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January/February 2021 magazine cover
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“COVID-19“

History and science are essential to processing new information as the Covid-19 pandemic evolves. Here, Smithsonian magazine provides information for those who want to learn from the past, understand the present and look to the future. Featuring in-depth explainers, basic virology lessons, virtual travel stories and historical analysis, this hub is home to our best COVID-19 coverage.

Must-Reads

Five Online Tools for Evaluating Covid-19 Risk Ahead of the Holidays

Of course, the safest option is holding events virtually and skipping in-person, indoor gatherings altogether this year
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Cool Science

Why the Most Promising Covid-19 Vaccines Require Super-Cold Storage
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Vaccine Race

What Is the Best Strategy to Deploy a Covid-19 Vaccine?
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Kids and Covid-19

More Than 1 Million U.S. Children Have Had Covid-19 Since the Start of the Pandemic
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Small Gatherings

Are Small Gatherings Driving Recent Covid-19 Surges?
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Polio

How Covid-19 Drove New Polio Cases in Afghanistan
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Great Apes

How Researchers Are Protecting Great Apes From Covid-19
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COVID-19 and Culture

Take a Peek Into One of the Last Studios Still Making Globes by Hand

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Sick of Quarantine Cooking? New Companies Let Chefs Prepare Homemade Meals for You

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Secretary Lonnie Bunch on the Year Ahead for Museums

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This Holiday Season, Travel With Your Nose

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Satisfy Your Travel Cravings With These Seven Cookbooks From Famous Hotels

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Latest News

What Scientists Are Learning About Covid-19 Using the Nation's Blood Supply

How Covid-19 Precautions Have Kept Flu Cases Low

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Eight Unusual Covid-19 Vaccination Sites Around the World

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Nine Attention-Grabbing Inventions Unveiled at This Year's CES

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Gorillas at California Zoo Test Positive for Covid-19

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Why PTSD May Plague Many Hospitalized Covid-19 Survivors

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Sick of Quarantine Cooking? New Companies Let Chefs Prepare Homemade Meals for You

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Ten Innovators to Watch in 2021

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Experimental Covid-19 Vaccine Reaches America's Endangered Ferrets

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Colorado and California Report First U.S. Cases of Highly Contagious Covid-19 Variant

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1918 Spanish Influenza Outbreak

The Long History of Blaming Immigrants in Times of Sickness

Panelists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History discuss pandemics and scapegoating
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Warren Harding Tried to Return America to ‘Normalcy’ After WWI and the 1918 Pandemic. It Failed.

The lessons from his presidency show that a quick retreat to the past can be just a mirage
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How Epidemics of the Past Changed the Way Americans Lived

Past public health crises inspired innovations in infrastructure, education, fundraising and civic debate
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What We Can Learn From 1918 Flu Diaries

These letters and journals offer insights on how to record one's thoughts amid a pandemic
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Ten Myths About the 1918 Flu Pandemic

The ‘greatest pandemic in history’ was 100 years ago – but many of us still get the basic facts wrong
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Why Did the 1918 Flu Kill So Many Otherwise Healthy Young Adults?

Uncovering a World War I veteran's story provided a genealogist and pharmacologist with some clues
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How the Horrific 1918 Flu Spread Across America

The toll of history’s worst epidemic surpasses all the military deaths in World War I and World War II combined. And it may have begun in the United States
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The United States Is Not Ready for Another Flu Pandemic

You might think that today, if a pandemic like the 1918 flu hit, we'd be ready for it. You'd be wrong
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Virtual Travel

Take a Free Audio Tour of the World's Most Relaxing Destinations

From bird songs in an Indian jungle to the flowing waves of a Sardinian beach, a new tool spotlights 50 soothing soundscapes
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Virtually Explore the Smithsonian From Your Living Room

Tour a gallery of presidential portraits, print a 3-D model of a fossil or volunteer to transcribe historical documents
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Ten Museums You Can Virtually Visit

Museums are closing their doors amid the coronavirus crisis, but many offer digital exhibitions visitors can browse from the comfort of home
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Smithsonian Channel Releases 68 Free 'Aerial America' Episodes

Do some armchair traveling and see the breathtaking vistas of all 50 states while learning about their histories
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Take a Free Video Tour of Blockbuster Pompeii and Herculaneum Exhibition

Available to stream on YouTube and Facebook, the 82-minute film revisits the British Museum's popular 2013 show
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At-Home Education

Eight Digital Education Resources From Around the Smithsonian

The newly launched #SmithsonianEdu campaign highlights 1.7 million online tools geared specifically toward students and teachers
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Listen to Hundreds of Free Audiobooks, From Classics to Educational Texts

Audible's new service is aimed at school-age children participating in distance learning but features selections likely to appeal to all
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Seven Ways to Learn About Natural History From Home

Deepen your understanding of the natural world with these free resources

68 Cultural, Historical and Scientific Collections You Can Explore Online

Tour world-class museums, read historic cookbooks and browse interactive maps
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AR App Brings the Northern Lights Into Your Living Room

Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson has released nine virtual experiences for audiences to explore during quarantine
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