Death | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/death/RSS feed for DeathenMon, 20 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000Did These Ancient Egyptian Princesses Wield Weapons and Train in Martial Arts, Just Like the Men of Their Time?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-these-ancient-egyptian-princesses-wield-weapons-and-train-in-martial-arts-just-like-the-men-of-their-time-180989151/A new analysis of their bones suggests they were buried alongside arrows, maces and daggers because they had repeatedly used those weapons in lifeMon, 20 Jul 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-these-ancient-egyptian-princesses-wield-weapons-and-train-in-martial-arts-just-like-the-men-of-their-time-180989151/Thousands of Intimate Photographs Reveal the Everyday Lives of the Romanovs, Russia's Last Imperial Familyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/thousands-intimate-photographs-reveal-the-everyday-lives-the-romanovs-russias-last-imperial-family-180989126/The Bolsheviks executed the last czar, Nicholas II, and the rest of his family, including his famous daughter Anastasia, 108 years ago. Surviving snapshots open a portal into the royals' private worldThu, 16 Jul 2026 16:43:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/thousands-intimate-photographs-reveal-the-everyday-lives-the-romanovs-russias-last-imperial-family-180989126/Ancient Egyptians Believed That These Newly Discovered Gold Tongues Allowed the Dead to Communicate in the Afterlifehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-egyptians-believed-that-these-newly-discovered-gold-tongues-allowed-the-dead-to-communicate-in-the-afterlife-180989127/Excavations at Marina el-Alamein, an archaeological site west of Alexandria, unearthed about two dozen of the rare artifacts, including one shaped like the Eye of HorusWed, 15 Jul 2026 17:31:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-egyptians-believed-that-these-newly-discovered-gold-tongues-allowed-the-dead-to-communicate-in-the-afterlife-180989127/Nearly 150 Gray Whales Have Been Found Dead Along North America's Pacific Shore This Year, Prompting Scientists to Sound the Alarmhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nearly-150-gray-whales-have-been-found-dead-along-north-americas-pacific-shore-this-year-prompting-scientists-to-sound-the-alarm-180989109/The population of eastern gray whales, which migrate annually along the West Coast between the Arctic and Mexico, has been declining in recent years. Conservationists say 2026 could be one of the deadliest years on record for the marine mammalsMon, 13 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nearly-150-gray-whales-have-been-found-dead-along-north-americas-pacific-shore-this-year-prompting-scientists-to-sound-the-alarm-180989109/Roughly 100,000 Years Ago, This Man Got Stabbed in the Face—and Survived. He's Likely One of the First Known Victims of an Attack With a Sharp Weaponhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/roughly-100000-years-ago-this-man-got-stabbed-in-the-face-and-survived-hes-likely-one-of-the-first-known-victims-of-an-attack-by-a-sharp-weapon-180989103/Researchers who investigated the remains of a young adult male found in the Qafzeh cave say the injury healed over time, which means the victim's community may have tended to himFri, 10 Jul 2026 13:53:24 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/roughly-100000-years-ago-this-man-got-stabbed-in-the-face-and-survived-hes-likely-one-of-the-first-known-victims-of-an-attack-by-a-sharp-weapon-180989103/The Culprit Behind South Australia's Deadly Algal Bloom Might Be the Most Toxic Species Ever Tested, Scientists Sayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-culprit-behind-south-australias-deadly-algal-bloom-might-be-the-most-toxic-species-ever-tested-scientists-say-180989100/Karenia cristata, a rare type of microscopic algae that produces toxins that harm nerve cells, can be lethal at very low concentrationsFri, 10 Jul 2026 12:46:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-culprit-behind-south-australias-deadly-algal-bloom-might-be-the-most-toxic-species-ever-tested-scientists-say-180989100/Did This Duke Poison His Brother? A New DNA Analysis May Solve the Centuries-Old Medici Mysteryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-this-duke-poison-his-brother-a-new-dna-analysis-may-solve-the-centuries-old-medici-mystery-180989086/Researchers found evidence of malaria in Francesco I de' Medici's bones, leading them to argue "with scientific certainty" that it was disease, not arsenic, that led to his death in 1587Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:05:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-this-duke-poison-his-brother-a-new-dna-analysis-may-solve-the-centuries-old-medici-mystery-180989086/Gray Whales Are Getting Struck by Ships in San Francisco Bay. Could This New A.I.-Powered Tech Save Them?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gray-whales-are-getting-struck-by-ships-in-san-francisco-bay-could-this-new-ai-powered-tech-save-them-180989009/The recently launched system involves two thermal cameras that can detect gray whales up to four miles away, giving ships enough time to slow down or change course—and avoid running into the marine mammalsThu, 25 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gray-whales-are-getting-struck-by-ships-in-san-francisco-bay-could-this-new-ai-powered-tech-save-them-180989009/A Century and a Half After Custer's Last Stand, the Battle of Little Bighorn Continues to Mystifyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-century-and-a-half-after-custers-last-stand-the-battle-of-little-bighorn-continues-to-mystify-180988984/The June 1876 firefight resulted in the deaths of George Armstrong Custer and 267 of his men. Historians continue to debate exactly how the Lakota Sioux and the Northern Cheyenne secured their victory over the U.S. ArmyWed, 24 Jun 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-century-and-a-half-after-custers-last-stand-the-battle-of-little-bighorn-continues-to-mystify-180988984/New