Mining | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/mining/RSS feed for MiningenTue, 09 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000When a Photographer Turned His Focus on Social Injustice, It Helped Usher in the First Child Labor Lawshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-photographer-turned-focus-social-justice-helped-usher-first-child-labor-laws-180988833/Lewis Hine didn’t consider his job as taking pictures; it was “detective work.” Sometimes gaining access with ruse and subterfuge, he captured stark images that touched hearts and changed mindsTue, 09 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-photographer-turned-focus-social-justice-helped-usher-first-child-labor-laws-180988833/This Photographer Was Famous for Snapping Celebrities Like Marilyn Monroe, But His Images of Vietnam War Victims and Coal Miners Revealed the Surprising Power of Portraitshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/richard-avedon-was-famous-for-snapping-celebrities-like-marilyn-monroe-but-his-images-of-vietnam-war-victims-and-coal-miners-revealed-the-surprising-power-of-portraits-180988757/A new documentary about photographer Richard Avedon, directed by Ron Howard and debuting at the Cannes Film Festival, uses archival footage and contemporary interviews to weave the story of just how far his influence extendsMon, 18 May 2026 18:46:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/richard-avedon-was-famous-for-snapping-celebrities-like-marilyn-monroe-but-his-images-of-vietnam-war-victims-and-coal-miners-revealed-the-surprising-power-of-portraits-180988757/Mysterious Green Rocks Discovered in a Remote Cave in Spain Might Be Signs of Prehistoric People Working With Copperhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mysterious-green-rocks-discovered-in-a-remote-cave-in-spain-might-be-signs-of-prehistoric-people-working-with-copper-180988706/The find challenges assumptions that people in the region thousands of years ago did not spend much time at high altitudesFri, 08 May 2026 17:42:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mysterious-green-rocks-discovered-in-a-remote-cave-in-spain-might-be-signs-of-prehistoric-people-working-with-copper-180988706/What Lies Beyond Artemis 2? These Other Missions Are Setting Their Sights on the Moon This Year—and on a Future With Humans in Spacehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-lies-beyond-artemis-2-these-other-missions-are-setting-their-sights-on-the-moon-this-yearand-on-a-future-with-humans-in-space-180988517/As the historic lunar flyby comes to a close, space companies and nations around the world are also shooting for the moon. Upcoming landings aim to change the landscape of space explorationThu, 09 Apr 2026 14:02:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-lies-beyond-artemis-2-these-other-missions-are-setting-their-sights-on-the-moon-this-yearand-on-a-future-with-humans-in-space-180988517/What Does This 150-Year-Old Bottle of Mystery Booze Taste Like? Fruity, With a Hint of Leatherhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-does-this-150-year-old-bottle-of-mystery-booze-taste-like-fruity-with-hint-leather-180988268/Experts in Utah recently sipped the murky liquid, which was found during excavations at a historic ski areaFri, 27 Feb 2026 12:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-does-this-150-year-old-bottle-of-mystery-booze-taste-like-fruity-with-hint-leather-180988268/One Was a Teenage Diplomat. Another Was a Nuclear Engineer. Here's How Eight Presidents Made Their Mark Outside of the White Househttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/one-was-a-teenage-diplomat-another-was-a-nuclear-engineer-heres-how-eight-presidents-made-their-mark-outside-of-the-white-house-180988146/From Abraham Lincoln's patent to James A. Garfield's geometry proof, learn how these 19th- and 20th-century commanders in chief shaped their legacies beyond politicsMon, 09 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/one-was-a-teenage-diplomat-another-was-a-nuclear-engineer-heres-how-eight-presidents-made-their-mark-outside-of-the-white-house-180988146/Deep-Sea Mining Test in the Pacific Drastically Reduced Biodiversity and Animal Populationshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/deep-sea-mining-test-in-the-pacific-drastically-reduced-biodiversity-and-animal-populations-180987813/The Metals Company wants to be the first firm to commercially mine the seafloor. The study it funded suggests that mining vehicles harm creatures in the machines’ pathsWed, 10 Dec 2025 15:25:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/deep-sea-mining-test-in-the-pacific-drastically-reduced-biodiversity-and-animal-populations-180987813/Study Finds High Levels of Mercury in Hair Samples From Indigenous Women in Peru and Nicaraguahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/study-finds-high-levels-of-mercury-in-hair-samples-from-indigenous-women-in-peru-and-nicaragua-180987498/Small-scale gold mining in the area releases mercury into the environment, where it can make its way into fish and, in turn, humansTue, 14 Oct 2025 17:05:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/study-finds-high-levels-of-mercury-in-hair-samples-from-indigenous-women-in-peru-and-nicaragua-180987498/She Spent Three Weeks Digging for a Diamond for Her Engagement Ring—and Unearthed a 2.3-Carat Stunnerhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/she-spent-three-weeks-digging-for-a-diamond-for-her-engagement-ring-and-unearthed-a-2-3-carat-stunner-180987254/When Micherre Fox and her boyfriend decided to get married, she flew to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas to search for the diamond herselfThu, 28 Aug 2025 18:33:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/she-spent-three-weeks-digging-for-a-diamond-for-her-engagement-ring-and-unearthed-a-2-3-carat-stunner-180987254/To Save This Historic Church, Workers Loaded It Onto Trailers and Rolled It Across Town. See How They Pulled It Offhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/to-save-this-historic-church-workers-loaded-it-onto-trailers-and-rolled-it-across-town-see-how-they-pulled-it-off-180987219/The 672.4-ton church is one of several buildings that have been relocated in the Swedish town of Kiruna, where Europe's largest underground iron ore mine is weakening the ground beneath the city centerMon, 25 Aug 2025 16:35:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/to-save-this-historic-church-workers-loaded-it-onto-trailers-and-rolled-it-across-town-see-how-they-pulled-it-off-180987219/