Runners compete in the Marathon des Sables, a 250-kilometer race in the Sahara Desert in Morocco, in 2022. Humans have a number physiological adaptations, such as slow-twitch muscle fibers and the ability to sweat a lot, that help with endurance running. (JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP via Getty Images)

Long-Distance Running May Have Evolved to Help Humans Chase Prey to Exhaustion

Scientists found hundreds of recent examples from around the globe of hunters using "endurance pursuits" to tire out their prey, furthering the debate over the hunting technique

Will Sullivan

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Earth's Magnetic Field Nearly Collapsed 600 Million Years Ago. Then, Weird and Complex Life Evolved

Geography Teacher in England Finds Stone With 1,600-Year-Old Inscriptions in His Garden

SPONSOR: TRAVEL SOUTH

2024 Spring Travel South Alabama

Home to dazzling beaches, Southern culinary classics, and the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, this crossroads of American culture is calling all visitors.

How the Airstream Hit the Open Road

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Who Were the Real Pirates of the Caribbean?

Hike Through Ancient Roman and Biblical History in Turkey’s Rugged Mountains

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Mutiny in Space: Why These Skylab Astronauts Never Flew Again

Lightning Dazzles Onlookers Watching the Eruption of Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala

Hundreds of Starving Brown Pelicans Are Turning Up on California Beaches, Puzzling Wildlife Rescuers and Scientists

SMITHSONIAN VOICES

Why This Year's Smithsonian Folklife Festival Honors Indigenous Americans

Last Year, the Northern Hemisphere Had Its Hottest Summer in 2,000 Years

These Artworks Explore the Cultural Significance of Hair

On this day in 1942, Public Law 77-554 established the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. Thousands of women signed up after the bill, which was bitterly contested in Congress, was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Learn about an oral history project seeking stories to capture American experiences in World War II.

The Colored Wall and the Woman

© Amira Adel