<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>Smithsonian Affiliations | smithsonianmag.com</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/smithsonian-affiliations/</link><description>RSS feed for Smithsonian Affiliations</description><atom:link href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/smithsonian-affiliations/" rel="self"/><language>en</language><lastBuildDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 21:26:02 +0000</lastBuildDate><item><title>A SpaceX Rocket Part Just Slammed Into the Moon, Creating a Dust Plume and Crater. Here's What Some Scientific Instruments Saw</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-spacex-rocket-part-just-slammed-into-the-moon-creating-a-dust-plume-and-crater-heres-what-some-scientific-instruments-saw-180989299/</link><description>The Korea Aerospace Research Institute captured before-and-after images of the impact site, and a telescope in Chile detected signs of the plume. However, no one was able to watch the collision live</description><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 21:26:02 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-spacex-rocket-part-just-slammed-into-the-moon-creating-a-dust-plume-and-crater-heres-what-some-scientific-instruments-saw-180989299/</guid><enclosure length="613767" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/_mwd5o2lmaWaWMmjR7efyvyjqPg=/420x240/filters:focal(1500x643:1501x644)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/a6/97/a697ef66-129f-436e-ab62-74aa4a66d55d/hpbhqirbwaefbhu.jpeg"/></item><item><title>New Images Provide the Best Evidence Yet That Supergiant Star Betelgeuse Does, Indeed, Have a Long-Theorized Stellar Companion</title><link>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/</link><description>The research team is mostly convinced by the data, but they want to capture additional observations in 2027 to confirm what they've found</description><pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2026 20:07:35 +0000</pubDate><guid>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/</guid><enclosure length="5028277" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/q7X-oC44tmP1o5jyf5MEEJ2pxrc=/420x240/filters:focal(2102x1241:2103x1242)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/94/ff/94ff6e6b-f487-40cd-ab29-08c7fca4b23e/eso2611a-2.jpg"/></item><item><title>In This Bee Species, Why Do Some Daughters Leave Home While Others Stay 'Bee-hind' to Help Mom?</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-this-bee-species-why-do-some-of-daughters-leave-home-while-others-stay-bee-hind-to-help-mom-180989218/</link><description>Biologists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute investigated a flexible social bee species, which helps shed light on the evolution of more complex organizational structures among other insects</description><pubDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2026 23:05:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-this-bee-species-why-do-some-of-daughters-leave-home-while-others-stay-bee-hind-to-help-mom-180989218/</guid><enclosure length="152309" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/GsUu2Ppw2V-ifW4p-EkdPLoI-1E=/420x240/filters:focal(600x449:601x450)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/76/3c/763cfe35-3de5-449b-b95a-a69e128179c0/sweat_bee_1_carmelo_lopez.jpg"/></item><item><title>Scientists Discover the World's Largest, Deepest Whale Graveyard, Where Cetacean Remains Have Been Piling Up for Five Million Years</title><link>https://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/</link><description>The massive necropolis, located deep in the southeastern Indian Ocean, is teeming with marine life supported by the whale carcasses, including many suspected new species</description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://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/</guid><enclosure length="462846" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/mlqDr08AqUWcgkmMjn_7iGJ_Yyc=/420x240/filters:focal(1063x547:1064x548)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/f5/40/f540bfa6-0c17-4b52-9630-d1418a67bad2/8.jpeg"/></item><item><title>The Mere Presence of Humans—Not Just Our Changes to the Land—Can Alter Wild Animals' Behaviors, a New Study Suggests</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-mere-presence-of-humans-not-just-our-changes-to-the-land-can-alter-wild-animals-behaviors-a-new-study-suggests-180988793/</link><description>Researchers examined GPS tracking data from thousands of animals representing 37 species and anonymized cellphone location data from 2020, a year of Covid-19 lockdowns, and the previous year</description><pubDate>Tue, 26 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-mere-presence-of-humans-not-just-our-changes-to-the-land-can-alter-wild-animals-behaviors-a-new-study-suggests-180988793/</guid><enclosure