Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News

The statue, created for Rocky III, has been moved around to various locations throughout the city in recent decades. Since 2006, it has been located at the base of the steps leading to the Philadelphia Art Museum.

The Iconic ‘Rocky’ Statue at the Philadelphia Art Museum Steps Is Still Stirring Up Strong Feelings

Actor Sylvester Stallone initially told officials he wanted the sculpture back—but after public outcry, he changed his mind and agreed to let the city keep it

Illustration of a T lymphocyte white blood cell, depicted in blue, attacking a cancer cell, shown in red

Scientists Engineered Cancer-Fighting Cells Inside Patients’ Bodies—and Two Early Trials Show Promise

Two recent studies show the novel therapy works in people with multiple myeloma, but researchers are trying to minimize side effects

Cerro Pedernal, the flat-topped mountain pictured here, was a frequent subject of O'Keeffe's landscapes.

This Landscape Inspired Some of Georgia O’Keeffe’s Best-Known Works. Now, It’s Receiving New Protections

A conservation plan will help preserve 6,000 acres of land in northern New Mexico, a region that frequently appears in the 20th-century artist’s paintings

A trail camera in Vermont captured 80 photos of moths fluttering around a moose's head, likely slurping up its tears.

Trail Cameras in Vermont Captured Something Strange: Moths Sipping a Moose’s Tears

Tear-drinking, known as lachryphagy, has mostly been observed in the tropics, so scientists were somewhat surprised to find the unusual behavior so far north

An artist's interpretation of an early human ancestor striking flint on a piece of iron pyrite.

New Research

Could These 400,000-Year-Old Rock Fragments Be the Oldest Known Evidence of Human Fire-Making?

Evidence from a site in southeast England suggests early humans were purposefully and repeatedly igniting blazes roughly 350,000 years earlier than previously thought

Orcas and dolphins might hang out together off the coast of British Columbia to hunt for food as a team, new research suggests.

Watch These Orcas Follow Dolphins to Snag a Salmon Feast. It Might Be the First Evidence of These Species Working Together

Off the coast of British Columbia, killer whales are tailing dolphins, and both seem to be rewarded with fishy meals. But not everyone is convinced it’s teamwork—and the behavior may hint at other ocean stressors

The exhibition displays full-size models of Claire Tabouret's stained-glass window designs for Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Notre-Dame Cathedral’s Controversial New Stained-Glass Window Designs Go on Display

The windows, commissioned by the French Ministry of Culture after the devastating 2019 fire, have sparked a debate about historical preservation

The reproductive structures of cycads, an ancient seed plant, heat up with infrared radiation to attract beetle pollinators, a new study suggests. 

Cool Finds

Before the First Brilliantly Colored Flowers Bloomed, Dinosaur-Era Plants Emitted Heat to Attract Pollinators

Some plants produce heat, which has long puzzled botanists. But a new study suggests that infrared radiation is an ancient method to lure beetle pollinators

Owners and their golden retrievers gather in an attempt to break the world record in the Bosques de Palermo in Buenos Aires on December 8, 2025.

More Than 2,000 Golden Retrievers Gather in an Argentina Park in an Attempt to Break a World Record

The previous informal record had been set during an event in Vancouver last year, which brought together 1,685 goldens

Time passes by faster on Mars than on Earth.

How to Keep Time on Mars: Clocks on the Red Planet Would Tick a Bit Differently Than Those on Earth

On average, Martian time ticks roughly 477 millionths of a second faster than terrestrial clocks per Earth day. But the Red Planet’s elongated orbit causes the time difference to vary as Mars travels around the sun

Elihu Vedder's 19th-century painting "Star of Bethlehem"

The Bible’s Star of Bethlehem May Have Been a Comet, Analysis of Ancient Records Suggests

An odd star brightened for more than 70 days in 5 B.C.E., according to a Chinese text. The object may have been a comet that looked like it rose, then stood still over Bethlehem

The half-sheet illustration was revealed weeks before the premiere of Star Wars in 1977. (The movie was later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope.)

This Painting Introduced the World to ‘Star Wars.’ It Just Became the Most Expensive Item Connected to the Franchise Ever Sold at Auction

The artwork by illustrator Tom Jung, which brought in $3.9 million, features Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and other characters in scenes from the 1977 film

The researchers based their conclusions on an intact ancient construction site found at Pompeii.

New Research

This Ancient Construction Site in the Ruins of Pompeii Is Revealing New Secrets About the 2,000-Year-Old Recipe for Roman Concrete

New research suggests the Romans used a method known as “hot mixing” to produce self-healing concrete, which allowed them to build structures that endured for centuries

Side view of NMNH's newly acquired Pachycephalosaurus skull, which is a rare, nearly complete specimen

Nearly Complete Skull of a Dome-Headed Dinosaur Makes Its Way to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History

The remarkable skull will be on display from December 22 through December 28. After spending the next few years behind the scenes for research, it will join NMNH’s permanently showcased fossil collection

The watch by F.P. Journe that sold for almost $11 million, including fees

Francis Ford Coppola Sells Luxury Watches for Millions Following Losses From ‘Megalopolis’

The filmmaker’s custom F.P. Journe watch, which he helped design in 2014, brought in nearly $11 million at auction

Researchers think the Greek graffiti found on the boat dates to the first century C.E.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover 2,000-Year-Old Ancient Egyptian Pleasure Boat That May Have Once Made Luxurious Voyages Along the Nile

Unearthed off the coast of Alexandria, the vessel may have once measured 115 feet long. Experts think it would have held a “luxuriously decorated cabin” and a team of 20 rowers

Spotted lanternflies have spread to nearly 20 states since 2014.

Bees Are Turning the Sticky-Sweet Secretions of Spotted Lanternflies Into Honey—and Some People Love the Smoky-Smelling Stuff

The invasive insects have been spreading across the United States for over a decade, leaving behind poop that bees are transforming into a less sweet, sometimes savory, honey

Supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, which sits within the Milky Way

Astrophysicists Found an Abundance of Odd Elements Essential for Life in the Leftovers of an Exploded Star

The surprisingly high amounts of chlorine and potassium in a supernova remnant could help solve the mystery of where these crucial elements come from

A new study hints that Australia's first people arrived via a major northern route and a smaller southern route. 

Modern Humans Reached Australia Around 60,000 Years Ago via Two Routes, Genetic Analysis Suggests

The study bolsters one hypothesis of when people arrived at the landmass that became Australia and other islands, and presents some of the earliest evidence of seafaring

The Geminid meteor shower in 2017

The Year’s Best and Brightest Meteor Shower Peaks This Weekend. Here’s How to Watch the Radiant Geminids

A waning crescent moon should make for a fairly dark sky, allowing viewers to see up to 150 shooting stars per hour

Page 35 of 1113