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California

One of the first-ever images of the Mount Lyell shrew in California

See the First-Ever Photographs of the Elusive Mount Lyell Shrew, Finally Caught on Camera in California

A group of young researchers captured and photographed the animal on a three-day expedition to the Eastern Sierra Nevada

Embers from the Eaton Fire fly down a residential street in Altadena, California, on January 8.

How A.I. Can Help Humans Battle Wildfires, From Advanced Camera Systems to Forecasting Models

A variety of new technologies aim to improve wildfire detection and help map the spread of blazes

A firefighter works as the Hughes Fire burns north of Los Angeles on January 22.

Welcome to the Pyrocene

Human use of fire has produced an era of uncontrolled burning

Sutter's Mill, California, where John Augustus Sutter struck gold, accidentally starting the gold rush.

On This Day in History

The Discovery of Gold on This Date in 1848 at Sutter’s Creek Kicked Off the California Gold Rush and Transformed America

The unquenchable demand for gold spurred a mass migration and fueled the genocide of Native communities

The frame of the house stands where former Australian child star Rory Sykes died in a neighboring cottage during the Palisades Fire on Rambla Pacifico Street. Sykes was 32 years old and had cerebral palsy. 

A Los Angeles Photographer Captures the Devastating Fires Threatening His Beloved Community

Ivan Kashinsky has traveled the world for Smithsonian magazine, but when disaster struck earlier this month, he rushed home to point his lens at his own neighborhood

A view of the Palisades fire on January 9. The strong Santa Ana winds that fueled much of the L.A. wildfires’ destruction are expected to relax for a few days.

L.A. Fire-Fueling Winds Slow Down, Offering a Short Reprieve. What Are the Santa Ana Winds, and Why Do They Fan the Flames?

The seasonal gusts have exacerbated the deadly fires, and they’re expected to pick back up next week

The dye, chemically known as erythrosine, has been used since 1907 to give candies, drinks and other foods their vibrant red color.

FDA Bans Red Dye No. 3 From Food, Beverages and Ingested Drugs, Citing Link to Cancer in Lab Rats

The synthetic additive found in thousands of food products will now be phased out by 2027, but advocates say the agency’s move is long overdue

The Eaton Fire has devastated the community of Altadena.

Music History and Contemporary Art Destroyed in the Deadly Los Angeles Wildfires

An archive of scores by composer Arnold Schoenberg and the collections of countless contemporary artists have been lost in the blaze

Around the world, a wealth of new museums are also bringing art and culture, science and technology, and education and storytelling to the forefront.

Ten Must-See Museums Opening Around the World in 2025

New institutions dedicated to artificial intelligence, West African art, barbeque and more are expected to welcome visitors this year

Later in 1967, flower children of all ages gathered in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park

On This Day in History

The Human Be-In, Which Happened on This Day in 1967, Set the Stage for the ‘Summer of Love’

This loved-up ‘happening’ on a winter day in San Francisco helped the counterculture grab national attention

Will Rogers' Western Ranch House was on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Historic Landmarks Razed By Los Angeles’ Deadly Fires

Among the destroyed structures are the ranch established by comedian Will Rogers and a motel owned by notorious publisher William Randolph Hearst

The 226 people trapped on board the City of San Francisco endured freezing temperatures, carbon monoxide poisoning and food shortages.

When a Deadly Winter Storm Trapped a Luxury Passenger Train Near the Donner Pass for Three Days

Snowdrifts stranded the vehicle in the Sierra Nevada in January 1952, imprisoning 226 people traveling from Chicago to California

The new Chuckwalla National Monument protects more than 624,000 acres in southern California.

Biden Establishes Two New National Monuments in California

The Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument will protect more than 848,000 acres of public lands

The construction of the Golden Gate Bridge was an immense project with an immense cost.

On This Day in History

The Golden Gate Bridge Was a Dream That Turned Into a Depression-Era Nightmare for the 11 Men Who Died During Its Construction

The building of the iconic “industry orange” landmark began on this day in 1933

Southern sea otters are making a comeback along the coast of California—and they're chowing down on invasive European green crabs.

Hungry Sea Otters Are Taking a Bite Out of California’s Invasive Crab Problem, New Study Finds

Researchers estimate southern sea otters eat up to 120,000 European green crabs per year at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

A California ground squirrel carries a vole in its mouth after hunting the rodent.

Squirrels Are Displaying ‘Widespread Carnivorous Behavior’ for the First Time in a California Park, New Study Finds

The familiar rodents, known for eating nuts and seeds, have been spotted hunting and decapitating voles in a gruesome dietary adaptation. Scientists say it might signal resiliency in face of future environmental pressures

Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay is one of the sites where telephone cables were recently removed from.

Crews Remove Miles of Abandoned, Lead-Coated Telephone Cables From the Bottom of Lake Tahoe

The cables have been resting on the lakebed for decades, raising fears from environmentalists and residents about possible lead contamination

The yellow powder is a type of compound known as a “covalent organic framework,” or COF.

This New, Yellow Powder Quickly Pulls Carbon Dioxide From the Air, and Researchers Say ‘There’s Nothing Like It’

Scientists say just 200 grams of the material could capture 44 pounds of the greenhouse gas per year—the same as a large tree

Left, Bob Fletcher in the California fields; right, Marielle Tsukamoto beneath a flock of paper cranes, symbols of peace and resilience, at an internment exhibition at the California Museum in Sacramento.

During World War II, This Farmer Risked Everything to Help His Japanese American Neighbors

When the U.S. government sent the Tsukamoto family to an incarceration camp in 1942, one neighbor stepped up to save the farms they left behind, giving them something to come home to

A view of the soft-bottomed Los Angeles River below the 400-foot-long Taylor Yard Bridge in Elysian Valley. The newest Taylor Yard parcel, currently fenced off as it undergoes toxic remediation, can be seen on the far right.

How the Arrival of an Endangered Bird Indicates What’s Possible for the L.A. River

Could the waterway that the city was built around make a comeback?

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