length="3227192" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/BXVBIwDxN2uRlJ6f28AT6JKEwpo=/420x240/filters:focal(3000x2000:3001x2001)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/6a/3f/6a3f1b5a-ebd9-4e6c-b4cb-08b1e0b81f1b/denicola_-_deer_running_in_front_of_car_arseanl_co_1_2023_1.jpg"/></item><item><title>These Tiny Ants Crawled All Over Larger Ants and Licked Them Clean. Scientists Aren't Sure How This Behavior Benefits Any of Them</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-tiny-ants-crawled-all-over-larger-ants-and-licked-them-clean-scientists-arent-sure-how-this-behavior-benefits-any-of-them-180988555/</link><description>After witnessing the interactions in an Arizona desert, a Smithsonian researcher suggests that the little ants picked off tasty treats and that the big ants got thoroughly groomed in hard-to-reach places</description><pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-tiny-ants-crawled-all-over-larger-ants-and-licked-them-clean-scientists-arent-sure-how-this-behavior-benefits-any-of-them-180988555/</guid><enclosure length="30747320" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/I68imt7--sQHC9UAwqGzLvs9LVw=/420x240/filters:focal(3058x2067:3059x2068)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/1e/de/1ede8f15-b944-4aa1-955b-fbf1980c1f86/cleaner_ants.jpg"/></item><item><title>Cannibalistic Blue Crabs Are Eating Their Younger Peers in Part of the Chesapeake Bay</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cannibalistic-blue-crabs-are-eating-their-younger-peers-in-part-of-the-chesapeake-bay-180988373/</link><description>The findings by Smithsonian researchers could help experts better manage this crustacean's population. The creatures play important roles in the local ecosystem and food industry</description><pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:56:38 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cannibalistic-blue-crabs-are-eating-their-younger-peers-in-part-of-the-chesapeake-bay-180988373/</guid><enclosure length="695541" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/eD170iExi9wzBMI6srJGs36lhgA=/420x240/filters:focal(960x677:961x678)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/6d/22/6d22ed07-b36e-4993-9bf0-d3d504f7175d/care_banks_-_blue_crab_-_06.jpg"/></item><item><title>Albert Einstein Played With These Building Blocks as a Child. Here’s How They Helped Shape His Magnificent Mind</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/albert-einstein-played-with-these-building-blocks-as-a-child-heres-how-they-helped-shape-his-magnificent-mind-180988349/</link><description>The 19th-century German toy pieces, made with quartz sand, chalk and linseed oil, allowed kids to create realistic structures</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2026 15:30:18 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/albert-einstein-played-with-these-building-blocks-as-a-child-heres-how-they-helped-shape-his-magnificent-mind-180988349/</guid><enclosure length="274718" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/MRCX92MeJRWPTfysHAndHrO8DrM=/420x240/filters:focal(1600x960:1601x961)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/5d/ff/5dffa9c0-00d6-4efa-a5b6-2b45a5d3595b/2016_cks_12139_0151_000einstein_albert100946_1.jpg"/></item><item><title>A 1,300-Pound Spacecraft Might Be Plummeting Through Our Atmosphere Right Now</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-1300-pound-spacecraft-might-be-plummeting-through-our-atmosphere-right-now-180988335/</link><description>The debris poses minimal risk of harming anyone</description><pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 19:45:14 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-1300-pound-spacecraft-might-be-plummeting-through-our-atmosphere-right-now-180988335/</guid><enclosure length="1499423" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/f1oYQ4xazSqTs11a06q5pQ2WrV0=/420x240/filters:focal(960x549:961x550)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/f5/29/f529467b-8faf-451c-8925-3b6012ef31db/radiation_belt_storm_probes.jpg"/></item><item><title>Seabird Poop May Have Fueled This Pre-Inca Kingdom's Rise to Power in South America</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/seabird-poop-may-have-fueled-this-pre-inca-kingdoms-rise-to-power-in-south-america-180988189/</link><description>The Chincha Kingdom used nutrient-rich seabird guano as fertilizer for maize, according to a new study</description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/seabird-poop-may-have-fueled-this-pre-inca-kingdoms-rise-to-power-in-south-america-180988189/</guid><enclosure length="13226308" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/tq2_d-29p5IKXCoe9dGpFkvU5lg=/420x240/filters:focal(2636x1506:2637x1507)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/4d/83/4d83c6d8-3cec-4dac-aebc-f3e54941e617/seabird-guano.jpg"/></item></channel></rss>