Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News

One of David Hockney's drawings from The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, created on an iPad

David Hockney’s iPad Drawings of Winter’s Transformation Into Spring Blow Past Estimates at Auction

Seventeen works from the artist’s 2011 series went for more than $8 million at a Sotheby’s sale on October 17

The curved walls were likely designed to help the fortress withstand wind and sand erosion.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discover 3,500-Year-Old Egyptian Military Fortress in the Sinai Desert

Excavations are shedding light on what life was like at the ancient site, which may have once housed hundreds of soldiers at a time

The first hand and foot fossils clearly linked to Paranthropus boisei reveal the human relative could have handled stone tools.

Cool Finds

Discovery of First Fossil Hand Linked to P. Boisei Suggests the Bygone Human Relative Could Have Used Tools

A new study sheds light on the enduring mystery of whether our ancient cousins were toolmakers, too

Participants received retinal implants that restored some of their vision. 

Electronic Eye Implant Restored Vision in Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration

The device could be a boon for millions with vision loss from advancing age

The otter-surfer interaction last Wednesday 

‘Feisty’ Otters Are Once Again Hijacking Surfboards in Santa Cruz

Is the playful otter stealing surfboards a repeat offender?

The glowing red band represents high concentrations of gamma rays across the center of the Milky Way.

Is This Mysterious Glow at the Center of the Milky Way Caused by Dark Matter?

An excess of gamma rays in the center of our galaxy could mean scientists have finally detected dark matter particles—or not

French police officers stand by the ladder that robbers used to enter the Louvre on October 19.

Burglars Just Broke Into the Louvre and Stole Historic Crown Jewels in a Daring Daylight Heist

In a matter of minutes, thieves climbed a ladder and smashed display cases before fleeing the scene with eight valuable artifacts. The jewels had been housed just 270 yards from the “Mona Lisa”

The Fabergé Winter Egg was designed by Alma Pihl.

This Rare Fabergé Egg Might Set a World Record at Auction for the Third Time in Its History

Commissioned by the Russian emperor Nicholas II, the diamond-covered Winter Egg is expected to fetch $27 million when it goes under the hammer in London on December 2

The Parthenon, photographed here on October 17, is free from scaffolding for the first time in decades.

You Can See the Parthenon Without Scaffolding for the First Time in Decades

The temporary structures will return next month—but in the meantime, visitors will enjoy rare unobstructed views of the ancient hilltop temple in Athens

First-place winner: rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae) on a grain of rice

These Beautiful Microscope Photos Capture Tiny Pests, Spores, Sensory Neurons and Sunflower Hairs

Nikon has announced the winners of its 51st annual photomicrography competition

Green sea turtles are rebounding, thanks to global conservation efforts.

After Decades of Decline, Some Good News Is Here for Green Sea Turtles

The International Union for Conservation of Nature no longer considers the marine creatures endangered and has instead reclassified them as a species of least concern

Mountaineers have skied other routes on Mount Everest, but never the Hornbein Couloir, a steep, narrow gully on the North Face.

American Mountaineer Makes History by Skiing Down Mount Everest’s Most Difficult Route

Jim Morrison, 50, completed the historic run on October 15 as a tribute to his late partner, Hilaree Nelson, who died in an avalanche in 2022

Pablo Picasso painted Still Life With Guitar in 1919.

This Tiny Picasso Painting Went Missing While Traveling to an Exhibition in Spain

A few days before “Still Life With Guitar” was supposed to go on display in Granada, staffers discovered the piece had vanished from a group of artworks that had recently arrived by truck

The cache includes a mix of coins and other treasures.

Cool Finds

This Fisherman Was Digging for Worms in Sweden When He Stumbled Upon a Trove of Medieval Silver

Experts think that someone may have buried the copper cauldron full of coins and jewelry to keep it safe during a tumultuous period in the 12th century

An open-air art gallery at Dublin's Merrion Square park in 2021

Ireland Makes a Program Offering Basic Income for Artists Permanent

After a successful three-year pilot, the country will continue to provide 2,000 artists with $1,500 per month

Researchers studied ancient tooth fossils and found that a gene mutation in modern humans (right) better protected them against lead and gave them an advantage over Neanderthals (left). 

Our Human Ancestors Were Exposed to Lead, and New Research Suggests It May Have Shaped Human Evolution

Lead exposure may have spelled evolutionary success for humans—and extinction for our ancient cousins—but other scientists are casting doubt on the headline-making study

A new study investigates addiction-like behaviors in dogs.

Does Your Dog Love Chasing a Ball? Study Suggests Dog Toy ‘Addiction’ Is Real

The research documents addiction-like tendencies in canines, offering scientific evidence that appears to support owners’ own observations

Jackie's unusual coloring results from changes to her natural pigmentation process.

Meet Jackie, a 1-in-30-Million Calico Lobster Caught Off the Coast of Massachusetts

Now living at Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center, the striking crustacean has a bright orange shell with black freckles and blue joints

Zora Neale Hurston posing outside of a cabin in Belle Glade, Florida, circa 1935

Zora Neale Hurston’s Forgotten Play Premieres on Stage for the First Time

Based on the author’s short story and ethnographic fieldwork, “Spunk” languished in Library of Congress’ archives for decades

Hematoids can shed light on blood formation during early human development.

Researchers Created Structures That Produced Blood Cells in the Lab—With a Process That Mimics Real Human Embryos

The advance could carry significant implications for studying blood diseases and early human development

Page 76 of 1143