Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News

Trending Today

‘Dry January’ Has Benefits All Year Long

Research suggests the alcohol-free challenge reduces consumption for months afterward

In this 2018 photo provided by Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, INAH, a skull-like stone carving and a stone trunk depicting the Flayed Lord, a pre-Hispanic fertility god depicted as a skinned human corpse, are stored after being excavated from the Ndachjian–Tehuacan archaeological site in Tehuacan, Puebla state, where archaeologists have discovered the first temple dedicated to the deity.

Archaeologists Find First-Known Temple of ‘Flayed Lord’ in Mexico

While the rituals associated with the site may not be entirely clear, identifying the ruins of a temple to the deity Xipe Tóte is an important discovery

The American Heritage is enjoying a new lease on life as an artificial reef home to hundreds of deep-sea sponges and other marine creatures

He Was on Duty When the Ship Sank. Two Decades Later, the ROV Pilot Aids in Its Exploration

You can now explore a 3-D model of the wreck of the American Heritage

President Barack Obama greets Richard Overton, with Earlene Love-Karo, in the Blue Room of the White House, Nov. 11, 2013.

Richard Overton, Nation’s Oldest Living Combat Veteran, Dies at 112

The beloved World War II vet didn’t let old age stop him from enjoying his 12 daily cigars, whiskey-spiked coffee and butter pecan ice cream

A segment of the 3 million-strong "women's wall" that gathered in the southern Indian state of Kerala on January 1, 2019.

Two Women Make History by Entering One of India’s Holiest Sites

This is the first time that women have been able to enter the Sabarimala temple since India’s Supreme Court overturned a ban that denied them access

Jeanne Calment in 1895

Trending Today

Was the World’s Oldest Person Ever Actually Her 99-Year-Old Daughter?

Jeanne Calment made history when she died at the age of 122 in 1997, but a new investigation claims her daughter actually assumed her identity in 1934

One of the flower-strewn slabs.

Cool Finds

Could These Fossils Push Back the History of Flowers?

A study analyzing 200 tiny flowers from 174 million years ago suggests angiosperms were around during the Jurassic, but paleobotanists are skeptical

A cane toad (Rhinella marina) at Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve, Northern Territory, Australia.

See Ten Lusty Cane Toads Latch Onto a Powerless Python

The toads, which are invasive in Australia, have been known to try and mate with everything from human hands to rotting mangoes

Remembering Nancy Grace Roman, Trailblazing Astronomer Known as ‘Mother of the Hubble’

She worked on and advocated for the space telescope, which changed our view of the universe

Ice merchants stored imported blocks of frozen Norwegian fjords in this massive egg-shaped structure

Cool Finds

London Archaeologists Unearth Subterranean Georgian-Era Ice Store

The entrance to the cavernous chamber, which was used to hold ice before the advent of modern refrigeration, was covered up following the Blitz

Four infected ponies were euthanized at the end of December

Swamp Cancer Kills Seven of Chincoteague’s Beloved Wild Ponies

The deadly infection leaves itchy lesions clustered across victims’ bodies

Victor Vescovo entering the Limiting Factor for his record-breaking descent.

Trending Today

Submersible Is First to Reach Bottom of Atlantic Ocean

U.S. equity-firm founder piloted the craft to the bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench, in a bid to reach the deepest spot in each of the world’s oceans

Cool Finds

Your Christmas Tree May Be Turned Into Mouthwash One Day

A new sustainable chemical process can turn pine needles into a chemical feedstock for paint, food sweeteners, mouthwash and other products

Magnet, one of the endangered North Atlantic right whales returning to their wintering grounds in Georgia and Florida.

Cool Finds

First Right Whale Calf in Two Years Spotted Off Florida Coast

A mother and calf were recently sighted along with several possibly pregnant endangered North Atlantic right whales

Scientists Cracked Themselves Up With a Study That Found Parachutes Are No More Effective Than Empty Backpacks

Always read the fine print

From L to R: Gymnetis drogoni, Gymnetis rhaegali and Gymnetis viserioni

These New Beetle Species Are Named After the ‘Game of Thrones’ Dragons

Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons—Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion—provided the inspiration for these three beetles’ new names

Ducklings that hatched in October were reared in lakeside pens, then transferred to the floating aviaries in early December.

One of the World’s Rarest Birds Has Been Reintroduced to the Wild in Madagascar

The 21 Madagascar pochards seem to be faring well in their new home

All of the 45 crewmembers were younger than 30

Laser Scan Reveals Fate of Nazi U-Boat Sunk Near Outer Banks Coast

The July 15, 1942, sinking of submarine U-576 resulted in the deaths of all 45 men onboard

Ring in the New Year With Dazzling Total Lunar Eclipse of a Supermoon

The celestial show will be visible on the East Coast around 12:12 a.m. on January 21, 2019

Trending Today

Images Show Landslide Likely Caused Indonesian Tsunami

Radar images appear to show the southwestern flank of the Anak Krakaktau volcano sheared off into the sea

Page 543 of 1116