Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Cool Finds

American assault troops move up the beachhead from their landing craft in northern France.

Cool Finds

Man Discovers Original D-Day Dispatch Audiotape in Basement

The tape and several other recordings have since been donated to the National D-Day Memorial

Artists reconstruction of Phoebodus sharks.

Cool Finds

This Ancient Shark Looked Like an Eel and Swallowed Its Prey Whole

Scans of a rare 360-million-year-old shark skeleton shows the beasts used hunting techniques similar to modern sharks and fish

Dolphins and their calves enjoying a summer day in the lower Potomac River.

Cool Finds

Dolphins Are Finally Living and Breeding in the Potomac River Again

About 1,000 bottlenose dolphins have been recorded in the lower reaches of the recovering river, including one that gave birth in August

The wrestler's cap alludes to Hercules' defeat of the Nemean lion

Cool Finds

Jar Depicting Thracian Athlete Found in Grave of Sports Fan of Antiquity

Your move, fanatics of the 21st century

Previously, researchers believed giraffes' spots grew darker with age

Color of Giraffes’ Spots Reflects Social Status, Not Age

New research suggests male giraffes with darker coloring are more solitary, dominant than lighter-hued counterparts

A William Blake illustration depicting the fall of Adam and Eve

Cool Finds

Student Discovers Secret Acrostic in Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’

A Tufts University undergraduate spotted three interlocking instances of the word “FALL” in Book 9 of the epic poem

New Research

Komodo Dragons Have Skin That Looks Like Chain Mail

CT scans show layered bone covers the adult reptile’s body, likely to protect them when fighting for mates and food

A copper band found at the McQueen shell ring is similar to ceremonial objects seen at sites in the Great Lakes region

Cool Finds

Grave Hints at Interaction Between Early Humans Living in Great Lakes, American Southeast

Parallels between burial sites in the two regions suggest long-distance networks emerged earlier than previously believed

Trending Today

Once Thought to Be Extinct, This Lucky Clover Has Recovered Enough to Come Off the Endangered List

Running Buffalo Clover, which once spread on trampled ground left by bison, has made a comeback in the Midwest and Appalachians

Remnants of Greater Adria in the Taurus Mountains

Cool Finds

Study Reveals Lost Continent Demolished by Europe

Painstaking research recreates the history of Greater Adria, which slipped under the Eurasian plate 120 million years ago

Found: A Hub Where Humpback Whales Share Their Songs

A new study has found that whales from diverse locations gather at the Kermadec Islands, where they seem to transmit unique ditties

Cool Finds

Massive ‘Ice Dragon’ Ruled the Skies Above Ancient Alberta

The newly described pterosaur with a wingspan over 30-feet was one of the largest flying creatures to ever exist

The green blob of X-rays in the lower left quadrant of the Fireworks galaxy lasted about 10 days before disappearing.

New Research

Astronomers Puzzle Over Short-Lived Glowing Green Light Bursts

The ultra luminous X-rays lasted about 10 days in the aptly named Fireworks galaxy

Cool Finds

Artifacts from the Final Battle of the English Civil War Uncovered During Road Project

In 1651, Parliamentary forces defeated Royalist troops, forcing Charles II into exile

Moonlight Helps White Barn Owls Stun Their Prey

Researchers were surprised to find that brilliant white plumage, which makes the owls more visible at night, did not impact the birds’ ability to hunt

Cool Finds

Unknown John Locke Manuscript Found at a College in Maryland

Written well before the philosopher wrote his seminal treatise on the subject, the text discusses religious tolerance

Dog Breeding Has Changed Pooches’ Brains

A new study has found that key anatomical differences in dogs’ brains are linked to the behaviors they were bred to perform

A view of the small crater Yutu recently analyzed.

Cool Finds

China Claims Lunar Rover Found a Gel-Like Substance on the Moon

Experts suspect the material may be glass created during a meteorite impact

Dishes and bottles found at the site in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve.

Cool Finds

Hidden Japanese Settlement Found in Forests of British Columbia

More than 1,000 items have been unearthed there, among them rice bowls, sake bottles and Japanese ceramics

The dig site at Cooper's Ferry.

Cool Finds

Idaho Site Shows Humans Were in North America 16,000 Years Ago

The site at Cooper’s Ferry along the Salmon River is more evidence humans first traveled along the coast, not via an ice-free corridor

Page 73 of 281