Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Discoveries

Shipwrecks discovered off the coast of Western Australia.

Two 19th-Century Shipwrecks Discovered During Search for Flight MH370

The Western Australian Museum has put forth several suggestions for the identities of the sunken vessels

Giant, Intact Egg of the Extinct Elephant Bird Found in Buffalo Museum

Fewer than 40 such eggs are held in public collections today

Weaver ants demonstrating exploding behavior in experimental setting

‘Exploding’ Ant Ruptures Its Own Body to Defend Its Nest

It’s the ultimate act of self-sacrifice

The man's limb appears to have been removed by blunt force trauma and a knife was later secured in its stead.

This Medieval Man Used a Knife as a Prosthetic Limb

The man’s skeleton bears signs of frequent ‘biomechanical force,’ according to a new study

Partial rendering of Psamtek I's statue

4,500 Newly Discovered Fragments Help Piece Together Massive Psamtik I Statue

The pieces gave researchers a better idea of the size and shape of the colossus

Under Canada's Devon Ice Cap, shown here, scientists have found the first isolated hypersaline subglacial lakes in the world.

Super Salty Lakes Found Deep Below Canadian Ice Cap

The discovery could provide insights about life in extreme environments, and help in the search for extraterrestrial life

Illustration of pregnant ichthyosaur with octuplets.

Fossilized ‘Sea Monster’ Found Pregnant With Eight Babies

The fossil provides the earliest evidence of ichthyosaur embryos from the UK

Archaeologists Used Drones to Find New Ancient Drawings in Peru

About 50 new examples of the Nazca lines had been hiding in plain sight

Rare Case of ‘Coffin Birth’ Seen in Medieval Grave

The pregnant woman’s remains may also suggest that she underwent cranial surgery due to a life-threatening complication

Sauropod footprint on the Isle of Skye.

50 Rare Dinosaur Footprints Found on Scottish Island

The prints date to the Middle Jurassic period, which has yielded relatively few dinosaur fossils

One of the structures at Jacó Sá site.

Satellite Images Reveal 81 Pre-Hispanic Settlements in the Amazon

The discovery adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests settlements in the Amazon were far more wide-ranging than scholars once thought

Mummy Found Inside 2,500-Year-Old ‘Empty’ Coffin

The coffin had been listed as empty for nearly 160 years while stored at the University of Sydney’s museum

Elusive Deep-Sea Anglerfish Seen Mating for the First Time

The male clamps down onto his female partner, their tissue and circulatory systems fusing together for life

William Still and a recent street view image of the row house where conservationists believe he and his wife Letitia once lived.

Underground Railroad Safe House Discovered in Philadelphia

Preservationists say they have identified the home of famed black abolitionist William Still, who offered refuge to hundreds of freedom seekers

15th-Century Pot of Gold (and Silver) Found in the Netherlands

Archaeologists say the coins can shed light on a little-known period of Dutch history

A Slave Cemetery May Have Been Discovered at a Plantation Near Annapolis

Archaeologists have found possible grave markers, and cadaver dogs have indicated the presence of human remains

Never-Before-Seen Mineral Found Inside a Diamond

The diamond acted as a container, keeping a piece of calcium silicate perovskite stable as it moved towards the Earth’s surface

None

7,000-Year-Old Native American ‘Bog Burial’ Found Off the Coast of Florida

Experts have identified the remains of at least six individuals, and suspect there are many more bodies to be found

Thismia neptunis

Cool Finds

After 150 Years, This Bizarre Plant Was Rediscovered in Malaysia

Thismia neptunis spends most of its life underground, only making a rare appearance to bloom

131-Year-Old Message in a Bottle Found on Australian Beach

The oldest yet found, the relic was thrown into the Indian Ocean by German sailors conducting an experiment

Page 17 of 25