September 2019
Smithsonian magazine delivers trusted and incisive reporting on history, science, nature, culture and travel.
Features
From the Tide Pool to the Stars
A legendary writer, a quirky scientist and an epic ocean voyage that would rewrite the rules of ecology
The Homecoming
He walked the Earth 42,000 years ago. Now his remains are at rest after an agonizing clash between modern science and an ancient spirituality
Saturn's Surprise
The planet's distinctive rings may be gone in the cosmic blink of an eye
Dragonfly Spacecraft to Scour the Sands of Titan for the Chemistry of Life
The NASA rotorcraft, resembling a large quadcopter drone, will fly through the orange clouds of the ocean moon in the outer solar system
The New Treasures of Pompeii
From gorgeous artworks to grimacing corpses, archaeologists are still uncovering the truth about life—and death—in the doomed city
Departments
Discussion
Readers discuss our July-August issue
The Nation's Unsettled Account
In 1870 Henrietta Wood sued for reparations—and won the largest verdict ever awarded for slavery
War and Piece
A lowly chunk of earth is a telltale trace of the devastating weapon that would change the world forever
Riches of the Spanish Main
A deep dive into the archives yields hundreds of long-forgotten shipwrecks
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