https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/smart-news/RSS feed for Smart NewsenFri, 07 Mar 2025 20:46:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nearly-half-of-the-colorful-and-charismatic-heliconia-tropical-plant-species--are-threatened-with-extinction-new-study-reveals-180986187/Using data from over 10,000 herbarium specimens, Smithsonian scientists uncover the urgent conservation needs of the plants, which are critical to tropical ecosystemsFri, 07 Mar 2025 20:46:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-worlds-smallest-park-a-teeny-tiny-enclave-in-japan-thats-about-the-size-of-four-sheets-of-paper-180986180/The record-breaking park features some grass, a seat and a decorative stepping stone. It's even smaller than Mill Ends Park in Portland, Oregon, which had held the title since 1971Fri, 07 Mar 2025 20:18:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-bird-nests-are-full-of-trash-including-some-thats-30-years-old-180986189/Scientists studying Eurasian coots in Amsterdam found layers of decades-old garbage in their urban nestsFri, 07 Mar 2025 19:53:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nearly-200-captivating-photographs-spotlight-a-century-of-protest-in-britain-180986174/Titled "Resistance," a new exhibition curated by filmmaker Steve McQueen examines 100 years of struggles against the status quo, from women's suffrage to the war in IraqFri, 07 Mar 2025 19:09:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-ancient-clay-puppets-with-open-mouths-and-detachable-heads-that-resemble-modern-toy-dolls-180986173/The figurines were discovered in a largely unexcavated site in El Salvador. Some 2,400 years ago, they were controlled by strings that passed through their necksFri, 07 Mar 2025 18:17:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-in-australia-find-a-35-billion-year-old-impact-crater-the-oldest-known-to-science-180986183/The discovery bolsters the theory that meteorite impacts played an important role in Earth's early geological historyFri, 07 Mar 2025 18:05:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/human-ancestors-were-making-bone-tools-one-million-years-earlier-than-previously-thought-180986175/Archaeologists have discovered a collection of prehistoric animal bones in Tanzania that suggests early humans figured out how to transfer tool-making techniques "from stone to bone" 1.5 million years agoThu, 06 Mar 2025 22:16:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/humans-may-have-lived-in-tropical-rainforests-much-earlier-than-scientists-previously-thought-study-finds-180986164/New research suggests that humans inhabited the rainforests of West Africa roughly 150,000 years ago, providing new insights into our ancestors' ability to adapt to challenging environmentsThu, 06 Mar 2025 22:06:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-hope-this-tool-could-identify-tiny-fossils-on-mars-revealing-hints-to-potential-early-life-on-the-planet-180986169/If Mars ever hosted microorganisms in its bygone oceans, their fossils might still be preserved in minerals—and now, we have a new potential way to find themThu, 06 Mar 2025 20:50:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/eight-never-before-seen-short-stories-by-to-kill-a-mockingbird-author-harper-lee-will-be-published-this-year-180986165/After Lee's death in 2016, typescripts of her early fiction were discovered in her New York apartment. The previously unseen drafts offer new insights into her creative developmentThu, 06 Mar 2025 20:27:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-enormous-glaciers-on-the-frozen-snowball-earth-might-have-bulldozed-the-path-to-complex-life-on-our-planet-180986135/A new study suggests glaciers carved metals out from the Earth’s surface 700 million years ago, leading to chemical reactions in the oceans that set the stage for early animal evolutionThu, 06 Mar 2025 19:03:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/parts-of-california-are-sinking-and-it-could-worsen-the-effects-of-sea-level-rise-nasa-study-finds-180986071/The ground in many parts of the state—including Los Angeles, San Francisco and the Central Valley—is subsiding due to groundwater withdrawal, landslides and compacting of sedimentThu, 06 Mar 2025 16:38:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-fisherman-and-his-son-noticed-strange-pieces-of-wood-on-a-beach-they-turned-out-to-be-fragments-of-a-polynesian-canoe-180986166/The boat, known as a waka, was unearthed in the Chatham Islands. Researchers say it could be one of the most significant discoveries of its kindThu, 06 Mar 2025 16:16:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-buy-a-reel-to-reel-tape-of-a-young-bob-dylan-performing-six-songs-at-the-gaslight-cafe-180986159/Billed as "Bob Dylan’s first demo tape," the recordings from September 1961 played an outsize role in launching the 20-year-old aspiring songwriter's careerWed, 05 Mar 2025 21:21:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/worlds-largest-iceberg-runs-aground-potentially-averting-a-collision-with-penguin-and-seal-breeding-areas-180986167/After months of floating, the "megaberg" known as A23a has finally come to a halt roughly 50 miles from South Georgia IslandWed, 05 Mar 2025 21:05:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-tomb-decorated-with-stunning-reliefs-and-a-mysterious-inscription-discovered-beneath-a-courtyard-in-turkey-180986158/Found in the province of Şanlıurfa, the rock tomb features depictions of a reclining man and two winged women alongside an illegible inscriptionWed, 05 Mar 2025 19:52:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/greenland-sharks-can-live-for-400-years-scientists-are-using-dna-to-unravel-their-longevity-secrets-180986168/These large, mysterious creatures are the longest-living vertebrates on the planet—and their genomes could contain clues to how they prevent cancer and reach such an advanced ageWed, 05 Mar 2025 19:13:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/watch-cuttlefish-use-camouflage-to-confuse-crabs-taking-on-the-appearance-of-coral-and-leaves-180986160/Scientists