Anatomy | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/anatomy/RSS feed for AnatomyenTue, 21 Apr 2026 15:55:23 +0000Renaissance Art Linked Beauty With Virtue and Ugliness With Vice. See How Painters From Leonardo da Vinci to Botticelli Viewed Physical Attractivenesshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/renaissance-art-linked-beauty-with-virtue-and-ugliness-with-vice-see-how-painters-from-leonardo-da-vinci-to-botticelli-viewed-physical-attractiveness-180988584/An exhibition in Brussels spotlights 90-plus artworks featuring golden-haired muses, greedy old men and those deemed unattractive simply because they were differentTue, 21 Apr 2026 15:55:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/renaissance-art-linked-beauty-with-virtue-and-ugliness-with-vice-see-how-painters-from-leonardo-da-vinci-to-botticelli-viewed-physical-attractiveness-180988584/Neanderthal Kids Grew Up So Fast—at Least Compared With Their Human Peers—Thanks to Genetic Adaptations to Their Environmenthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthal-kids-grew-up-so-fast-at-least-compared-to-their-human-peers-thanks-to-genetic-adaptations-to-their-environment-180988583/Scientists think Neanderthal children may have had faster growth rates because larger bodies tend to retain heat more effectively than smaller onesTue, 21 Apr 2026 15:14:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthal-kids-grew-up-so-fast-at-least-compared-to-their-human-peers-thanks-to-genetic-adaptations-to-their-environment-180988583/Scientists Just Made the Most Complete Map of the Clitoris's Sensory Nerve Network. Here's What They Foundhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-just-made-the-most-complete-map-of-the-clitoris-sensory-nerve-network-heres-what-found-180988463/Cultural taboos around female sexuality have hindered research on the organ. But a new study provides pivotal insights that can inform important surgeries and health careWed, 15 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-just-made-the-most-complete-map-of-the-clitoris-sensory-nerve-network-heres-what-found-180988463/Bumblebee Queens Breathe Underwater to Survive Drowning, Revealing How They Can Live Submerged for a Weekhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/bumblebee-queens-breathe-underwater-to-survive-drowning-revealing-how-they-can-live-submerged-for-a-week-180988330/After scientists accidentally discovered that the common eastern bumblebee can withstand flood conditions, they wanted to investigate what makes that super-ability possibleWed, 11 Mar 2026 15:15:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/bumblebee-queens-breathe-underwater-to-survive-drowning-revealing-how-they-can-live-submerged-for-a-week-180988330/Giant Kangaroos That Lived During the Ice Age May Have Hopped—Despite Weighing Up to 550 Poundshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/giant-kangaroos-that-lived-during-the-ice-age-may-have-hopped-despite-weighing-up-to-550-pounds-180988060/The extinct animals may have bounced from scary situations, such as coming face to face with hungry predatorsMon, 26 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/giant-kangaroos-that-lived-during-the-ice-age-may-have-hopped-despite-weighing-up-to-550-pounds-180988060/This Bizarre Fish Has a Hole in Its Head. The Creature Might Use It Like a Drum to Rock Outhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-bizarre-fish-has-a-hole-in-its-head-the-creature-might-use-it-like-a-drum-to-rock-out-180987970/The rockhead, or deep-pitted, poacher may use its ribs to beat the inside of its head cavity to communicate with other creatures, according to a new studyMon, 12 Jan 2026 16:54:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-bizarre-fish-has-a-hole-in-its-head-the-creature-might-use-it-like-a-drum-to-rock-out-180987970/Medical Students Are Learning Anatomy From Digital Cadavers. Can Technology Ever Replace Real Human Bodies?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/medical-students-are-learning-anatomy-from-digital-cadavers-can-technology-ever-replace-real-human-bodies-180987731/From interactive diagrams to A.I. assistants, virtual tools are beginning to supplant physical dissections in some classroomsFri, 21 Nov 2025 16:33:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/medical-students-are-learning-anatomy-from-digital-cadavers-can-technology-ever-replace-real-human-bodies-180987731/Downy Woodpeckers 'Grunt' as They Turn Their Bodies Into Hammers to Drill Into Treeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/downy-woodpeckers-grunt-as-they-turn-their-bodies-into-hammers-to-drill-into-trees-180987670/Researchers studied the combination of muscles and breaths that the tiny birds use as they strike trees with their beaksWed, 12 Nov 2025 21:54:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/downy-woodpeckers-grunt-as-they-turn-their-bodies-into-hammers-to-drill-into-trees-180987670/A Rare, Left-Coiling Snail Needs Help Finding a Mate. New Zealanders Are Looking for Its 1-in-40,000 Matchhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-left-coiling-snail-needs-help-finding-a-mate-new-zealanders-are-looking-for-its-1-in-40000-match-180987359/Known as Ned, the creature needs a fellow left-coiling garden snail to reproduce—but the species almost always has shells that coil on their right sideThu, 18 Sep 2025 15:02:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-left-coiling-snail-needs-help-finding-a-mate-new-zealanders-are-looking-for-its-1-in-40000-match-180987359/Scientists Map the Ways Octopuses Use Their Complex Arms, Revealing Preferences for Certain Taskshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-map-the-ways-octopuses-use-their-complex-arms-revealing-preferences-for-certain-tasks-180987333/The cephalopods appear to favor using their front arms, according to a new study, though their back arms help with locomotionMon, 15 Sep 2025 18:12:53 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-map-the-ways-octopuses-use-their-complex-arms-revealing-preferences-for-certain-tasks-180987333/