Communities | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/communities/RSS feed for CommunitiesenWed, 25 Mar 2026 14:05:38 +0000How a Small Winter Flower Has Attracted Droves of Admirers—and Offers a Symbol of Resiliencehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-a-small-winter-flower-has-attracted-droves-of-admirersand-offers-a-symbol-of-resilience-180988423/The snowdrop, or Galanthus, blooms when the world is still frozen. Gardeners enamored with the plant gather each year in Pennsylvania to celebrate its subtleties and enduranceWed, 25 Mar 2026 14:05:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-a-small-winter-flower-has-attracted-droves-of-admirersand-offers-a-symbol-of-resilience-180988423/After the L.A. Fires, Locals Turn to Native Plants to Help Shield Homes From Flames and Clean Contaminated Soilhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/in-altadena-residents-look-to-native-plants-to-help-buffer-homes-from-fire-and-clean-up-toxic-contaminants-180987512/Scientists and community members in Altadena are testing ways that California species can assist efforts to rebuildFri, 17 Oct 2025 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/in-altadena-residents-look-to-native-plants-to-help-buffer-homes-from-fire-and-clean-up-toxic-contaminants-180987512/Thousands of Cheering Spectators Gather to Watch This 20-Foot-Tall No. 2 Pencil Get Sharpenedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thousands-of-cheering-spectators-gather-to-watch-this-20-foot-tall-no-2-pencil-get-sharpened-180986772/After a 2017 windstorm toppled the crown of their oak tree in Minneapolis, John and Amy Higgins hired artist Curtis Ingvoldstad to transform their beloved tree into a giant pencil sculptureWed, 11 Jun 2025 16:33:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thousands-of-cheering-spectators-gather-to-watch-this-20-foot-tall-no-2-pencil-get-sharpened-180986772/These Trailblazing Black Paramedics Are the Reason You Don't Have to Ride a Hearse or a Police Van to the Hospitalhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/these-trailblazing-black-paramedics-are-the-reason-you-dont-have-to-ride-a-hearse-or-a-police-van-to-the-hospital-180986662/In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Freedom House Ambulance Service set the standard for emergency medical care, laying the groundwork for the services available todayWed, 21 May 2025 14:58:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/these-trailblazing-black-paramedics-are-the-reason-you-dont-have-to-ride-a-hearse-or-a-police-van-to-the-hospital-180986662/Here's What a SpaceX Starship Rocket Launch Sounds Like, According to New, Detailed Datahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heres-what-a-spacex-starship-rocket-launch-sounds-like-according-to-new-detailed-data-180985498/Just six miles away from the mega-rocket's fifth test flight, the noise level was equivalent to a rock concert, researchers foundThu, 21 Nov 2024 17:24:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heres-what-a-spacex-starship-rocket-launch-sounds-like-according-to-new-detailed-data-180985498/Archaeologists May Have Found Home Built by One of New England’s First Black Property Ownershttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-find-homestead-belonging-to-one-of-new-englands-first-black-property-owners-180984679/Pompey Mansfield was an enslaved man who won his freedom, purchased land, constructed a house and became a prominent community leaderWed, 10 Jul 2024 16:41:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-find-homestead-belonging-to-one-of-new-englands-first-black-property-owners-180984679/An Excavation in Wales Paints a Picture of Home Life 3,500 Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-excavation-in-wales-paints-a-picture-of-bronze-age-homelife-3500-years-ago-180984617/Archaeologists have enlisted volunteers to dig up the remains of a Bronze Age roundhouse found beneath a parkFri, 05 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-excavation-in-wales-paints-a-picture-of-bronze-age-homelife-3500-years-ago-180984617/Four Zebras Escape From Trailer on Washington State Highway—One Is Still on the Loosehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/four-zebras-escape-from-trailer-on-washington-state-highway-one-is-still-on-the-loose-180984262/The animals ran around residential areas before community members—including a former rodeo bullfighter—helped corral three of themWed, 01 May 2024 19:40:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/four-zebras-escape-from-trailer-on-washington-state-highway-one-is-still-on-the-loose-180984262/Five Fascinating Science Projects Using the Total Solar Eclipse to Illuminate New Discoverieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-fascinating-science-projects-using-the-total-solar-eclipse-to-illuminate-new-discoveries-180983925/The NASA-supported experiments are mobilizing legions of researchers and volunteers to capture wide-ranging observations during totality, from amateur radio operations to elusive solar plumes to unusual animal behaviorMon, 18 Mar 2024 14:40:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-fascinating-science-projects-using-the-total-solar-eclipse-to-illuminate-new-discoveries-180983925/Who Were the Taíno, the Original Inhabitants of Columbus’ Island Colonies?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-were-taino-original-inhabitants-columbus-island-73824867/The Native people of Hispaniola were long believed to have died out. But a journalist's search for their descendants turned up surprising resultsThu, 05 Oct 2023 17:24:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-were-taino-original-inhabitants-columbus-island-73824867/