Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News

Mother and pup of the bat species Saccopteryx bilineata. Similar to human infants, pups begin babbling at a young age as they develop language skills.

Baby Bats Babble—Just Like Human Infants

Both species make similar sounds as they develop language skills at an early age

The giant tortoise clumsily stalked and ate a lesser noddy tern chick, raising questions about their herbivorous diet.

Giant Tortoise Stuns Scientists by Eating a Baby Bird

In a first, researchers in the Seychelles document the large reptile stalking and devouring a chick

The couple's skeletons (left) and an artist's rendition of the pair (right)

Cool Finds

1,500-Year-Old Skeletons Found Locked in Embrace in Chinese Cemetery

The couple was probably buried during the Northern Wei period, when Buddhism was taking hold in the region

An aerial view of Poland's "Death Valley," where the Nazis carried out mass executions during World War II

Remains of Nazi Massacre Victims Discovered in Poland’s ‘Death Valley’

In January 1945, German forces murdered around 500 Polish resistance fighters in a forest near the village of Chojnice

Josephine Baker's remains will be reinterred at Paris' Panthéon on November 30.

Performer Josephine Baker to Be First Black Woman Buried at Paris’ Panthéon

The talented entertainer, activist and spy will be the fifth woman accorded one of France’s highest honors

Now that Pfizer’s vaccine was granted full approval, other pharmaceutical companies cannot ask for emergency use authorization because this type of approval is only reserved for drugs and vaccines when there are no other approved options available.

Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine Becomes First to Receive Full FDA Approval

The authorization comes less than four months after the company filed for official licensing and may boost the public’s confidence in the vaccine efficacy

The creation of clouds over forested areas shows that reforestation would likely be more effective at cooling Earth’s atmosphere than previously thought, a Princeton study says.

Planet Positive

Planting Trees Encourages Cloud Formation—and Efficiently Cools the Planet

New study examines cooling effect of clouds produced by deciduous forests under pressures of climate change

Johnson is the only convicted Salem "witch" who has not yet received an official pardon.

History of Now

This Eighth-Grade Class Wants to Clear the Name of an Accused Salem ‘Witch’

Elizabeth Johnson Jr. was sentenced to death in 1693 but escaped execution after receiving a reprieve from Massachusetts’ governor

A new study of western diamondback rattlesnakes reveals that they abruptly shift to a high-frequency rattle as danger approaches.

Rattlesnakes Fool Humans Into Thinking They’re Nearby With This Sound-Warping Trick

A new study reveals the snakes change the speed of their rattles to appear closer than they are

The wine press dates to the Byzantine period.

Cool Finds

Byzantine-Era Wine Press, Gold Coin Found Near Tel Aviv

The 1,400-year-old currency shows Golgotha, identified as the site of Jesus’s crucifixion, on one of its sides

Chuck Close Self-Portrait, dye diffusion transfer prints, 1989

Chuck Close, Artist Whose Photorealist Portraits Captivated America, Dies at 81

The painter, who faced accusations of sexual harassment later in life, continuously changed his artistic style

To get the award-winning shot, Fabian J. Weston, used a microscope from the 1970s and went as far as creating a saline solution that would keep the micro-fauna alive while imaged.

The Secret World of a Termite’s Gut Revealed in Award-Winning Video

The footage shows the symbiotic relationship between a termite and the protists that help digest their food

In recent years, summer temperatures in Russia have seen numbers in the triple digits despite being one of the coldest places on Earth.

More Than 40 Million Acres of Land Have Burned in Siberia

Russia has seen an increasing severity of wildfires in recent years due to rising summer temperatures and a historic drought

Fruit flies are social creatures. But when isolated, they begin to act differently—not unlike a human in quarantine.

Just Like Humans, Lonely Fruit Flies Eat More, Sleep Less

The insects are hardwired to consume lots of food and avoid rest as a way of coping with loneliness

A study of two dozen common cuttlefish reveals they can recall specific details regardless of age.

Unlike Humans, Cuttlefish Have Sharp Memories Even in Old Age

The cephalopods remember when, where and what they ate until days before death

The excavation site lies next to Holy Trinity Church in the English village of Cookham.

Cool Finds

Lost Monastery Run by Early Medieval Queen Discovered in England

Cynethryth ruled alongside her husband, King Offa of Mercia, during the seventh century C.E.

Inscription mentioning renovation of the settlement's hospital

Cool Finds

Ancient Christian Settlement in Egypt Shows Evidence of Urban Planning

Dated to the sixth century C.E., the Marea complex boasted public baths and a hospital

Cogongrass in bloom during early summer.

New Research

‘World’s Worst Invasive Weed’ Sold at Many U.S. Garden Centers

Banned by federal and state regulators, many invasive plants are still being sold at garden centers, nurseries and online retailers nationwide

Anne Frank pictured at school in Amsterdam in 1940

New Education Center Dedicated to Anne Frank Debuts in South Carolina

The space is the Amsterdam-based Anne Frank House’s only official outpost in North America

Only two of 18 eggs have hatched so far. Congrats to the gator parents, Snowflake and Blizzard!

Rare Albino Alligators Hatch at Florida Zoo

The pair of white and pink hatchlings lack their species’ usual dark coloration

Page 366 of 1127