that they’re listening closely to their surroundings.

A Hippo’s Response to an Unknown Caller? A Blast of Poop and a Rowdy Holler

The lumbering animals respond calmly to their grunting and groaning friends, but a stranger’s voice often prompted a loud, filthy territorial response

Scientists examine the first-known pregnant Egyptian mummy.

New Research

What Preserved This Pregnant Egyptian Mummy’s Fetus for Millennia?

The combined effects of decomposition and embalming basically “pickled” the fetus, sealing it in its mother’s womb

Last November, a team of scientists and photographers spent 200 hours studying the vast reef during a dive expedition supported by UNESCO.

Good News

Researchers Find a Pristine Coral Reef Off the Coast of Tahiti

With rose-shaped corals as far as the eye can see, it is one of the largest healthy reefs on record

The head of one of the large sphinxes discovered in the funerary complex for Amenhotep III.

Cool Finds

Two Sphinxes Depicting King Tut’s Grandfather Discovered in Egypt

Archaeologists are restoring the huge stone statues found half-submerged in water at the burial site of Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida in 2015

A Chunk of a SpaceX Rocket Is Going to Slam Into the Moon

After a chaotic orbit of 7 years, the Falcon 9 booster is predicted to crash into the lunar surface this March

An adult chimera crab was about the size of a quarter with big eyes that took up about 16 percent of its size. Pictured: An artist's rendition of what the crab may have looked like.

This Tiny, Googly-Eyed Prehistoric Crab Was a Fast-Swimming Predator With Sharp Vision

The 95-million-year-old crab had crystal clear eyesight and oar-like legs that helped it snatch up prey

Billie Farrell is saluted by crewmembers during the change-of-command ceremony aboard the Constitution.

First Woman Commander of the U.S. Navy’s Oldest Ship Takes the Helm

Billie Farrell is the new captain of the U.S.S. “Constitution,” a 1797 frigate that now serves as a floating museum

Marchers celebrate in London, England, at the city's annual LGBTQ Pride festival in 2019.

What to Expect From the U.K.’s First LGBTQ Museum

The museum, set to open in the spring, will reside in King’s Cross, a London neighborhood with a rich queer history

Seventy percent of all crop species depend on insects for pollination, but a new study shows a decrease in pollinators in areas exposed to air pollution.   

Air Pollution Makes It Harder for Insect Pollinators to Find Flowers

Some bug populations were reduced up to 70 percent in areas exposed to diesel exhaust and ozone contamination

The monkeys escaped into a wooded area where state troopers and state wildlife officials launched a search effort that included the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pennsylvania Department of Health officials.

All Animals Are Accounted for After Truck Carrying 100 Lab Monkeys Crashed in Pennsylvania

Only three monkeys escaped during the accident, all of which were successfully recaptured

Despite the species’ name, European green crabs’ color varies widely from dark brown to dark green with patches of yellow or orange.

Nearly 70,000 Invasive Green Crabs Were Captured in Washington State Last Fall

State government officials took emergency actions this month to eradicate the non-native species

In the 1970s, famous acts like Willie Nelson, the Clash, Ray Charles, the Ramones and James Brown performed at Armadillo World Headquarters music venue in Austin, Texas.

A Piece of Texas Music History Sells at Auction Amid Claims That It Was Stolen

Former employees of Armadillo World Headquarters suggested the sign was taken right before the Austin venue closed in 1980. Sotheby’s countered the claims

The oil slick in the ocean extended an area of over 320 football fields and has dirtied waters and beaches, resulting in many dead birds and seals washing up onshore.  

Tsunami-Triggered Oil Spill Devastates Marine Wildlife on Peru’s Coast After Volcanic Eruption in Tonga

The country declared a 90-day environmental emergency after 264,000 gallons of crude oil contaminated a biodiverse swath of its coastal ecosystems

A popular tourist site, Turkmenistan's Darvasa crater pit has been burning gas for over 50 years. The country's attempts to put out its flames have been unsuccessful. 

The Quest to Extinguish the Flames of Turkmenistan’s Terrifying ‘Gates of Hell’ Firepit

The country’s president says it’s time to quash the ongoing 50-year blaze at the 230-foot-wide Darvaza gas crater

The recent explosion was so powerful that it obliterated parts of the volcanic island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, splitting it in two.

NASA Says Tonga Eruption Was More Powerful Than an Atomic Bomb

The recent blast was the equivalent of 4 to 18 megatons of TNT, according to scientists

Page 326 of 1116