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Testing shows that a 46 million-year-old fossilized mosquito, found in Montana, contains the blood of an unknown ancient creature.

A Fossilized Blood-Engorged Mosquito Is Found For the First Time Ever

Testing shows that a 46 million-year-old fossilized mosquito, found by amateur fossil hunters in Montana, contains the blood of an unknown ancient creature

5 Smithsonian Scientific Research Projects Shut Down by the Shutdown

The federal government shutdown has affected astronomy, paleontology fieldwork and research into animal behavior at the Smithsonian

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You Can, You Will, You MUST See This Poster at American History (as soon as it reopens)

The museum presents one of the war’s most popular billboard designs in a new installation

The highly anticipated acquisition of “Wankel’s Rex,” one the most complete T. rex specimens (metal cast shown above) in existence is delayed.

Due to the Shutdown, Arrival of the Natural History Museum’s T. Rex is Postponed Until Spring

The highly anticipated acquisition of one the most complete T. Rex specimens in existence is delayed

Museums Closed Due to Government Shutdown

All Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are affected

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Where Did Yodeling Originate and More Questions From Our Readers

You asked our experts, we got the answers

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The Civil War

How the Flag Came to be Called Old Glory

New research may settle a family feud over the origins of an American icon

Carlos, by Joseph Rodriguez: a sense of ownership of the city

An Exploration of Latino Art at the Smithsonian

Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough previews a new exhibit at the American Art Museum

Masons climb up the sides of the Great Mosque to replaster the surface with mud.

How the City of Mud Stays Standing: Meet the Masons of Djenné, Mali

A new exhibition at Natural History explores the ancient craft in a modern world

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The Civil War

In Lines of Long Array, 12 Poets Reflect on the Civil War

The National Portrait Gallery commissioned 12 modern-day poets to consider the harsh realities of battles that continue to haunt

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Remembering an Iconic Era Lost to Time: The Stars and Films of the Silent Pictures

Curator Amy Henderson reminds us of power and influence and glory of the celebrities that pioneered the silent film era

On view in Philadelphia at the National Museum of American Jewish History: “Crunch, crunch, crunch, his feet sank into the snow.”

Seven Must-See Museums to See for Free on Museum Day Live!

Smithsonian magazine and Smithsonian.com invite readers to download a free ticket for two to visit more than 1,500 museums around the country

A new Dave Van Ronk compilation presents old favorites and never-before-heard tracks from 1959 to 2002.

Before You Go See Llewyn Davis, Go Inside Dave Van Ronk

The new Coen brothers film is based in part on the life and times of real-life folk musician Dave Van Ronk, the Mayor of MacDougal Street

24c Curtiss Jenny inverted block of four, 1918 This upside-down blue plane within a red frame is the most famous U.S. stamp and one of the world’s most famous printing errors. Only one misprinted sheet of 100 stamps was sold. Loan from William H. Gross.

World’s Largest Stamp Gallery to Open in Washington, D.C.

America’s most famous stamp, the Inverted Jenny, goes on permanent view for the first time in history

Secretary G. Wayne Clough, leader of the Smithsonian, or what he calls a “self-reliant, vibrant, relevant organization.”

Smithsonian Secretary G. Wayne Clough Announces He Will Retire in 2014

The Smithsonian Institution’s 12th Secretary says he’ll step down next October

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The Best of the Smithsonian’s Answers to #AskaCurator Tweets

The best questions and responses as pulled from Twitter

The panda cub receiving her first veterinary exam

CUTE PHOTOS: Panda Cub is Thriving, More Than Doubles in Size

Today the Zoo’s veterinarians gave the giant panda cub a full exam and pronounced the cub healthy and thriving

This photo of a yellow goby appears in “Portraits of Planet Ocean: The Photography of Brian Skerry,” which opens in the Natural History Museum’s Sant Ocean Hall on Sept. 17.

New Exhibitions at the Ocean Hall Ask What You Can Do for Your Oceans

Three new exhibitions explore humans’ relationship to the ocean

Oceanographer Gareth Lawson, who studies pteropods, was able to identify Kavanagh’s sculptures to species, such as this Limacina helicina.

The Gorgeous Shapes of Sea Butterflies

Cornelia Kavanagh’s sculptures magnify tiny sea butterflies—ocean acidification’s unlikely mascots—hundreds of times

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Bearing Witness to the Aftermath of the Birmingham Church Bombing

On September 15, 1963, four were killed in the Ku Klux Klan bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama

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