June 2025
Smithsonian magazine delivers trusted and incisive reporting on history, science, nature, culture and travel.
Features
Passage to the Pleistocene
In Wyoming, a trove of Ice Age fossils is rewriting our understanding of prehistoric animals
Balancing the Scales
In the Pacific Northwest, seals and sea lions have rebounded from the brink. But their appetite for endangered salmon threatens a delicate ecosystem
The Bittersweet Beginnings of Vanilla
A journey to the far-flung isle of Réunion reveals the story behind the fragrant, delicious, ubiquitous spice—and the enslaved youth who made it a commercial success
The Shape of Freedom
In 1869, three formerly enslaved artisans started a stoneware business in central Texas. A century and a half later, they’ve put their stamp on the art world
Departments
Sixty Years Since Its Founding, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Continues to Protect and Study the Health of Our Coastal Systems
The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center safeguards the vibrant ecosystems—and economic power—of our coastal zones
Discussion
Your feedback on Rome's underground secrets, the Buddha's birthplace and the wonder of native bees
Country's Crown Jewel
The vaunted radio program put uniquely American music at center stage
Divining Woman
A new exhibition brings fresh recognition to a groundbreaking but largely forgotten Surrealist
Queen of the Air
Long before the Tuskegee Airmen, Bessie Coleman inspired a generation of Black pilots to take to the skies
Soaring Ambitions
The teenage parachuting pioneer Georgia "Tiny" Broadwick showed that courage isn't counted in pounds
A Measure of Change
Scientist Charles Keeling’s ingenious flask detects swings in the Earth’s atmosphere
Counter Culture
The last of Woolworth’s iconic lunch spots reinvents itself
A Helping Hand
From ancient Egypt to the engineering lab, a brief history of the artificial limb
Out On a Limb
How do you protect an endangered serpent with a special talent for hiding in plain sight?
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