Discovery That Hunter-Gatherer Children Died of Plague More Than Five Millennia Ago Sets Back the Date of the Earliest Outbreakhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-discovery-that-hunter-gatherer-children-died-of-plague-more-than-five-millennia-ago-sets-back-the-date-of-the-earliest-outbreak-180988983/The skeletons of nomadic families unearthed in Siberia harbor "Yersinia pestis" bacteria, which challenges theories about conditions needed for the disease to spreadThu, 18 Jun 2026 20:58:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-discovery-that-hunter-gatherer-children-died-of-plague-more-than-five-millennia-ago-sets-back-the-date-of-the-earliest-outbreak-180988983/Major Oak, the 1,200-Year-Old Tree with Ties to the Robin Hood Legend, Is Presumed Dead After Failing to Produce Leaveshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/major-oak-the-1200-year-old-tree-with-ties-to-the-robin-hood-legend-is-presumed-dead-after-failing-to-produce-leaves-180988986/The legendary bandit who stole from the rich and gave to the poor is said to have used the massive tree as a hideout while running from the sheriff of NottinghamThu, 18 Jun 2026 20:43:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/major-oak-the-1200-year-old-tree-with-ties-to-the-robin-hood-legend-is-presumed-dead-after-failing-to-produce-leaves-180988986/When a Team of Meteorologists and Combat Pilots Set Out to Understand Thunderstorms, They Made Flying Safer for Everyonehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/when-team-meteorologists-combat-pilots-set-out-understand-thunderstorms-made-flying-safer-everyone-180988841/The sky was a very dangerous place in the early days of commercial aviation. By flying into storms to learn how they worked, these experts made air travel and weather forecasting much more predictableMon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/when-team-meteorologists-combat-pilots-set-out-understand-thunderstorms-made-flying-safer-everyone-180988841/Construction in Germany Revealed the 'Princely Grave' of a Celtic Warrior Who Was Buried With Weapons and a Two-Wheeled Wagonhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/construction-in-germany-revealed-the-princely-grave-of-a-celtic-warrior-who-was-buried-with-weapons-and-a-two-wheeled-wagon-180988952/Archaeologists say the find proves "the previously only assumed presence of a local Celtic elite." Grave goods also included gold jewelry and a jug imported from modern-day TuscanyFri, 12 Jun 2026 20:21:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/construction-in-germany-revealed-the-princely-grave-of-a-celtic-warrior-who-was-buried-with-weapons-and-a-two-wheeled-wagon-180988952/Scientists Discover the World's Largest, Deepest Whale Graveyard, Where Cetacean Remains Have Been Piling Up for Five Million Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-the-worlds-largest-deepest-whale-graveyard-where-cetacean-remains-have-been-piling-up-for-five-million-years-180988942/The massive necropolis, located deep in the southeastern Indian Ocean, is teeming with marine life supported by the whale carcasses, including many suspected new speciesFri, 12 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-the-worlds-largest-deepest-whale-graveyard-where-cetacean-remains-have-been-piling-up-for-five-million-years-180988942/This Woman's Brains Were Scooped Out and Her Bones Were Broken and Whittled in Scotland 2,000 Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-womans-brains-were-scooped-out-and-her-bones-were-broken-and-whittled-in-scotland-2000-years-ago-180988935/Researchers say the modifications may represent a previously unknown funerary ritual in Iron Age BritainWed, 10 Jun 2026 21:23:55 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-womans-brains-were-scooped-out-and-her-bones-were-broken-and-whittled-in-scotland-2000-years-ago-180988935/Theodore Roosevelt Survived an Assassination Attempt Because a Speech Tucked Inside His Pocket Slowed the Bullet. He Insisted on Delivering His Remarks Anywayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/theodore-roosevelt-survived-an-assassination-attempt-because-a-speech-tucked-inside-his-pocket-slowed-the-bullet-he-insisted-on-delivering-his-remarks-anyway-180988911/"I am very much uninterested in whether I am shot or not," he told an audience in Milwaukee. Newly discovered documents shed light on how the 26th president wanted the incident to shape his legacyTue, 09 Jun 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/theodore-roosevelt-survived-an-assassination-attempt-because-a-speech-tucked-inside-his-pocket-slowed-the-bullet-he-insisted-on-delivering-his-remarks-anyway-180988911/Archaeologists Excavating a Monastery in Spain Identified the Remains of a 14th-Century Queen—and Multiple Skeletons Buried in the Wrong Graveshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-excavating-a-monastery-in-spain-identified-the-remains-of-a-14th-century-queen-and-multiple-skeletons-buried-in-the-wrong-graves-180988877/The tomb of Elisenda of Montcada has long fascinated experts. But the team was surprised to learn that burials supposedly belonging to a medieval knight and abbess held entirely different individualsWed, 03 Jun 2026 13:01:56 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-excavating-a-monastery-in-spain-identified-the-remains-of-a-14th-century-queen-and-multiple-skeletons-buried-in-the-wrong-graves-180988877/The Gouged-Out Testicles of This Bull Mosaic in Italy Are Just Two More Victims of Tourists Abusing Monuments for Luckhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-gouged-out-testicles-of-this-bull-mosaic-in-italy-are-just-two-more-victims-of-tourists-abusing-monuments-for-luck-180988870/It's common for visitors to touch intimate areas portrayed in artworks, but the phenomenon puts cultural icons at riskMon, 01 Jun 2026 19:31:57 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-gouged-out-testicles-of-this-bull-mosaic-in-italy-are-just-two-more-victims-of-tourists-abusing-monuments-for-luck-180988870/