Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

New Research

New Research

Rare Roman Sundial Uncovered in Italy

Commissioned by a local politician, it sheds light on the relationship between Rome and its outlying territories

Did you get that injury during the night or day? It might be telling about how long it'll take to heal.

New Research

Why Wounds Heal Faster During the Day Than at Night

A new study suggests that you should consider staying away from sharp objects at night

An artist's rendering of an asteroid striking Earth.

New Research

Dinosaurs Might Be Alive Today If the Asteroid Had Hit Another Location

Only a fraction of the Earth’s surface contained the right amount of hydrocarbons to trigger the mass extinction, a new study says

New Research

A “Zombie” Star Is Refusing to Die

The supernova has been flaring for more than 600 days—and it may be the second time that the star has exploded

Chopin at 25, by his fiancée Maria Wodzińska.

Chopin’s Preserved Heart May Offer Clues About His Death

Scientists who recently examined the organ have suggested that Chopin died of complications from tuberculosis

Crested pigeons make an awful racket when they take off—but where's it coming from?

New Research

Australian Pigeons Have a Specially Evolved Feather to Better Annoy the Heck Out of You With

Pinpointing the birds’ noisemakers could help researchers better understand why urban avians make so much dang noise

New Research

Scientists Trained Sheep to Recognize Faces of Emma Watson, Barack Obama

Baaa-rack Obama, if you will

Cool Finds

Masterpiece of Greek Art Found in the Griffin Warrior Tomb

The engraving on the Pylos Combat Agate is so tiny and intricate that it changes our understanding of what the ancient Greeks could produce

New Research

When the Dinos Went Away, Mammals Came Out (in Daylight) to Play

While it’s challenging to imply one caused the other, a new study shows that mammals came into the light of day soon after the dinos disappeared

Did a well-known Biblical eclipse really occur? Two physicists set out to investigate.

New Research

How Scientists Identified the Oldest Known Solar Eclipse … Using the Bible

The new research by two physicists adds to astronomical knowledge—and overturns previous Biblical interpretations

New Research

Our Nearest Neighbor Might Harbor Its Own Solar System

New data from Proxima Centauri shows it has a ring of cold dust—a sign that many planets may orbit the distant star

A member of the new orangutan species, Pongo tapanuliensis.

New Research

Found: A New Species of Orangutan

But it’s thought to be already critically endangered

The herbarium of Washington, D.C.'s Natural History Museum teems with pressed specimens of thousands of distinct plants.

How Artificial Intelligence Could Revolutionize Archival Museum Research

A new study shows off a computer program’s specimen-sorting prowess

New Research

Clues for Earthquake Prediction May Be Hiding in Earth’s Molten Core

Researchers propose that irregularities in the core’s rotation could spawn clusters of major quakes

This Sea Slug Has a Crafty Way of Getting Super-Sized Meals

These colorful creatures prefer to feast on prey that has just eaten

A coral polyp chowing down on a flake of white plastic

New Research

Corals Seem to Like the “Taste” of Plastic

Corals are attracted to the material not for its coloring, but for one of its many chemicals

New Research

Stopping the Aging Process May Be Mathematically Impossible

Researchers find that removing low-functioning cells can slow aging—but allows cancer cells to proliferate

New Research

Noisy Colonies Help Bat Babies Learn Different Dialects

A new study has found that baby bats mimic the vocalizations that surround them

Decennatherium rex

New Research

Four-Horned Giraffe Ancestor Unearthed in Spain

The fossil is an unusually complete individual of an ancient giraffid species

3D illustration showing an aerial view of the Khufu pyramid with the new "Big Void."

New Research

How Researchers Uncovered a Massive Void in the Great Pyramid of Giza

The cavity could hold clues to how the pyramids came to be

Page 148 of 295