Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Food Science

Earthworms Reproduce in Faux Mars Soil For the First Time

A vital component of healthy Earth gardens, scientists are testing their resilience in the harsh Red Planet environment

The face of a dreamer.

Winston Churchill Imagined the Lab-Grown Hamburger

But he was off about the year when it would be created

The Ten Best Books About Food of 2017

Hungry minds would enjoy one of these illuminating books about the world of food and drink

The Next Pandemic

What Foods Are Most Likely to Make You Sick?

We put some common myths to rest—and help you tackle your next turkey dinner with confidence

An Eagle Brand Condensed Milk ad from 1891.

Like Condensed Milk? Try the ‘Meat Biscuit’

The meat biscuit was a practical idea but Gail Borden, also the inventor of condensed milk, never made it work

A familiar-looking image from the Uncrustables patent.

Can a Sandwich Be Intellectual Property?

This is the story of a patent war over PB&J

The molds responsible for aflatoxins grow on a number of staple crops, including corn, peanuts, millet, wheat, cottonseed and tree nuts.

Could Video Gamers Make Our Food Supply Safer?

An effort to combat poisonous molds that contaminate crops is looking to tap the puzzle-solving skills of amateur gamers

Cool Finds

Stone Age Britons Feasted While Building Stonehenge

A new exhibit shows that the builders gorged on animals from as far away as Scotland

Mad cow disease, like other prion diseases, is still not fully understood.

More Than 30 Years Since Their Discovery, Prions Still Fascinate, Terrify and Mystify Us

Figuring out what they were was just the beginning of a field of research into prions and prion diseases that’s still growing

Delightful or despicable? Your response could help neuroscientists understand the brain's basis for disgust.

New Research

What Stinky Cheese Tells Us About the Science of Disgust

Why does this pungent delicacy give some the munchies, but send others reeling to the toilet?

Rock lobster tail at a Red Lobster

Rock Lobster From a Farm Could Soon Be Coming To a Menu Near You

Rock lobster isn’t just a B52’s song, it’s a beloved meal around the world. And now scientists have figured out how to raise them on a farm

What can you do to ensure a more perfect brew?

The Chemistry and Physics Behind the Perfect Cup of Coffee

How science helps your barista brew your espresso perfectly every time

If you open a warm bottle of bubbly, pay close attention to the cloud that rolls out of the neck of the bottle. Over 68 degrees Fahrenheit, it will turn blue.

New Research

Opening Warm Champagne Leads to a Pop of Blue

This flash of color is caused by the same process that colors the sky with its blue hues

Tuna isn't always what it claims to be.

What’s Really in That Tuna Roll? DNA Testing Can Help You Find Out

This rapidly evolving tech aims to empower consumers and shine a light on the food industry

Trending Today

Swiss Chocolatiers Introduce New Type of Chocolate—Pink

Called ‘ruby chocolate,’ its creators claim the concoction contains no red coloring

Pharmacists once used chocolate syrup to mask the bitter flavor of their remedies—and make a little money on the side.

The Unlikely Medical History of Chocolate Syrup

How the sundae staple went from treatment to just treat

Made of sugar, these milk pods could someday replace traditional creamer cups.

Milk and Sugar Pods That Dissolve in Coffee Could Replace Single-Serve Containers

Why use plastic when you can use sugar?

The first can opener was a blade that sawed around the can's edge, leaving a jagged rim.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Why the Can Opener Wasn’t Invented Until Almost 50 Years After the Can

The first ‘can opener’ was a hammer and chisel

Before Fannie Farmer, recipes were more like estimates. She standardized measurements and insisted on "scientific" cookery.

Fannie Farmer Was the Original Rachael Ray

Farmer was the first prominent figure to advocate scientific cookery. Her cookbook remains in print to this day

New Research

This Enzyme Is Why Onions Make You Cry

Figuring out the how the tear-inducing fumes form could give surprising insights into our own human proteins

Page 14 of 25