Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

New Research

Who are you calling fat?

New Research

One in Three American Pets Is Pudgy

Is your kitty curvaceous? It’s not the only one

Boaty McBoatface. It is not a boat and it has no face. Please discuss.

New Research

Boaty McBoatface Completes Its First Mission

The little submarine named by the Internet investigated the icy deep waters of Antarctica’s Orkney Channel

A large number of ancient marine species, including the massive megalodon shark, disappeared in a marine extinction event roughly 2 million years ago.

New Research

Researchers Find Ancient Extinction Event Among Large Marine Creatures

More than a third of large ocean-dwelling species disappeared roughly 2 million years ago

Behold, ALMA's image of Betelgeuse

New Research

Detailed Images of a Distant Star Hold Clues to Its Ultimate Fate

Sitting some 640 light years from our planet, the star Betelgeuse is on the verge of supernova

A cocktail of steroids and vitamin C, often found in citrus and leafy green produce, might hold the key to treating sepsis. Or, clinical trials might prove it overhyped.

New Research

Could Vitamin C Be the Cure for Deadly Infections?

A new protocol that includes this common nutrient could save millions of lives—and has already sparked a raging debate among doctors

This bleached reef near Guam shows what happens when ocean temperatures rise.

New Research

Unesco-Protected Reefs Could Be Destroyed by 2100

Over 70 percent of world heritage reefs were damaged during the recent bleaching event

The endangered blobfish, once named world's ugliest animal, has leveraged its unusual looks to win the Internet's adoration. Can other less-traditionally appealing creatures do the same?

Future of Conservation

When It Comes to Conservation, Are Ugly Animals a Lost Cause?

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but good marketing can do wonders

These shooting plasma bursts are mysteries no more.

New Research

Scientists Figured Out How the Sun Shoots Plasma Jets

Neutral particles are behind spicules’ spectacular show

Auroras on Uranus caused by changes in its magnetosphere

New Research

Magnetic Field Around Uranus Are a Chaotic Mess

Using data from the Voyager 2 mission, researchers have modeled Uranus’s off-kilter magnetosphere

The fire ant has spread like wildfire around the world, thanks to a winning combination of traits and a little help from humans.

New Research

How Humans Helped Ants Invade the World

Waves of globalization brought these warriors to new shores, where certain species spread like wildfire

New Zealand’s Iconic Pōhutukawa Tree May Have Roots in Australia

Fossils belonging to the pōhutukawa’s ancient ancestors were found on the coast of Tasmania

Mary Caswell Stoddard studies eggs at Princeton University.

New Research

Scientists Hatch a New Explanation for How Eggs Get Their Shapes

Flight ability could explain how eggs are shaped

New Research

Puppy Pics May Add Spark to Struggling Relationships

A new study asked couples to look at photo streams that paired images of their spouses with pictures of pooches

The Cairo Toe

Cool Finds

This 3,000-Year-Old Wooden Toe Shows Early Artistry of Prosthetics

Crafted from leather and wood, the ancient Egyptian prosthesis was was adjusted to precisely fit its wearer’s foot

Researchers now think that most stars—like this pair in the Perseus constellation—form in pairs.

New Research

Our Sun Probably Grew Up With a Sibling

But now its buddy is long gone

A spiny crab pulled up by the Investigator team

Cool Finds

Australian Expedition Dredges Up Crazy Creatures From the Deep Sea

After a month exploring Australia’s deepest ocean, researchers found over 300 new species of toothy, blobby and glowing animals

Fasten your seatbelts for record heat, Phoenix—just don't burn yourself while you're at it.

New Research

Half the World’s Population Will Experience Deadly Heat by the End of the Century

And Arizona is kicking things off

New Research

Kepler Finds 219 New Planets

NASA released the final catalog from its planet-hunting telescope, bringing its total up to 4,034 potential planets

New Research

Dogs Will Sniff Out Stomach Cancer in New Japanese Trial

The nose knows

This elk is unimpressed by your feeble attempts to hunt her.

New Research

Female Elk Learn to Give Hunters the Slip

The majestic beasts learn how to outsmart hunters—and even modify their behavior based on the kinds of weapons used to kill them

Page 162 of 301