Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News

A radio image of two black holes orbiting each other in Quasar OJ287. The light comes from the glowing gas surrounding the black holes and the particle jets being emitted.

Researchers Just Revealed the First-Ever Image of Two Black Holes Orbiting Each Other

A new study may visually solve an enduring mystery about a bright object that’s been studied since the 19th century

The V-shaped traps funneled animals downhill into a circular enclosure.

New Research

High in the Andes of Northern Chile, Hunters Once Used These Stone Wall Traps to Capture Prey

Archaeologist Adrián Oyaneder discovered dozens of structures called chacu while reviewing satellite images of the Camarones River Basin

Coins left behind as offerings helped the researchers measure the size of the imprint from photos.

Chicago’s Famous ‘Rat Hole’ Wasn’t Actually Made by a Rat, According to a Statistical Analysis

Scientists are almost certain the viral imprint in a city sidewalk was actually made by an unlucky squirrel

The Vaillancourt Fountain at Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco

Can This Controversial Brutalist Fountain in San Francisco Be Saved From Demolition?

Critics have called the Vaillancourt Fountain an “eyesore,” while supporters say it’s an important chapter in the city’s history

Scientists gathered samples from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility in central Alaska.

Scientists Resurrect 40,000-Year-Old Microbes From Alaskan Permafrost. What They Found Raised Worries About the Future of a Warming Arctic

The experiments offer new insights into one of the “biggest unknowns” in how the climate will change in the years to come

The stone is dedicated to soldier Sextus Congenius Verus.

Cool Finds

The Mystery of the Ancient Roman Gravestone Discovered in a Family’s Backyard Has Been Solved

The couple hadn’t known how the artifact made its way to their property in New Orleans. But after their story went viral, a former owner of the home came forward with new information about the object

A male and female olive baboon

Research Sheds Light on Why Women Live Longer Than Men—and Why This Pattern Will Likely Continue

Scientists studied hundreds of mammal and bird species to shed light on sex-based lifespan differences

The Passage of Commodus was used by Roman emperors.

You Can Now Walk Through the Colosseum’s Secret Tunnel Once Used by Ancient Roman Emperors

Experts say the notorious emperor Commodus may have survived an assassination attempt inside this tunnel, which is now open to the public following extensive restorations

Researchers equipped the bats with "backpacks" filled with monitoring instruments.

This Chilling Recording Reveals Large Bats Catching, Killing and Eating Birds Midflight

The data answers an enduring question about the greater noctule bat

A close-up of a gum leaf skeletonizer caterpillar, also known as a "Mad Hatterpillar" because of its distinctive stacked head capsules, left behind with every molt. The photo won the invertebrate behavior category.

See 15 Wondrous Winning Images From the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards

The eye-catching wildlife photos highlight both the beauty and the harsh realities of nature

SpaceX's Starship test flight launches from Texas.

SpaceX Successfully Launches Giant Starship Rocket’s 11th Test Flight

The company will soon begin testing the third version of its rocket

The hunt includes around $10,000 worth of treasures, with individual prizes ranging from $300 to $3,500.

A Real-Life Treasure Hunt Is Underway in These American Cities

Stack’s Bowers Galleries is hiding certificates for rare coins and banknotes this month as it celebrates the 90th anniversary of its first auction in October 1935

Two new studies are shedding more light on the behavior and lifespans of naked mole rats.

Scientists Explore the Mysterious Lives and Longevity Superpowers of Naked Mole Rats

The nearly hairless rodents are extremely resistant to cancer—and can live to be 37 years old

A gold mining operation in Peru

Study Finds High Levels of Mercury in Hair Samples From Indigenous Women in Peru and Nicaragua

Small-scale gold mining in the area releases mercury into the environment, where it can make its way into fish and, in turn, humans

The liver came from a genetically modified cloned pig with ten gene edits.

Surgeons in China Perform First Pig Liver Transplant in Human Patient

The patient lived with part of a pig liver for 38 days before surgeons removed it, surviving 171 total days after the procedure

A guillotine donated by French lawyer Robert Badinter, who fought for the abolition of the death penalty, is on display at Marseille’s Museum of the Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean through April 2026.

A Guillotine Goes on Display in Marseille, Where the Execution Device Was Last Used 48 Years Ago

A museum in the city is honoring the legacy of Minister of Justice Robert Badinter, who fought to repeal the death penalty in France once and for all

Installation view of "Divine Egypt," now open at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through January 2026

Meet 25 of the Ancient Egyptians’ Most Significant Gods and Goddesses, From the Falcon-Headed Horus to the Sky Deity Hathor

“Divine Egypt,” a new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, features nearly 250 artifacts representing the rich pantheon of Egyptian deities

The pillar is topped with a simple carving of a human face.

Cool Finds

A Human Face Was Carved Into This Stone Pillar in Turkey 11,000 Years Ago

The T-shaped pillar is the first with a face to be found in the Stone Age archaeological sites of Turkey’s Taş Tepeler

The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, Claude Monet, oil on canvas, 1908

Claude Monet’s Beautiful Paintings of Venice Are Headlining an Exhibition for the First Time in More Than a Century

The paintings came from the French Impressionist’s time in Italy with his wife, Alice, in 1908

The mold growing on batches of Bayley Hazen Blue cheese changed from green to white between 2016 and the present day.

Scientists Watch Fungi Evolve in Real Time, Thanks to a Marriage Proposal in a Cheese Cave

A new study pinpoints a disruption in a gene that made a beloved blue cheese’s rind go from green to white

Page 77 of 1143