Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News

The sculpture “Rumors of War” is unveiled in Times Square on September 27, 2019 in New York City.

A New Statue in Times Square Challenges the Symbolism of Confederate Monuments

The work by artist Kehinde Wiley will soon be moved to Richmond, Virginia, not far from a street lined with controversial Civil War memorials

Cool Finds

New Organic Compounds Found in Plumes From Saturn’s Icy Moon Enceladus

Analysis of data from the late, great Cassini spacecraft reveals the moon is spurting oxygen and nitrogen-bearing organic compounds into space

One of the scrolls being scanned by the Diamond Light Source and digitally deciphered.

New Research

Light Billions of Times Brighter Than the Sun Used to Read Charred Scrolls From Herculaneum

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. carbonized papyrus scrolls, which may now be readable

Picture taken at the unveiling of the Totem Pole in May 2017.

Thieves Return Hand Stolen From Montreal Totem Pole, With an Apology Note

‘After we realized what [the artwork] stood for and represented for so many people, we immediately felt sick to our stomach,’ the letter reads

American assault troops move up the beachhead from their landing craft in northern France.

Cool Finds

Man Discovers Original D-Day Dispatch Audiotape in Basement

The tape and several other recordings have since been donated to the National D-Day Memorial

Artists reconstruction of Phoebodus sharks.

Cool Finds

This Ancient Shark Looked Like an Eel and Swallowed Its Prey Whole

Scans of a rare 360-million-year-old shark skeleton shows the beasts used hunting techniques similar to modern sharks and fish

How Drones Are Helping Scientists Figure Out Whales’ Weight

Because it is so difficult to weigh the huge marine mammals, whale body mass is often not included in studies

Trending Today

D.C.’s Newseum Is Closing Its Doors at the End of the Year

The museum dedicated to the history of journalism and the First Amendment has struggled financially since opening 11 years ago

A print from an oil painting attributed to J Clevely, showing Captain James Cook arriving at Queen Charlotte's Sound in New Zealand.

British Government ‘Expresses Regret’ for Māori Killed After James Cook’s Arrival in New Zealand

The statement comes as New Zealand prepares to grapple with the 250th anniversary of the first meetings between Captain Cook and the Māori

Did a 1964 Earthquake Bring a Dangerous Fungus to the Pacific Northwest?

A new study posits that tsunamis triggered by the Great Alaska Earthquake washed Cryptococcus gattii onto the shore

Dolphins and their calves enjoying a summer day in the lower Potomac River.

Cool Finds

Dolphins Are Finally Living and Breeding in the Potomac River Again

About 1,000 bottlenose dolphins have been recorded in the lower reaches of the recovering river, including one that gave birth in August

Trending Today

Record-Breaking Storm Dumps Four Feet of Snow on Parts of Montana

The September storm broke snowfall and temperature records across several states

The researchers write, "These results [indicate] … nonhuman animals have a theory of mind and do not simply rely on behavior rules to interpret and anticipate others’ actions"

Great Apes May Use Their Own Experience to Guess What Others Will Do

New research suggests primates possess ‘theory of mind’, an ability once thought to be unique to humans

Jessye Norman at L'Olympia on June 26, 2012.

World-Renowned Soprano Jessye Norman Dies at 74

The opera star, who championed diversity in the arts, was known for her singular voice and versatile range

An Atlantic spotted dolphin swims behind a Pilot whale.

Shedding Genes Helped Whales and Dolphins Evolve for Life at Sea

When adopting an aquatic lifestyle, cetaceans ditched genetic code related to sleep, DNA restoration and more

Cool Finds

Missing Box Contains Bones of Britain’s Early Inhabitants

Carbon dating shows the remains were 9,000 years old

Anna Birnie, Van Gogh's governess and likely first art teacher.

Cool Finds

Research Reveals Vincent van Gogh’s Artistic Governess

Anna Birnie, daughter of an artist, taught Vincent and his siblings for three years, including lesson on drawing

The wrestler's cap alludes to Hercules' defeat of the Nemean lion

Cool Finds

Jar Depicting Thracian Athlete Found in Grave of Sports Fan of Antiquity

Your move, fanatics of the 21st century

Cool Finds

California’s Saltiest Lake Is Home to This Arsenic-Resistant, Three-Sexed Worm

Prior to their discovery, only two species could survive in the super-salty, highly alkaline lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains

Previously, researchers believed giraffes' spots grew darker with age

Color of Giraffes’ Spots Reflects Social Status, Not Age

New research suggests male giraffes with darker coloring are more solitary, dominant than lighter-hued counterparts

Page 515 of 1141