https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/smithsonian-institution/RSS feed for Smithsonian InstitutionenFri, 04 Sep 2026 19:21:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/kermit-the-frog-was-just-trying-to-put-on-a-variety-show-fifty-years-later-the-muppets-are-some-of-the-biggest-stars-in-television-history-180989451/The first episode of Jim Henson's "The Muppet Show" premiered in the United Kingdom on September 5, 1976. Enthusiasm for the eclectic ensemble has endured ever sinceFri, 04 Sep 2026 19:21:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/kermit-the-frog-was-just-trying-to-put-on-a-variety-show-fifty-years-later-the-muppets-are-some-of-the-biggest-stars-in-television-history-180989451/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/female-treefrogs-experience-choice-overload-amid-too-many-mating-calls-from-males-180989411/Faced with a chorus of potential mates, female Cope’s gray treefrogs may be overwhelmed by the number of options and struggle to make a careful decision, a study suggestsTue, 01 Sep 2026 13:42:53 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/female-treefrogs-experience-choice-overload-amid-too-many-mating-calls-from-males-180989411/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/yayoi-kusama-created-fantastical-infinity-mirror-rooms-that-became-the-most-famous-backdrops-of-the-art-world-her-work-spanned-from-counterculture-to-cosmos-180989409/The Japanese artist, who died on August 14 at 97, sought solace from hallucinations in her art, developing a visual language of polka dots, pumpkins and mirrors that entranced the worldThu, 27 Aug 2026 15:59:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/yayoi-kusama-created-fantastical-infinity-mirror-rooms-that-became-the-most-famous-backdrops-of-the-art-world-her-work-spanned-from-counterculture-to-cosmos-180989409/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/dolly-parton-was-one-of-the-biggest-stars-in-the-history-of-country-music-she-wanted-to-be-remembered-as-a-songwriter-180989405/After growing up in poverty, she became famous for her legendary songs, big heart and larger-than-life style. But the iconic musician insisted that "the songs lead to everything else"Wed, 26 Aug 2026 17:58:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/dolly-parton-was-one-of-the-biggest-stars-in-the-history-of-country-music-she-wanted-to-be-remembered-as-a-songwriter-180989405/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/once-the-solar-systems-ninth-planet-pluto-was-reclassified-20-years-ago-heres-why-planetary-scientists-and-the-public-alike-love-the-small-icy-body-180989383/Pluto is now the most well known of the outer worlds beyond Neptune—and the darling of the solar systemMon, 24 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/once-the-solar-systems-ninth-planet-pluto-was-reclassified-20-years-ago-heres-why-planetary-scientists-and-the-public-alike-love-the-small-icy-body-180989383/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/see-the-cutest-photos-of-three-red-panda-cubs-born-at-the-smithsonians-conservation-biology-institute-this-year-180989351/The trio of cubs—including a pair of twins—are healthy and being cared for by their mothers. Their births represent a conservation milestone for the endangered speciesWed, 19 Aug 2026 15:38:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/see-the-cutest-photos-of-three-red-panda-cubs-born-at-the-smithsonians-conservation-biology-institute-this-year-180989351/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-the-boogie-board-became-one-of-summers-most-popular-toys-180989316/Fifty-five years ago, surfer Tom Morey cut a piece of polyethylene foam with a carving knife and created a wave-riding board with a low barrier of entryWed, 12 Aug 2026 17:02:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-the-boogie-board-became-one-of-summers-most-popular-toys-180989316/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-box-of-300-love-letters-showed-up-out-of-the-blue-who-was-the-whimsical-world-war-ii-soldier-who-wrote-them-180989300/Nobody knows who dropped Speedy Weber's correspondence at a USO office in 2022. Researchers have finally tracked down two living relatives who remember himMon, 10 Aug 2026 15:02:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-box-of-300-love-letters-showed-up-out-of-the-blue-who-was-the-whimsical-world-war-ii-soldier-who-wrote-them-180989300/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-shark-look-alikes-have-long-confounded-fishers-and-scientists-on-the-east-coast-tracking-where-they-migrate-could-help-clear-the-confusion-180989210/Researchers are tagging and tracking spinner sharks to map out their geographic distribution, because they've seen that the range of the very similar blacktip shark has shiftedThu, 30 Jul 2026 19:50:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/these-shark-look-alikes-have-long-confounded-fishers-and-scientists-on-the-east-coast-tracking-where-they-migrate-could-help-clear-the-confusion-180989210/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-little-known-photographer-captured-the-first-clear-image-of-a-total-solar-eclipse-175-years-ago-today-these-celestial-events-still-reveal-the-mysteries-of-the-sun-180989208/Ever since that first daguerreotype on a light-sensitive metal plate, eclipse observations have continued to unveil the star's corona and bring people together to experience the solar system's majestyTue, 28 Jul 2026 20:40:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-little-known-photographer-captured-the-first-clear-image-of-a-total-solar-eclipse-175-years-ago-today-these-celestial-events-still-reveal-the-mysteries-of-the-sun-180989208/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/a-brief-history-of-hold-music-from-early-patents-to-the-soundtrack-of-customer-service-purgatory-180989185/Sixty years ago, Alfred A. Levy patented his “telephone hold program system.” Little did he know a teenager’s unearthed New Age practice tape would become its enduring anthemFri, 24 Jul 2026 16:00:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/a-brief-history-of-hold-music-from-early-patents-to-the-soundtrack-of-customer-service-purgatory-180989185/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/video-captures-orcas-ramming-a-sunfish-so-hard-it-explodes-the-mysterious-behavior-might-be-a-form-of-play-or-juvenile-care-180989153/In two incidents documented in Mexico’s Gulf of California, orcas worked together to blast sunfish into smithereens after they had killed the enormous animalsThu, 23 Jul 2026 04:00:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/video-captures-orcas-ramming-a-sunfish-so-hard-it-explodes-the-mysterious-behavior-might-be-a-form-of-play-or-juvenile-care-180989153/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/artemis-1s-orion-spacecraft-withstood-the-heat-of-re-entry-in-a-critical-test-for-humans-return-to-the-moon-now-nasa-will-loan-the-historic-capsule-to-the-smithsonians-national-air-and-space-museum-180989094/The exact timeline for the spacecraft's display hasn’t been announced, but the artifact will fit into an upcoming exhibition on how humans have built a long-term presence in Earth orbit and laid the groundwork for farther space travelMon, 13 Jul 2026 19:09:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/artemis-1s-orion-spacecraft-withstood-the-heat-of-re-entry-in-a-critical-test-for-humans-return-to-the-moon-now-nasa-will-loan-the-historic-capsule-to-the-smithsonians-national-air-and-space-museum-180989094/