Engineering | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/engineering/RSS feed for EngineeringenWed, 15 Jul 2026 20:34:22 +0000Once the World’s Biggest Passenger Ship, This Metal Marvel That Crossed the Atlantic and Took Immigrants to Australia Has a New Museum Homehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/once-the-worlds-biggest-passenger-ship-this-metal-marvel-the-ss-great-britain-that-crossed-the-atlantic-and-took-immigrants-to-australia-has-a-new-museum-home-180989130/A new museum dedicated to stories surrounding the S.S. "Great Britain" is about to open in Bristol, where the ship is permanently dry-dockedWed, 15 Jul 2026 20:34:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/once-the-worlds-biggest-passenger-ship-this-metal-marvel-the-ss-great-britain-that-crossed-the-atlantic-and-took-immigrants-to-australia-has-a-new-museum-home-180989130/How Has Roman Concrete Lasted for Millennia? A 1,900-Year-Old Latrine Offers New Clues About the Material's Impressive Durabilityhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-has-roman-concrete-lasted-for-millennia-a-1900-year-old-latrine-offers-new-clues-about-the-materials-impressive-durability-180989115/A chemical process called carbonation, which helps seal cracks, could help explain why many ancient Roman structures are still standing today. Researchers hope that the insights will lead to better modern-day building materialsTue, 14 Jul 2026 15:54:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-has-roman-concrete-lasted-for-millennia-a-1900-year-old-latrine-offers-new-clues-about-the-materials-impressive-durability-180989115/Could We Mitigate Super El Niños by Artificially Changing the Climate? A New Study Indicates Yeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/could-we-mitigate-super-el-ninos-by-artificially-changing-the-climate-a-new-study-indicates-yes-180989101/Researchers used computer models to see what would have happened had scientists caused marine cloud brightening in the face of strong past El NiñosThu, 09 Jul 2026 18:17:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/could-we-mitigate-super-el-ninos-by-artificially-changing-the-climate-a-new-study-indicates-yes-180989101/When Germany Built a Flying Train 125 Years Ago, a City Coalesced Beneath It. It Has Moved Royalty, Commuters and Tourists—and One Elephant—Ever Sincehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/when-germany-built-a-flying-train-125-years-ago-a-city-coalesced-beneath-it-it-has-moved-royalty-commuters-and-touristsand-one-elephantever-since-180989072/When there was no room on the ground, towns in the Wupper Valley looked to the skies and built a suspension railway that became a source of pride and connectionWed, 08 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/when-germany-built-a-flying-train-125-years-ago-a-city-coalesced-beneath-it-it-has-moved-royalty-commuters-and-touristsand-one-elephantever-since-180989072/Cyborg Cockroaches Could Help Find Survivors of Natural Disasters. New Diving Suits Allow the Insects to Expand Their Search Underwaterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cyborg-cockroaches-could-help-find-survivors-of-natural-disasters-new-diving-suits-allow-the-insects-to-expand-their-search-underwater-180989066/Previously, researchers created electrical implants to control cockroaches' movements for search-and-rescue missions. Now, they've made 3D-printed suits that provide oxygen, allowing the critters to survive submerged for up to three hoursTue, 07 Jul 2026 16:01:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cyborg-cockroaches-could-help-find-survivors-of-natural-disasters-new-diving-suits-allow-the-insects-to-expand-their-search-underwater-180989066/How Shrimp Shells Are Being Turned Into 'Carbon Negative' Fuel, Food and Construction Materialshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-shrimp-shells-are-being-turned-into-carbon-negative-fuel-food-and-construction-materials-180989061/Engineers in Singapore have developed a new, multistep chemical process that transforms organic waste into useful, sustainable productsMon, 06 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-shrimp-shells-are-being-turned-into-carbon-negative-fuel-food-and-construction-materials-180989061/America's First Space Station Proved Humans Could Live and Work in Orbit for Months. Now, the Public Can See What It Looked Like in Person for the First Time in Eight Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/americas-first-space-station-proved-humans-could-live-and-work-in-orbit-for-months-now-the-public-can-see-what-it-looked-like-in-person-for-the-first-time-in-eight-years-180989055/A backup version of Skylab was displayed when the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum opened 50 years ago. After renovation of the building, the artifact is once more on view in a new galleryWed, 01 Jul 2026 21:30:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/americas-first-space-station-proved-humans-could-live-and-work-in-orbit-for-months-now-the-public-can-see-what-it-looked-like-in-person-for-the-first-time-in-eight-years-180989055/100 Years Ago, Students Across the U.S. Took the First SAT. Today, Relatively Few Colleges Require the Test. Where Is It Headed?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/100-years-ago-students-across-the-us-took-the-first-sat-today-relatively-few-colleges-require-the-test-where-is-it-headed-180988997/The standardized exam has evolved over the past century, all in the name of testing for college readiness. Now, it has become a symbol of the American higher education systemTue, 23 Jun 2026 16:16:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/100-years-ago-students-across-the-us-took-the-first-sat-today-relatively-few-colleges-require-the-test-where-is-it-headed-180988997/Scientists Are Using Nanomaterials to Heal Stubborn Wounds That Resist Antibiotic Treatmenthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/scientists-are-using-nanomaterials-to-heal-stubborn-wounds-that-resist-antibiotic-treatment-180988972/Light-activated therapies may offer a solution to slow-healing lesions common in diabetics and burn victimsWed, 17 Jun 2026 16:36:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/scientists-are-using-nanomaterials-to-heal-stubborn-wounds-that-resist-antibiotic-treatment-180988972/500 Years Ago, Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebook Was Cut Up and Separated. Now, the Inventor's Manuscripts and Drawings Are Reconstructed in an Online Archivehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/500-years-ago-da-vincis-notebook-was-cut-up-and-separated-now-the-inventors-manuscripts-and-drawings-are-reconstructed-in-an-online-archive-180988922/A new tool developed by Museo Galileo researchers has restored 50 pages from fragments excised centuries agoWed, 10 Jun 2026 02:35:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/500-years-ago-da-vincis-notebook-was-cut-up-and-separated-now-the-inventors-manuscripts-and-drawings-are-reconstructed-in-an-online-archive-180988922/Glittering Gold Can Stay Shiny for Centuries. Scientists Say They've Figured Out Why the Precious Metal Is So Resistant to Tarnishinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/glittering-gold-can-stay-shiny-for-centuries-scientists-say-theyve-figured-out-why-the-precious-metal-is-so-resistant-to-tarnishing-180988881/When the metal is split, the atoms on its surface rearrange themselves into a very stable pattern that doesn't easily react with oxygen in the air, a study suggestsThu, 04 Jun 2026 15:26:59 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/glittering-gold-can-stay-shiny-for-centuries-scientists-say-theyve-figured-out-why-the-precious-metal-is-so-resistant-to-tarnishing-180988881/