Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

At the Smithsonian

The skeleton of a Steller's sea cow hangs in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

“Mermaid Ivory” Stirs Controversy Over How Extinct Species Are Studied

The carved bones of marine mammals highlight the squishy regulations around their trade and what that means for science

U.S. species, like this red salamander, may be at risk as a new form of deadly amphibian fungus spreads.

A Ban on Salamanders Is Just Part of the Fight Against This Deadly Fungus

Scientists are deploying a variety of weapons as new clues emerge about the fungal diseases killing off amphibians

In 1972, Ray Charles visited Richard Nixon in the Oval Office

Breaking Ground

Ray Charles Returns to the White House

The blind king of soul once sat down with Richard Nixon, now his music will be performed by a host of musicians for Barack Obama

People crowd on road near Balogun Market to shop. Lagos, Nigeria

Step Into a Noisy, Chaotic Nigerian Marketplace at The African Art Museum

West African artist Emeka Ogboh’s installation will be the first time the museum has featured a work of sound art

A free-standing, double-hulled steel shelter was installed beneath the front yard of Mr. and Mrs. Murland E. Anderson of Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

Dig Into the Nuclear Era’s Homegrown Fallout Shelters

In 1955, the head of Civil Defense urged everyone to build an underground shelter “right now”

Comb Through This Framed Collection of Presidential Hair

The Smithsonian keeps a most unusual artifact of hair clipped straight from the heads of presidents

Ask Smithsonian: Why Do We Kiss?

According to philematology, or the science for the study of kissing, romance has little to do with it

“One out of every four deer that you see on your lawn or in the woods is infected with malaria,” says Ellen Martinsen.

One in Four U.S. Deer Is Infected With Malaria

Scientists suspect the undetected blood parasite has been present in the animals ever since they arrived across the Bering Land Bridge

An image of the fossilized lacewing Oregramma illecebrosa, left, and the modern owl butterfly Calico Memnon, right.

New Research

Jurassic-Era Insect Looks Just Like a Modern Butterfly

Jurassic “butterflies” helped pollinate ancient plants millions of years before the butterfly even existed

The hidden significance of the illustrations found on "The Cosmic Buddha," an iconic masterpiece from the collections of the Freer Gallery, is now being revealed thanks to 3D technology.

Curators Discover New Details in the Etchings on a 6th-Century Chinese Sculpture

A headless figure, cloaked in a robe covered with complex illustrations, is now better understood thanks to 3D technology

New vistas remind visitors that the new museum presents a "view of America through the lens of the African-American experience."

Breaking Ground

Opening Day for the New African American History Museum Is Announced

Thirteen years in the making, the museum says it will open its doors September 24, 2016

Breaking Ground

The National Museum of African American History and Culture: Breaking Ground

Countdown begins towards the historic opening of the new national museum on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016

Statue of Liberty stamp art, 1994, by Tom Engerman

Get Stuck on New York’s Pop Culture With These Historic Stamps

A new exhibition at the National Postal Museum spotlights Gotham’s cultural impact

Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter by Alexander Gardner

Poetry Matters

Can the Civil War Still Inspire Today’s Poets?

As epic verse about the American past falls victim to modernism, a poet who is also a historian calls for a revival

Ask Smithsonian: Can Elephants Jump?

The question is why would an animal weighing up to 16,000 pounds need to jump?

Bei Bei had his first introduction to snow Jan. 21, 2016.

Zoo Keepers Hunkered Down with the Animals and Bei Bei Got to Play in the Snow (Photos)

A few animals got to play outside yesterday, while keepers watched over conditions and took extra precautions

In 2003, Air France donated Concorde F-BVFA to the Smithsonian. The aircraft was the first Air France Concorde to open service to Rio de Janeiro, Washington, D.C., and New York and had flown 17,824 hours.

When Concorde First Flew, It Was a Supersonic Sight to Behold

The aircraft was a technological masterpiece, but at one ton of fuel per passenger, it had a devastating ecological footprint

On the eve of Martin Luther King Day weekend, officials from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture are announcing the recent gift of one of the rare copies of the 1970 Charles Alston sculpture of Martin Luther King.

A Rare and Important Sculpture of Martin Luther King

As the nation pauses to honor the great Civil Rights leader, Charles Alston’s work at NMAAHC is one of his most prominent pieces

The details of the last days and the circumstances of Raoul Wallenberg's tragic death have long been mired in mystery and intrigue.

Raoul Wallenberg’s Biographer Uncovers Important Clues To What Happened in His Final Days

Swedish writer Ingrid Carlberg investigates the tragedy that befell the heroic humanitarian

“We’ve been raising CO2 in this marsh for 30 years, but [elevated] CO2 comes with warming,” says Pat Megonigal, lead researcher of the new study in the Global Change Research Wetland at Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC).

Age of Humans

For the World’s Wetlands, It May Be Sink or Swim. Here’s Why It Matters

One of the world’s most long-studied marshes has revealed a wealth of information, but it continues to perplex and intrigue the scientists who analyze it

Page 127 of 276