Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News

Screenshot from "Macro Timelapse" at Natural Recall

Cool Finds

Growing Plants Have Never Looked So Gruesome

All it takes is a slight shift of perspective to realize plants are far from inanimate

Cool Finds

Isaac Newton’s Laundry List of Sin

The famous physicist kept a catalog of very human transgressions

New Research

This Ancient Egyptian Masterpiece Might Be Fake

“Egypt’s Mona Lisa” is likely a sham

New Research

Found: The Bacteria That Are Making You Stink

Scientists have finally discovered the culprit behind smelly armpits

New Research

There’s New Information About Anne Frank’s Death

New research challenges the notion that if the Frank sisters had lived a few days more, they’d have survived the war

New Research

Scientists Predict Obesity Rates by Examining Sewage Microbes

The microbial makeup of a city’s sewage can indicate its population’s physique

Cool Finds

There Are Communities of People Who Call Themselves Vampires

“Their self-described nature begins to manifest around or just after puberty”

Trending Today

Spending Too Much Time on Homework Linked to Lower Test Scores

A new study suggests the benefits to homework peak at an hour a day. After that, test scores decline.

Cool Finds

Men and Women See Things Differently (No, Literally)

Color perception may actually have something to do with gender

New Research

As We Get Older We Get More Tolerant of Discordant Music

Hearing loss isn’t the only thing that changes our music perception as we age

New Research

Population Growth Can Warm a City As Much As Climate Change

Urbanization in California’s Central Valley could raise local temperatures an extra one to two degrees Celcius

New Research

Turns Out Urine Isn’t Actually Sterile

New research debunks the myth that urine doesn’t contain bacteria…and calls traditional lab techniques into question

New Research

This Nasty Medieval Remedy Kills MRSA

An ancient brew could lead to modern-day drugs to fight the superbug

New Research

Pandas Actually Hang Out Together

GPS tracking data sheds light on giant pandas secretive societies

New Research

Crossing Your Fingers Could Reduce Pain (No Lie)

Researchers find the spatial arrangement of our digits affects the sensations they feel

Cool Finds

A Tired Brain Could Actually Be More Creative

The wandering thoughts brought on by fatigue can lead to insight

New Research

It Doesn’t Matter How Much Time Parents Spend With Their Kids

New research shows no link between amount of time spent with children and emotional, behavioral, or academic outcomes

New Research

Why These Stone-Age Farmers Took the Flesh Off Their Dead

New research shows evidence of an early burial rite

New Research

How ‘Waves’ Rippling Through Bird Flocks Help Them Escape Predators

Starlings are known for their coordinated movements and a common study animal for researchers seeking to explain such behavior

New Research

Gold Nanoparticles Can Remote Control the Brain

It’s just the latest twist in nanotech that is using gold as medicine

Page 859 of 1116