https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/latest_articles/RSS feed for with the latest articlesenMon, 09 Nov 2026 16:36:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-great-pacific-garbage-patch-has-accumulated-so-many-microplastics-they-might-be-changing-the-color-of-the-ocean-180989828/Satellite data suggests water in and around the huge area filled with human-made debris has become more blue-green over the past two decades. Computer simulations suggest microplastics are to blame, but researchers need samples to confirm their hypothesisMon, 09 Nov 2026 16:36:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-great-pacific-garbage-patch-has-accumulated-so-many-microplastics-they-might-be-changing-the-color-of-the-ocean-180989828/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/humans-may-have-been-getting-high-on-weed-2800-years-ago-cannabis-seeds-and-hair-with-traces-of-thc-were-found-in-an-ancient-tomb-180989829/A tomb discovered in Siberia and associated with Scythians—a nomadic, horse-riding people that once roamed the Eurasian steppe—might provide the earliest direct evidence of cannabis useMon, 09 Nov 2026 16:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/humans-may-have-been-getting-high-on-weed-2800-years-ago-cannabis-seeds-and-hair-with-traces-of-thc-were-found-in-an-ancient-tomb-180989829/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/even-replacing-some-of-your-dietary-dairy-with-plant-based-alternatives-can-lead-to-nutrient-deficiencies-study-suggests-180989825/More people are swapping animal products with vegan milks, yogurts and cheeses, so scientists wanted to investigate the potential public health effects. Their findings hint that consumers should look for items with extra nutrients added, called fortified foodsMon, 09 Nov 2026 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/even-replacing-some-of-your-dietary-dairy-with-plant-based-alternatives-can-lead-to-nutrient-deficiencies-study-suggests-180989825/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-african-prophet-was-burned-at-the-stake-320-years-ago-today-kimpa-vita-is-celebrated-as-the-kongolese-joan-of-arc-180989820/Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita believed herself to be possessed by the spirit of St. Anthony. The movement she led in the early 1700s promoted an Indigenous African form of the Christian faithMon, 09 Nov 2026 12:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-african-prophet-was-burned-at-the-stake-320-years-ago-today-kimpa-vita-is-celebrated-as-the-kongolese-joan-of-arc-180989820/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-panama-canal-has-an-unusual-ecosystem-flowing-from-fresh-water-to-salt-water-and-serving-as-a-home-to-crocodiles-manatees-and-sea-squirts-new-intruders-pose-a-growing-threat-to-the-waterway-180989838/The species that occupy this artificial channel are transforming, thanks to a shifting environment and invading marine creatures. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is tracking what happens nextMon, 09 Nov 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-panama-canal-has-an-unusual-ecosystem-flowing-from-fresh-water-to-salt-water-and-serving-as-a-home-to-crocodiles-manatees-and-sea-squirts-new-intruders-pose-a-growing-threat-to-the-waterway-180989838/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/where-did-stonehenges-mysterious-six-ton-altar-stone-really-come-from-geologists-rule-out-the-scottish-hypothesis-as-search-deepens-180989833/A comprehensive investigation of the sandstone megalith’s "geological fingerprint" suggests it did not originate in northeast Scotland, as a surprising study concluded in 2024, sending scientists back into the field to track down the enigmatic slab's originsFri, 06 Nov 2026 21:41:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/where-did-stonehenges-mysterious-six-ton-altar-stone-really-come-from-geologists-rule-out-the-scottish-hypothesis-as-search-deepens-180989833/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stolen-during-the-nazi-occupation-of-orleans-france-this-painting-was-rediscovered-after-86-years-with-help-from-wild-west-inspired-wanted-posters-180989839/The Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans is on a mission to retrieve hundreds of missing artworks from its collections. It recently tracked down a 17th-century painting by Dutch artist Willem Cornelisz Duyster right before it went to auction in SwitzerlandFri, 06 Nov 2026 21:24:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stolen-during-the-nazi-occupation-of-orleans-france-this-painting-was-rediscovered-after-86-years-with-help-from-wild-west-inspired-wanted-posters-180989839/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-wooden-wardrobe-in-pompeii-remained-sealed-for-nearly-2000-years-archaeologists-just-opened-it-for-the-first-time-180989831/The ancient cabinet held a pair of tweezers, a perfume bottle, an incense burner and ceramic vessels. But the most impressive find was a necklace sporting at least 24 amulets shaped like deities, plants and body partsFri, 06 Nov 2026 21:13:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-wooden-wardrobe-in-pompeii-remained-sealed-for-nearly-2000-years-archaeologists-just-opened-it-for-the-first-time-180989831/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/for-centuries-visitors-walked-right-by-280-ice-age-engravings-in-a-catalan-cave-the-newly-discovered-rock-art-is-rewriting-catalonias-prehistory-180989827/Prior to the discovery, rock art in northeastern Spain was "very scarce," one archaeologist says. The drawings show dozens of animals, as well as more abstract shapes, which are distinct from other Paleolithic stylesFri, 06 Nov 2026 18:57:53 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/for-centuries-visitors-walked-right-by-280-ice-age-engravings-in-a-catalan-cave-the-newly-discovered-rock-art-is-rewriting-catalonias-prehistory-180989827/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/care-packages-provided-a-lifeline-for-world-war-ii-survivors-heres-how-the-group-turned-leftover-army-rations-into-an-80-year-legacy-180989826/The organization began as the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe, and it became a way for those in need to receive food, clothing and other necessities. It continues to aid people todayFri, 06 Nov 2026 17:30:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/care-packages-provided-a-lifeline-for-world-war-ii-survivors-heres-how-the-group-turned-leftover-army-rations-into-an-80-year-legacy-180989826/