Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News

New York is the second state to pass a ban on single use plastic bags. California was the first.

New York to Introduce State-Wide Ban on Plastic Bags

But the plan has drawn criticism from both business groups and environmental advocates

The Toad mountain harlequin frog is one of more than 500 species endangered by the fungal outbreak

World’s Deadliest Pathogen On Record Devastates More Than 500 Amphibian Species—and We Don’t Know How To Stop It

The powerful fungus essentially ‘eats’ its victim’s skin alive, weakening the system before triggering cardiac arrest

New Research

Raging Rivers May Have Washed Over Mars for Billions of Years

A study of 200 river systems shows the waterways persisted even while the atmosphere was disappearing and the Red Planet was drying up

At 8, Jo Cameron broke her arm and didn't tell anyone for days because she didn't notice. Decades later her doctors found she had osteoarthritis by chance and she underwent surgery to remove the bone in her hand. A few drug store pain killers was all she need to ease her pain.

A Scottish Woman Doesn’t Feel Pain or Stress. Now Researchers Think They Know Why

Genetic analysis revealed that Jo Cameron has a previously unidentified mutation that may affect pain relief, memory and mood

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts hired art therapist Stephen Legari in 2017

Art Meets Science

Quebec’s Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Sets Example in Arts-Based Wellness

The social prescribing movement involves the treatment of a wide range of ailments with therapeutic art- or hobby-based activities

Dutch art detective Arthur Brand has been trying to find "Buste de Femme" for years.

‘Indiana Jones of the Art World’ Finds Picasso Stolen 20 Years Ago From Saudi Billionaire

The painting had been ‘used as collateral, popping up in a drug deal here, four years later in an arms deal there,’ says Arthur Brand

Mini mum fits comfortably on a human's thumbnail

Meet ‘Mini mum,’ ‘Mini scule’ and ‘Mini ature,’ Three New Frog Species Among the World’s Smallest

The newly discovered amphibians are all about the size of a thumbnail or smaller

Trending Today

International Expedition Will Excavate the Dino-Rich ‘Jurassic Mile’

More than 100 paleontologists are heading to the fossil-filled Morrison Formation

The most recent vortex on the left and the first one discovered in 1989 by Voyager 2.

New Research

There’s a Dark and Stormy Vortex Brewing on Neptune

It is the sixth massive dark and stormy vortex found on the planet since 1989 and the only one astronomers have watched develop

New Research

A Network of Lakes Lies Under East Antarctica’s Biggest Glacier

The water underneath the Totten Glacier may force researchers to recalculate how quickly climate change may melt the massive ice sheet

New York County Bans Unvaccinated Children From Public Places

The drastic measure comes as officials try to curb a severe measles outbreak

Edouard Manet, "Laure," also known as "Olympia," 1863

Musée d’Orsay Renames Manet’s ‘Olympia’ and Other Works in Honor of Their Little-Known Black Models

Marie-Guillemine Benoist’s “Portrait of Madeleine,” previously titled “Portrait of a Black Woman,” hangs alongside Manet’s newly christened “Laure”

Scotty’s skeleton is scheduled to go on view at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in May 2019

Cool Finds

Meet Scotty, the Largest and Longest-Lived T. Rex Ever Found

The dinosaur weighed an estimated 19,555 pounds and likely lived into its early 30s

For the first time, two female astronauts will conduct routine tests outside the International Space Station later this month while a team of women at NASA direct the work from the ground. Left: Christina Hammock Koch; Right: Anne McClain

NASA Cancels First All-Female Spacewalk Due to Spacesuit Size Issues

NASA didn’t have two properly fitting and space-ready suits for both women

Krispy Kreme store in London.

German Family That Owns Krispy Kreme Admits It Profited From Nazi Ties

Upon learning that their ancestors had relied on forced labor, the family was ‘ashamed and white as sheets,’ a spokesperson said

Trending Today

Thousands of Invasive Cane Toads Overtake Florida Community

A mild winter and rain has led to a spring explosion of the amphibians, which are clogging pool filters, lawns and driveways

South Dakota National Guard distributes drinkable water at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Midwest Floods Lead to ‘Humanitarian Crisis’ on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

Water-logged and muddy lands are making it difficult for emergency aid to reach people in need of help

Immature (red) and mature (blue) neurons in the hippocampus of a 68 year-old

New Research

The Brain May Actually Keep Generating New Cells Well Into Old Age

An analysis of 58 brain samples found that neurogenesis declines over time and is particularly poor among those with Alzheimer’s

"Vase with Poppies" c. 1886 is authenticated

After 30 Years of Doubt, a Painting of Poppies Is Authenticated as a van Gogh

New imaging technology has helped clarify lingering questions about the artwork, which will be put back on display at a Connecticut museum

Beyoncé and Jay-Z filmed their "Apeshit" music video at the Louvre, further publicizing the already iconic museum

These Were 2018’s Most Popular Art Exhibitions and Museums

Celebrities including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Rihanna and the Obamas helped galleries achieve record-breaking visitor numbers

Page 526 of 1116