Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Smart News / Smart News Science

A lake in the Halema‘uma‘u crater on Hawai’i’s Kīlauea volcano

NASA Photos Reveal a Lake of Water—Not Lava—on Kīlauea Volcano

NASA’s Landsat 8 satellite captured the images, which show water collecting at the summit of Hawai’i’s Kīlauea

With 650 million cubic yards of dirt and stone, the unstable hillside identified by researchers at Barry Arm would possibly lead to one of the largest tsunamis the area has ever endured.

Potential Landslide Could Trigger Destructive Tsunami in Alaska, Scientists Warn

The natural disaster could strike Prince William Sound at any point within the next 20 years

An artist’s rendering of what an elaphrosaur may have looked like.

Rare ‘Light-Footed’ Dinosaur Discovered in Australia for the First Time

A single vertebra spotted by a dig volunteer was identified as a strange, slender-necked dinosaur called an elaphrosaur

Nickelodon's slime in Space in the cupola of the International Space Station.

Astronauts Got Slimed in Space for Science

Nickelodeon teamed up with NASA to send packets of green slime into space to test its behavior in microgravity and to create a virtual field trip for kids

The loudest marching band at the Rose Parade was Southern University and A&M College's "Human Jukebox" from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was their first performance at the parade in 40 years—talk about a booming comeback!

New Research

Marching Bands Make Seismic Waves at the Rose Parade

A fiber optic cable system for sensing earthquakes also gives marching bands a new source of bragging rights

An artist's rendering of what a moon base might look like

Astronauts Could Use Their Own Pee to Build a Moon Base

A compound in human urine can be used to create ‘lunar concrete,’ new research suggests

Officials uncovered seven slabs of travertine that date to between 27 and 25 B.C.

Sinkhole Outside of the Pantheon Reveals Ancient Roman Paving Stones

Due to COVID-19, the Piazza della Rotunda was virtually empty when the cavity opened up on April 27

New research suggests that humidity is making the painting's yellow cadmium sulfide degrade into white.

Art Meets Science

Humidity Is a Nightmare for ‘The Scream’

Moisture in the air—not light—has made the yellow pigments in Edvard Munch’s masterpiece degrade

Eastern garter snakes in the study stuck to their cliques and had a range of bold and shy personalities

New Research

Cold-Blooded, but Not Cold-Hearted, Garter Snakes Form Friendships

By tracking 40 snakes over eight days, researchers found that the reptiles tended to return to the same groups

Dr. Lucy Asher and her dog, Martha

For Dogs, Puberty Is Pretty Ruff, Too

Like human teenagers, a new study shows that canines exhibit heightened conflict behavior during adolescence

Olafur Eliasson's Wunderkammer collection brings the Northern Lights, a rain cloud, the sun, flowers and other AR objects into your home.

Virtual Travel

This AR App Brings the Northern Lights and Other Natural Phenomena Into Your Living Room

Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson has released nine virtual experiences for audiences to explore during quarantine

Researchers estimate that sea spray could release up to 136,000 tons of microplastic particles into the air per year.

The Salty Sea Breeze Contains Microplastics, New Study Suggests

Researchers recorded the tiny particles in ocean air off the coast of France

A California biologist watches an old male desert tortoise from a distance following the construction of a solar farm in 2011.

Solar Energy Project in Nevada Will Be Biggest in United States

The Department of the Interior approved the $1 billion project on Monday despite concerns for threatened wildlife

A quick-thinking Boston police officer used an electronic mating call to lure an escaped peacock into a fenced-in yard.

Police Lure Escaped Peacock Into Custody With Mating Call Played On Cell Phone

Zoo officials say it is peacock mating season, and the male bird may have escaped to search for a female

Silver Y Moth (Autographa gamma), feeding on fuchsia flowers at night in a garden.

New Research

Moths Work the Pollination Night Shift, Visiting Some Flowers Bees Skip

A new study highlights the importance of moths as nocturnal pollinators in the English countryside

This map shows the Long March 5B's projected orbit before it reentered Earth's atmosphere.

A Huge Hunk of Space Debris Fell to Earth

The 20-ton object, part of a Chinese rocket, is one of the largest ever to fall uncontrolled from space

Excavations at the Bacho Kiro Cave in Bulgaria uncovered ancient human bones along with stone tools, animal bones, bone tools and pendants.

Humans and Neanderthals May Have Overlapped in Europe Longer Than Previously Thought

Remains found in a Bulgarian cave are between 44,000 and 46,000 years old, making them the oldest confirmed Homo sapiens discovered in Europe

The "Drive-By-Art" exhibition featured roadside sculptures, live performances, video projections, paintings and other works of art.

Covid-19

Drive-By Art Exhibition Provides Socially Distanced Dose of Culture

Fifty-two artists participated in the Long Island event

Even if you're stuck in the city, birding is a great social distancing hobby—you can start from your window. Pictured: A male pine warbler perched in a redbud tree.

Education During Coronavirus

Here’s How to (Safely) Bird-Watch During Lockdown

Birding can be a lark, but don’t run a-fowl of safety guidelines

Researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science averaged the structures of 1,625 mouse brains to create a standard model.

New Research

Researchers Created a 3-D Map of 100 Million Cells in the Mouse Brain

Neuroscientists have been using the tool since 2017 to pinpoint where exactly their data are coming from

Page 247 of 545