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At the Smithsonian

This bat gleans insects from leaves. A team of researchers discovered that by approaching a leaf at an oblique angle, it can use its echolocation system to detect stationary insects in the dark.

Bats Use Leaves as Mirrors to Locate and Catch Their Prey

The latest discovery in the arms race between bats and insects reveals that even silent, motionless dragonflies aren’t safe

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A Garden Party and 21 Other Things to Do in August at the Smithsonian

Sleepovers, culture and cuisine, calligraphy lessons and more

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Megalodon May Be Extinct, but There’s a Life-Size One at the Smithsonian

A 52-foot, life-size model of a Carcharocles megalodon shark is now on display in the National Museum of Natural History

In 2010, Cabico founded "Capturing Fire," a three-day international poetry festival for queer-identifying writers with the goal of encouraging more discussions and awareness about the queer experience.

Why Spoken Word Artist Regie Cabico Calls Himself an ‘Accidental Poet’

The renowned slam poetry artist is performing at Smithsonian’s Asian American Literature Festival in August and is featured in the latest Sidedoor podcast

The company's publications (including Black World, EbonyJet) reached a wide audience with photo-driven narratives and interviews.

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch Weighs In on Legendary Photo Archive of African-American Life

In historic moment, foundations and museums came together to rescue black history. “This is an optimistic tale,” says Bunch

In guises ranging from draconian schoolmarm to misanthropic homeless man, Blanchett (above: giving the eulogy at a funeral) performs monologues assembled from excerpts of artistic manifestos.

Cate Blanchett Dons 13 Guises in This Daring Art Installation

Julian Rosefeldt’s “Manifesto,” on view at the Hirshhorn, puts a satiric spin on art history’s seminal texts

On September 7, 1965, Larry Itliong convinced 2,000 Filipino farmworkers to walk away from the California vineyards and began the famous Delano Grape Strike.

Why It Is Important to Know the Story of Filipino-American Larry Itliong

Author Gayle Romasanta is on a crusade to recover the farm worker’s story, empowering young leaders to follow in his footsteps

A rendering of the 363-foot Saturn V projection

Future of Space Exploration

Watch the Apollo 11 Anniversary Show That Was Projected Onto the Washington Monument

The immersive experience combined full-motion projection-mapping artwork and archival footage

The exhibit room appears nearly monochromatic and devoid of life before the augmented reality app reveals Ruffner's invented plants.

This Artist Imagines How Nature Evolves Following an Environmental Apocalypse

Ginny Ruffner’s “Reforestation of the Imagination” at the Renwick uses augmented reality to show the plants that might grow after environment devastation

Sai Mado (The Distant Gaze) (detail) by Aida Muluneh, Ethiopia, 2016

Women’s Voices Ring With a Resounding Roar in This New Show

The African Art Museum raises the profile of female artists showcasing their works from its collections

In 2019, 50 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit stands as one of the most significant artifacts in the world.

Apollo at 50: We Choose to Go to the Moon

Neil Armstrong’s Restored Spacesuit Put Back on Display at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

The spacesuit, which Armstrong wore when he walked on the moon during Apollo 11, is available for public viewing and as a 3-D model online

Photography was so expensive when it was first introduced that people treated getting their photo taken like a once-in-a-lifetime portrait opportunity.

Why Don’t People Smile in Old Photographs? And More Questions From Our Readers

You asked, we answered

Mary Ann Brown Patten, photographed by an unidentified artist, 1857

Women Who Shaped History

How the Camera Introduced Americans to Their Heroines

A new show at the National Portrait Gallery spotlights figures including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Lucretia Mott and Margaret Fuller

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Reflections on the New Fossil Hall From the Experts Who Created It

The team behind the Smithsonian’s new dinosaur and fossil hall reflect on what “deep time” means to them.

Introduced in 1959, the Xerox 914 could make 100,000 copies per month. The Smithsonian received this machine in 1985.

How Xerox’s Intellectual Property Prevented Anyone From Copying Its Copiers

The company used patents and trademarks to develop a line of machines based on inventor Chester Carlson’s ‘electrophotography’

LGBTQ Women Who Made History

One of Mae Reeves' "showstopper" hats

Entrepreneur Mae Reeves’ Hat Shop Was a Philadelphia Institution. You Can Visit It at the Smithsonian.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture recreated one of the first businesses in the city to be owned by a black woman

A team from Howard University’s Department of Communication, Culture and Media Studies and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival recorded voices from the #DontMuteDC movement on June 6: (L to R) Donald Campbell, Ron Moten, Dr. Natalie Hopkinson, Dr. Brandi Summers, Tone P, Nico Hobson.

Hitting the High Notes: A Smithsonian Year of Music

The Social Power of Music Will Take Center Stage at the 53rd Annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival

The D.C. tradition will hit the National Mall for two action-packed days this weekend. Here’s what to know about this year’s lineup

Michael Caruso Steps Down as Editor in Chief of Smithsonian Magazine

The new app allows users to walk on the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Education During Coronavirus

The Augmented Reality App That Lets You Experience the Moon Landing

Tied to a new series from the Smithsonian Channel, the app is the closest you can get to being on the moon without time-traveling to 1969

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