Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News / Smart News Arts & Culture

Drivers Are More Likely to Brake at Yellow Lights If They’ve Just Seen a Depressing Billboard

After seeing positive or neutral ads before a yellow light, drivers were more likely to run it. But after negative ads, they were more likely to break

Two BlizzCon attendees dress up as Blood Elves, a race from the World of Warcraft.

The NSA Was Spying in World of Warcraft

And in Second Life

A Google Doodle That Honors Computer Programmer Grace Hopper

Hopper was a U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, and in 1959 she helped create COBOL—a program that the military and banks still use today

Without Nutrients From Conventional Farms, Yields of Organic Crops Could Go Down

Many of the nutrients flowing through organic farms still ultimately derive from conventional farms

New York Might Never Top the 1949 Rockefeller Center Tree

Although this years tree will have far more lights (45,000 in total) it won’t be quite the silver, spinning whirlwind of 1949

Disney’s childhood home in Chicago (on the corner), as depicted by Google Street View.

Walt Disney’s Childhood Home May Soon Be a Museum

The new owners may return the house to the same conditions it was in when young Disney ran through its halls

Fingerbreaking

Breakdance Competitions Are Adding Fingerbreaking to Their Lineup

This is not a bad-cop interrogation method, but rather a newly recognized form of dance

No no no, Guurr, put the mammoth tusk over there, it helps balance the energy.

Neanderthals May Have Practiced the Ancient Art of Interior Design

Excavations showed that Neanderthals may have designed their homes with purpose

Eligible bachelors

Your Online Dating Profile Picture Should Be With Other People

Skip the shirtless bathroom selfie and go with a group shot for your next online dating profile

Which Is the Most Lucrative “12 Days of Christmas” Career?

Of the iconic Christmas gifts, which would give you the best career prospects?

Baikal Ice

Siberian Musicians Used the Frozen Surface of the World’s Largest Lake as a Drum

Siberians by chance discovered that Lake Baikal’s frozen waves created an unexpectedly bright sound when one of them fell and thunked the ice with her hand

Microbes May Be Responsible For Wine Regions’ Distinctive Flavors

Wines’ regionally-distinctive flavors may be caused by the bacteria and fungi that live on the grapes

The Hunger Games Is Getting More People Interested in Archery

For Hunger Games fans, there’s a new hobby in town: archery

The Pictures in Your Home Goods Catalogs Are Probably Computer Rendered

Some materials are harder to render than others, but soon those catalogs will be full of space that never existed in the real world

Hockey Players Sue League For Failing to Address Head Injuries

On Monday, ten retired N.H.L. players sued the league for fraud and negligence

Ask Smithsonian 2017

Which Seat Should You Pick at the Movie Theater?

When you walk into a theater, you’re probably still going to argue with your friends about which seat to pick. But now you know the right answer

Men Are Just As Picky As Women About Who They’d Date—If They’re the Ones Being Pursued

When women have to be the pursuer, they become much less picky

Playing Sports Is Getting Too Expensive for Many Kids’ Families

Organized sports are really expensive, and informal practice grounds are disappearing

None

Your Life Experiences Aren’t So Special—Here’s Proof

There’s this feeling that each of us is wandering through life, the unique product of our own past and our own experiences.

None

With 502,165 Bulbs, Australian Man Retakes World Record for Most Christmas Lights on a Single Home

David Richards first claimed that title back in 2001, with a paltry 331,038 lights, but last year he was overtaken by a New York family

Page 264 of 287