Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

smithsonianmag.com

None

Experience the Magic of Christmas in Zagreb

Experience Christmas in Zagreb and inspire family traditions and beloved memories for years to come.

None

Nine Ways to Explore Zagreb’s Stunning Outdoor Arts

Discover Croatia’s Stunning Capital

None

Explore Five Stunning Hotels with History in Charleston

See why history loves company in Charleston

None

Smithsonian Magazine Nominated for Two National Magazine Awards

Recognized for general excellence for the second time, the publication was also recognized for feature writing

The Smithsonian's 19 museums and the National Zoo close for Christmas but will remain open with regular hours through January 1 in the event of a government shut down.

Smithsonian Museums Will Remain Open in the Event of Government Shutdown

While the museums and the National Zoo will close on Christmas Day, they will operate as usual through January 1

An artist’s impression of the prehistoric bird from the early Cretaceous period that retained some pretty dino-like features.

This 127-Million-Year-Old Fossil Links Dinosaur and Bird Evolution

The dino-bird hybrid boasts a stubby tail, clawed wings and sharp teeth

Many friendly foxes carried a version of a gene that differed from their feral counterparts.

New Research

What the Fox Genome Tells Us About Domestication

After only a few decades of domestic breeding, friendly foxes have social behavior woven into their genes

Even at three-and-a-half months, the inquisitive Moke has already begun to explore his surroundings and approach the other members of his troop.

At Nearly Four Months Old, the Zoo’s Youngest Gorilla Has Begun to Show His Rambunctious Roots

Moke, the National Zoo’s first infant gorilla in nine years, enlivens the primate house with chatter and play.

Scientists don full-body suits to minimize contamination and disturbance of the precious artifacts uncovered in the 1617 church in Jamestown, Virginia, where a new skeleton awaits identification.

A Jamestown Skeleton is Unearthed, but Only Time—and Science—Will Reveal His True Identity

Jamestown Rediscovery archeologists use new technology to uncover the bones of one of the first English colonists

Aggressive or sexual behavior in crows interacting with dead bodies might happen more often when sex hormones run rampant.

It’s Not Without Caws That Crows Desecrate Their Dead

What dead crows can teach us about the connections between sex and aggression

If you've waited this long for it, it must be good, right?

Both Mice and Men Struggle to Abandon Their Best-Laid Plans

Rodents suffer from the same sunk cost fallacy that makes it so hard for humans to call it quits

Male bat-eared foxes spend much of their time with their offspring, grooming, engaging them in play and teaching them to forage.

This Is Your Brain on Fatherhood

What clownfish stepfathers and Dad-of-the-Year foxes teach us about paternal neurochemistry in the animal kingdom

We may see them as pests, but raccoons see humans as ripe for plundering. According to Suzanne MacDonald, they are "the only animal that would break into captivity because they think it’s a better deal."

How Humans Created the Ultimate Superpests

As urbanization continues to push wildlife to the brink, humans may need to reevaluate their role in habitat destruction

An artist’s concept of the low-boom flight demonstrator outside the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company’s Skunk Works hangar in Palmdale, California.

Five Things to Know About NASA’s Supersonic X-Plane

The $247.5 million aircraft could revive supersonic flight for civilians

None

Europe

Europe

Europe

An environmental sample processor is lowered into Lake Erie.

Underwater Robot Labs Monitor Toxins

The labs have been deployed in Lake Erie, where blooms of toxic algae have made water undrinkable in past years.

Belle Boyd in an image taken between 1855 and 1865.

Belle Boyd, Civil War Spy

The so-called “Siren of Shenandoah” stole weapons and carried letters in service to the Confederacy

The canned precooked meat product is significantly less ubiquitous than its digital counterpart.

People Have Been Email-Spamming Since the Dawn of (Internet) Time

This is why we can’t have nice things

The Sybil Ludington commemorative stamp was issued by USPS in 1975.

Was There Really a Teenage, Female Paul Revere?

Sybil Ludington has been honored for her contributions to the American Revolution, but there’s little to indicate they were real

A whooping crane in flight in Texas.

The Hopeful Mid-Century Conservation Story of the (Still Endangered) Whooping Crane

There were just 15 whooping cranes left in 1952. Today there are around 600

Page 1 of 3