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Hustle through America’s Huckster History with a Smithsonian Curator as Your Guide

A blow by blow of the flimflams and tales of hustlers throughout history, art and literature

Barro Colorado Island, on the Panama Canal, is home to at least 74 bat species. A group of German researchers is studying them all to understand the spread of diseases.

A Night in the Forest Capturing Bats

Our intrepid reporter joins tropical bat researchers in the field one night and gains some appreciation for their fangs

A computer simulation of how the Hope Diamond likely appeared when it was owned by King Louis XIV of France. The sunburst inside the stone results from specially-cut facets on its back, which produce a translucent area that conveys the color of the diamond's gold mounting.

New Research

The Hope Diamond Was Once a Symbol for Louis XIV, the Sun King

New research indicates that the stone was once specially cut to produce an image of a sun when mounted on a gold background

Nababiep and her cubs.

New Lion Cubs at the Smithsonian Zoo

Mother Nababiep and two cubs are doing well, keep watch on the lion cam

A fringe-lipped bat bits into a túngara frog.

New Research

Crazy Stupid Love: The Frog With a Mating Call That Also Attracts Predators

The sound and water ripples produced by the túngara frog’s mating call are picked up by predatory bats

Can Space End, Where Did Time Zones Come From and More Questions from our Readers

You asked, we answered

When Cassius Clay Signed His Gloves With a Prediction of His Future Greatness

In 1964, a 22-year-old Cassius Clay was largely untested as a pro. Then he stepped into the ring

Anyone with a 3-D printer can now make a replica of our woolly mammoth skeleton.

How Will 3-D Printing Change the Smithsonian?

The Secretary of the Smithsonian looks at the many advantages offered by the new technology

King at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. After one of King's closest friends, Mahalia Jackson, called out, "Tell them about the dream, Martin. Tell them about the dream," King decided to stop what he had prepared and gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech to a crowd of more than 250,000.

Photos: Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

Iconic images of King from the Smithsonian collection

On Jan. 16, the National Museum of Natural History unveiled “Tyrannosaurus rex: Say Hello to the Nation’s T. rex!” which features the cast of a T. rex skull

The King of All Fossils is Coming to Smithsonian in April

One of the most complete T. rex skeletons ever found will be on display at the National Museum of Natural History

Conjunto masters Flaco Jiménez and Max Baca team up for an album of duets, "Legends & Legacies," out this month from Smithsonian Folkways

LISTEN: Five-Time Grammy Winner Flaco Jiménez Returns to his Tex-Mex Roots

Virtuoso 12-string bajo sexto player Max Baca talks about his long-time partner Flaco Jiménez

This hive of the stingless honey-making bee Melipona triplaridis is one of a handful of tropical hives bee expert David Roubik keeps at his home in Panama City. Note the waffle-like honeycomb in the background

Smithsonian’s Bee Man Delivers Up Some Advice for Dealing with Colony Collapse Disorder

David Roubik, who pioneered the field of tropical bee studies, says what will save them is a better understanding of their natural state

"Cherry Tree" by Zandile Ntobela, 2011

Painting with Beads: A New Art Form Emerges in South Africa

“Ubuhle Women” at the Anacostia Community Museum showcases the work of a community of master beaders

Paper conservator Bernard Colla treats a gouache from the Centre d‘Art collection.

Since the Haitian Earthquake Four Years Ago, Helping Hands Made a World of Difference

The Smithsonian’s Under Secretary for History, Art & Culture reflects on the effort to recover Haiti’s cultural heritage in the aftermath of the 2010 quake

The immense emptiness of Mars' Meridiani Plains, taken by the Opportunity Rover during the month it was stuck in a sand rippled dubbed Purgatory. Full size version.

After Ten Years on Mars, Here Are the Most Beautiful Photos Taken by the Rovers

Over the last decade, Spirit and Opportunity captured stunning photos of rocks, dunes and vistas

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Damage Control: How Artists Destroy to Create Art

The Hirshhorn’s new exhibition explores the theme of destruction in contemporary art since 1950

How Does Mistletoe Grow and Other Questions From Our Readers

Airplanes flying upside down, the earliest music and more answers from our experts

“You have to consider...interactions between species” in a community, says Helen Esser, right.

Does Chopping Down Forests Spread Diseases?

A young scientist in Panama devises a novel way to study ticks and disease

The JFK Christmas Card That Was Never Sent

A rare White House card from 1963 evokes one of the nation’s darkest holiday seasons

Bao Bao at 10 weeks. Scientists estimate that a giant panda ancestor split from the bear lineage 18 million years ago.

Get Up Close and Personal with Bao Bao in Amazing New Photos

Take an exclusive backstage tour of the National Zoo and meet Bao Bao, the newest giant panda star

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