https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/discoveries/RSS feed for DiscoveriesenTue, 25 Aug 2026 17:51:55 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/human-skeleton-found-inside-mysterious-stone-structure-in-scotland-archaeologists-still-dont-know-why-it-was-buried-there-180989391/Built with fitted stone and a clay-like material that may have helped retain liquid, the unusual structure has left researchers searching for an explanationTue, 25 Aug 2026 17:51:55 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/human-skeleton-found-inside-mysterious-stone-structure-in-scotland-archaeologists-still-dont-know-why-it-was-buried-there-180989391/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwreck-hunters-discover-the-ruins-of-a-british-destroyer-that-split-in-half-during-a-tragic-peacetime-accident-118-years-ago-180989379/Minutes after it collided with a 10,000-ton cruiser, the HMS "Tiger" sank to the bottom of the English Channel. Divers and historians have spent the past four years searching for the Royal Navy vesselFri, 21 Aug 2026 18:04:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwreck-hunters-discover-the-ruins-of-a-british-destroyer-that-split-in-half-during-a-tragic-peacetime-accident-118-years-ago-180989379/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-hiroshima-atomic-bombing-birthed-a-strange-never-before-seen-material-according-to-a-new-study-180989249/The devastating blast vaporized buildings, metal, glass, soil and water. When the substances cooled and condensed, the process created spherical glassy grains—and some of them seem to contain a previously unknown metal alloyMon, 10 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-hiroshima-atomic-bombing-birthed-a-strange-never-before-seen-material-according-to-a-new-study-180989249/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-american-pilot-downed-4o-enemy-aircraft-during-world-war-ii-researchers-discovered-the-wreck-of-his-plane-in-a-pacific-jungle-and-brought-a-wing-back-to-his-home-state-180989259/Richard I. Bong, flying a plane decorated with a portrait of his future wife, Marge, became America's highest-scoring "ace" and received a Medal of HonorTue, 04 Aug 2026 20:33:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-american-pilot-downed-4o-enemy-aircraft-during-world-war-ii-researchers-discovered-the-wreck-of-his-plane-in-a-pacific-jungle-and-brought-a-wing-back-to-his-home-state-180989259/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-images-provide-the-best-evidence-yet-that-supergiant-star-betelgeuse-does-inded-have-a-long-theorized-stellar-companion-180989225/The research team is mostly convinced by the data, but they want to capture additional observations in 2027 to confirm what they've foundMon, 03 Aug 2026 20:07:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-images-provide-the-best-evidence-yet-that-supergiant-star-betelgeuse-does-inded-have-a-long-theorized-stellar-companion-180989225/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-metal-detectorist-discovered-tiny-tiles-in-a-farmers-field-a-spectacular-ancient-roman-mosaic-was-buried-beneath-the-surface-180989222/The polychrome mosaic once decorated a small room in a lavish villa complex. Researchers, students and volunteers have been working together to excavate the rare site in southwestern EnglandWed, 29 Jul 2026 17:27:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-metal-detectorist-discovered-tiny-tiles-in-a-farmers-field-a-spectacular-ancient-roman-mosaic-was-buried-beneath-the-surface-180989222/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/art-sleuths-discovered-a-long-lost-and-enormously-important-portrait-of-an-elite-indian-woman-by-this-pioneering-scottish-painter-180989201/Katherine Read was one of the most fashionable portrait creators in London before she moved to India. She found success portraying women and childrenMon, 27 Jul 2026 17:33:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/art-sleuths-discovered-a-long-lost-and-enormously-important-portrait-of-an-elite-indian-woman-by-this-pioneering-scottish-painter-180989201/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-volunteer-stumbled-upon-a-strange-document-in-the-uk-national-archives-it-turned-out-to-be-a-rare-copy-of-the-declaration-of-independence-printed-in-july-1776-180989169/Michael Scurr, a retired insurance broker, found the text while cataloging boxes of 18th-century correspondence housed at the London archives. It's the only known copy of its kind outside the United StatesTue, 21 Jul 2026 19:23:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-volunteer-stumbled-upon-a-strange-document-in-the-uk-national-archives-it-turned-out-to-be-a-rare-copy-of-the-declaration-of-independence-printed-in-july-1776-180989169/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/astronomers-noticed-a-mysterious-spot-appearing-in-telescope-images-it-turned-out-to-be-the-faintest-exoplanet-ever-imaged-from-earth-180989133/The gas giant, called Beta Pictoris d, had been hiding in plain sight for more than a decade, until two independent teams verified its existenceWed, 15 Jul 2026 19:40:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/astronomers-noticed-a-mysterious-spot-appearing-in-telescope-images-it-turned-out-to-be-the-faintest-exoplanet-ever-imaged-from-earth-180989133/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/dna-reveals-the-identity-of-a-teenager-who-died-in-the-revolutionary-war-cracking-a-nearly-250-year-old-cold-case-180989095/John Pumphrey was still a boy when he enlisted in the Continental Army in 1777. After archaeologists discovered his remains, a genetic genealogy analysis identified 20,000 DNA matches for living relativesFri, 10 Jul 2026 16:07:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/dna-reveals-the-identity-of-a-teenager-who-died-in-the-revolutionary-war-cracking-a-nearly-250-year-old-cold-case-180989095/