Innovation

Teaching computers to assess the emotional tone of a piece of writing—a task called sentiment analysis—is becoming more widely used as researchers, companies and even mental health professionals delve into people’s social media musings for insights.

How Algorithms Discern Our Mood From What We Write Online

While sentiment analysis is far from perfect, it distills meaning from huge amounts of data—and could one day even monitor mental health

The courtyard at Mexico City's Museo Nacional de Antropología could be a good model for a socially distant lobby space in future museums.

Covid-19

How Will Covid-19 Change the Way Museums Are Built?

The global pandemic will have long-lasting effects on the form and function of future museums

Beets can be used to dye fabric red or pink.

How to Make Clothing Dye With Excess Fruits and Vegetables From Your Garden

Here are step-by-step instructions for giving your clothes and food scraps a second life

The Rolling Devils pose for a team photo, c. 1947.

The Paralyzed World War II Veterans Who Invented Wheelchair Basketball

In the late 1940s, paraplegics popularized the sport—and changed the game for the disability rights movement

An open-air school in the Netherlands shows how the concept spread throughout Europe.

Education During Coronavirus

When Tuberculosis Struck the World, Schools Went Outside

A century ago, a deadly disease sparked a novel concept: teaching in the great outdoors to keep kids safe

A man who recovered from COVID-19 donates plasma in Bogota, Colombia.

Covid-19

The Peculiar 100-Plus-Year History of Convalescent Plasma

Blood has been considered a viable treatment for infectious disease for over a century, but it has rarely proven to be the best solution.

Club Cardinal users can decorate their own dorm rooms.

Education During Coronavirus

Stanford University Students Flock to a Virtual Campus

A new digital platform allows students to explore campus and connect in Zoom rooms during the school's Covid-19 shutdown

A Brief History of the Mason Jar

Around since 1858, the home canning classic is a sought after item for pandemic gardeners this summer

Cars line up at a drive-in coronavirus testing site in Miami Gardens, Florida, in late June. Testing in many states has been hampered by bottlenecks and long delays, problems that could be eased by the rapid, simple tests scientists are now developing.

Covid-19

Scientists Are Racing to Develop Paper-Based Tests for Covid-19

Inexpensive—and potentially at-home—tools could take only minutes to tell if someone is infected

Fabien Cousteau's Proteus will be the first underwater research habitat built in decades.

Jacques Cousteau's Grandson Wants to Build the International Space Station of the Sea

Off the coast of Curaçao, at a depth of 60 feet, aquanaut Fabien Cousteau is looking to create the world's largest underwater research habitat

Riker Laboratories advertised its new device for treating asthma in 1957—two years after a teenager’s truly inspiring suggestion.

The History of the Asthma Inhaler

How a brilliant quip led to a treatment that helps millions every minute

"Halo 2600" game map.

Smithsonian Voices

How the Smithsonian Is Documenting and Preserving Video Games

At the Smithsonian American Art Museum, a researcher develops strategy for digital preservation

Allied freighters ablaze in the harbor of Bari, Italy, after the German attack.

How a Chemical Weapons Disaster in WWII Led to a U.S. Cover-Up—and a New Cancer Treatment

The physician who led the investigation into a deadly explosion in Italy found the truth, and some hope

The little red car with the yellow roof that is propelled by foot power has been a hit with young children since its creation in 1979.

A Brief History of the Cozy Coupe

Invented by a former auto designer, the foot-powered kids toy still outsells engine-powered cars

Goodnight Exomoon takes the classic children’s book Goodnight Moon and explores planetary science in a way that is relatable for the very young.

Inspire Your Toddler’s STEM Career With This ‘Goodnight Moon’ Parody

Astronomer Kimberly Arcand releases her new children’s book ‘Goodnight Exomoon’

Smithsonian Geologist Liz Cottrell answers your questions in the National Museum of Natural History’s YouTube series, “The Doctor Is In.”

Smithsonian Voices

How to Identify Rocks and Other Questions From Our Readers

Don't miss the season finale of the National Museum of Natural History's popular YouTube series, the "Doctor Is In"

Water runs from a hose into a hay bale pool.

Seven Ideas for Do-It-Yourself Backyard Pools

Build a personal oasis with everything from hay bales to scrap wood to a shipping container

Plunguian’s watercolor of Einstein in his Princeton office.

Smithsonian Voices

Did Einstein Understand the Limitations of Testing?

Smithsonian fellow Kimberly Probolus looks into the past and future of knowledge tests

Susie and Paul Sensmeier of Christiansburg, Virginia, got front row seats to the arrival of the first drone-shipped home delivery in the fall of 2019.

This Drone Made the First Home Delivery in the United States

Wing’s tether-toting drone delivered a winter vest to a retiree in Virginia and now its headed to the Air and Space Museum

Jill Heinerth, a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer and filmmaker, shares stories from her expeditions in a live-streamed event on Aug. 12.

Smithsonian Voices

Exploring Underwater Caves and 22 Other Smithsonian Programs Streaming in August

Exploring Underwater Caves, Battle of Midway, Economics + Harry Potter. Don't miss out

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