/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/88/34/8834504c-5d13-46db-8598-413a715adf3a/reader.jpg)
Kids And Young Adults Don’t Read Books for Fun — They’ve Got Smartphones
Three times as many kids as in the 1980s just don’t read books
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/1a/08/1a08e39f-f8e1-47ac-ba5d-95d00c43df85/42-48821784.jpg)
Is This the Oldest Living Tree?
This Norway Spruce in Sweden has roots that are over 9,000 years old
:focal(1548x412:1549x413)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/de/24/de24836d-e61f-4693-a523-bf901d1704a8/05_12_2014_2.jpg)
The World Championships in Medieval Combat
Steps from a 15th century Spanish castle, combatants took to arms
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/13/c8/13c81181-9f55-483e-a816-55b92052de0c/05_12_2014_prosthetic.jpg)
The “Star Wars” Prosthetic Arm Was Approved for Sale in the U.S.
The advanced prosthetic reads muscle contractions and turns them into motion
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/27/b5/27b5b367-f678-470f-a273-de95c56bd1d8/gfs.jpg)
When We’re Threatened, We Try to Show What Good People We Are
Outside observers, however, tend to see through flimsy claims of innocence
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/50/50/5050afb1-3716-4317-b5d0-89bf22d592e3/ants.jpg)
In an Emergency, We Act Like Ants
Like many animals, we tend to clump together when danger presents itself
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/ae/4b/ae4b1a7f-5664-4aca-b124-fcd27c49b62d/05_09_2014_air_conditioner.jpg)
This Is How Much Hotter Nights in Phoenix Are Because of A/C
Waste heat from air conditioners causes a significant amount of warming outside
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/e7/55/e75536a4-3eb1-4fc7-97d3-7b068893b8f9/nigeria.jpg)
Boko Haram Video Says What the Group Wants in Exchange for Freeing Abducted Girls
If let go, they have a good chance of being able to recover emotionally
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/14/52/14525f3c-4475-48d9-bcb7-a73663e2dd94/be023782.jpg)
65 Years Ago Today, the Soviet Blockade of Berlin Ended
The first real showdown between the Soviet Union and the West ended 65 years ago today
:focal(716x639:717x640)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/dd/91/dd915c5a-1326-44b0-ae20-8ab5fc00fda0/42-51763625.jpg)
This Italian Cyclist Defied Fascists and Saved Lives
The world didn’t learn about the heroism of Gino Bartali during WWII until after he died in 2000
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/7b/05/7b05756d-618f-4b0a-a55e-edcb8e1f9d6f/whiskey.jpg)
We’re Drinking Whiskey Faster Than Distillers Can Make More
Whiskey supplies are running low
:focal(1801x1971:1802x1972)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/ca/a8/caa85fec-b40e-4e0a-941b-030dc8359d47/05_09_2014_nekhen_tomb.jpg)
Archaeologists Just Found a 5,600-Year-Old Pre-Dynastic Egyptian Tomb
This newly discovered Egyptian tomb is even older than hierogylphs
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/16/d0/16d04ba4-256a-4836-b972-daf2f164441e/katrina.jpg)
Hurricanes Katrina And Rita Caused At Least 117 Uncounted Deaths, of Stillborn Babies
Higher rates of stillbirths overlapped with the most devastated areas in the aftermath of those 2005 natural disasters
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/f3/08/f308e70d-768d-44b0-b3ec-d12f216340c8/42-24158565.jpg)
Last Call For Metro-North’s Bar Car!
The last bar cars left in America ride the rails for the last time tonight
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/0d/4d/0d4d4374-e62b-4dc6-afea-3e0e59917b0e/05_09_2014_chimp_hair.jpg)
Why Don’t Chimpanzees Have Long, Luscious Locks?
Why doesn’t animal fur grow like human hair?
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/7a/35/7a35251e-08b2-4fd8-8cb9-3aa6f75cc52f/42-53082379.jpg)
Someone Had to Build the Terracotta Army—Archaeologists Just Found Their Humbler Grave Sites
Forty-five grave sites were found only kilometers from the emperor’s tomb
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/68/a0/68a0d28d-dff5-4f26-9d9c-44f8d4f8915f/robin.jpg)
One More Way Cities Might Mess With Birds—By Throwing Radio Waves at Them
Radio waves disrupt birds’ migratory patterns, but birds may have a natural work-around
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/65/36/6536364c-13b5-4eb0-aab7-060753674ff2/05_09_2014_apples.jpg)
To Save the Apples We Love Today, We Need to Save Their Ancient Ancestors
Apples aren’t set to cope with our changing world. To help them, first we’ll need to protect the past
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/ab/2d/ab2d4434-998c-4935-8f7b-61e33a0f36db/bully.jpg)
This City in California Voted in Favor of Making Bullying a Crime
Bullying can seriously harm kids, for years. But should it really be punished by law?
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/41/17/41178272-da27-486d-9f7b-022f3758913e/42-24063921.jpg)
The Black Death Actually Improved Public Health
Analysis of skeletons from before and after the height of the epidemic yields surprising results
Page 949 of 1127