Food Science | smithsonianmag.com

From a Sea Turtle Release to an Outhouse Race, These Ten Fourth of July Traditions Celebrate America Like No Other

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 15:29:09 +0000

Revelers typically mark Independence Day with a barbecue and fireworks show, but these festivities across the country offer quirky alternatives

When Clarence Birdseye Tasted the Trout That Had Been Frozen by Inuit Fishermen, It Changed the Way We Buy Food

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000

The inventive entrepreneur concluded that the faster things were frozen, the less damage was done to the structure of the food. Once thawed, they were “exactly like fresh”

Want to Avoid Having a Picky Eater? Start Exposing Your Kids to Veggies Super Early—in the Womb

Tue, 19 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000

In a new study, 3-year-olds who were repeatedly exposed to the taste of bitter kale as fetuses appeared to be less averse to the leafy greens' scent than they were to a food smell they hadn't experienced in utero

Can Insects Feel Pain? New Research Suggests That Crickets Do

Mon, 18 May 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Used for food, feed and research, the critters are among the most widely farmed bugs. The study authors say humans should work to reduce harm in insect farming, handling and experimentation

Potatoes Didn't Just Feed Ancient Indigenous Communities in the Andes—the Tasty Tubers Also Reshaped People's DNA

Tue, 12 May 2026 21:13:28 +0000

A new study finds that Indigenous Andeans living in what is now Peru have extra copies of a gene called AMY1, which helps the body digest starch

Scientists Discover Microscopic Traces of Leaves, Seeds and Toxic Berries on Pots Used by Stone Age Cooks Thousands of Years Ago

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 15:35:24 +0000

Hunter-gatherers in Europe carefully selected ingredients and cooked complex foods, often pairing fish with specific plants, according to a new study

Taking a Daily Multivitamin Might Slow Some Signs of Biological Aging, a New Study Suggests

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 15:25:27 +0000

Researchers don’t know how these modest changes at the cellular level relate to overall health

As the Planet Warms, a Humble Sea Bean Is Proving to Be a Promising Superfood

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Known as samphire, sea beans, glasswort or pickleweed, Salicornia thrives in high-saline environments, like coastal marshes, and has a lot of nutritional and medicinal properties

Wild Chimpanzees Love to Eat Boozy Fruit. Scientists Say the Proof Is in Their Pee

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 17:05:58 +0000

The work further hints that humans may have inherited our penchant for alcohol from our ape ancestors

Maggots Are an Incredibly Efficient Source of Protein, Which May Make Them the Next Superfood for Humans

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Inexpensive to raise and insatiably hungry for trash, black soldier fly larvae are already on the menu for livestock, pets and, maybe soon, people