have captured footage of the sea creatures using four distinct color-shifting techniques to trick their preyWed, 05 Mar 2025 16:17:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/eagle-eyed-experts-say-theyve-solved-the-mystery-of-a-missing-masterpiece-half-a-century-after-it-was-stolen-180986157/Brueghel's famous 17th-century painting "Woman Carrying the Embers" vanished from a Polish museum in 1974. Fifty years later, it's been rediscovered at a museum in the NetherlandsWed, 05 Mar 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/plans-are-taking-shape-for-an-extravagant-new-tourist-attraction-inside-londons-world-war-ii-era-tunnels-180986147/The 86,000-square-foot labyrinth was built in the 1940s during the London Blitz. Now, workers are transforming it into a museum, memorial, art gallery and barTue, 04 Mar 2025 21:55:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-to-see-this-months-stunning-blood-moon-the-first-total-lunar-eclipse-since-2022-180986161/On the night between March 13 and 14, most of North and South America will be in for an astronomical treatTue, 04 Mar 2025 21:48:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/biotech-company-creates-woolly-mouse-as-a-step-in-its-quest-to-resurrect-woolly-mammoths-through-gene-editing-180986163/Colossal Biosciences leaders say the fluffy, golden-haired mice help validate their technique to “de-extinct” species, but outside scientists remain skepticalTue, 04 Mar 2025 20:34:48 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-man-just-set-a-new-world-record-for-scuba-diving-in-all-seven-continents-180986153/Barrington Scott began his 27,000-mile quest in Australia and completed it in Antarctica. The journey took him 19 days, 19 hours and 40 minutesTue, 04 Mar 2025 19:30:53 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earths-strongest-ocean-current-could-slow-20-percent-by-2050-because-of-climate-change-study-finds-180986149/The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is involved in everything from storing carbon to guarding Antarctica from invasive marine species, and a slower current could have far-reaching consequencesTue, 04 Mar 2025 17:57:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-in-denmark-discover-4000-year-old-circle-of-wooden-posts-resembling-stonehenge-180986148/The monument once featured more than 80 posts, which formed a circle measuring nearly 100 feet across. Its prehistoric builders may have used it as a ritual siteTue, 04 Mar 2025 17:50:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-striking-new-images-from-the-blue-ghost-lunar-lander-now-the-second-private-spacecraft-to-touch-down-on-the-moon-180986150/Firefly Aerospace's lander reached lunar soil early Sunday morning, after a 2.8-million-mile journey lasting 45 daysMon, 03 Mar 2025 21:49:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/who-were-the-huns-who-invaded-rome-a-new-study-has-revealed-surprising-genetic-diversity-180986143/Researchers found that the group led by Attila the Hun contained a mixture of diverse ancestries, with at least a few related to elites of the Xiongnu EmpireMon, 03 Mar 2025 21:14:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-than-1500-sandhill-cranes-killed-by-bird-flu-in-indiana-raising-concerns-among-biologists-180986151/The tall, slender grey birds are making their annual spring migration to northern breeding grounds. Experts say the virus could become a larger problem if it gets passed to endangered whooping cranesMon, 03 Mar 2025 19:45:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-say-theyve-unearthed-britains-largest-known-viking-age-building-beneath-a-family-farm-180986124/A team of experts and enthusiasts discovered the structure at High Tarns Farm in northwest England. Researchers think it dates to between the late 10th and early 11th centuriesMon, 03 Mar 2025 19:24:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/vesuvius-turned-a-roman-mans-brain-into-glass-now-scientists-reveal-how-the-extremely-rare-preservation-happened-180986145/The remains of a young man, found in his bed in the destroyed town of Herculaneum, included glassy fragments that had mystified archaeologistsMon, 03 Mar 2025 18:52:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/remains-of-bomber-pilot-identified-80-years-after-his-plane-went-down-during-world-war-ii-180986139/Herbert G. Tennyson was a U.S. Army pilot on a B-24 nicknamed "Heaven Can Wait," which crashed into the ocean in early 1944Mon, 03 Mar 2025 18:01:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/is-the-iss-too-clean-for-astronauts-health-new-study-finds-the-space-station-lacks-microbial-diversity-180986141/Humans have evolved alongside microbes in Earth's environment that help strengthen our immune systems. But sterile living conditions can reduce that beneficial exposureFri, 28 Feb 2025 21:43:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/chinook-salmon-are-swimming-in-this-california-river-for-the-first-time-in-more-than-80-years-180986146/The juvenile fish recently hatched from eggs that scientists deposited in the gravelly riverbed of the North Yuba River last fallFri, 28 Feb 2025 20:35:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-lego-brick-is-about-the-size-of-a-human-white-blood-cell-it-just-became-the-worlds-smallest-sculpture-180986132/Created by microscopic artist David A. Lindon, the record-breaking sculpture measures just 0.00099 by 0.00086 inches and can't be seen with the human eyeFri, 28 Feb 2025 20:24:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/reclusive-surrealist-painter-is-searching-for-his-lost-masterpieces-180986142/When little-known artist Henry Orlik was evicted from his London flat, dozens of his paintings went missing. Now wildly successful with more than $2 million in sales, he's offering a reward of nearly $63,000 to get them backFri, 28 Feb 2025 19:29:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-identify-a-gene-linked-to-spoken-language-and-it-makes-lab-mice-squeak-differently-180986083/A new study suggests the unique human version of the NOVA1 protein developed after our ancestors split from Neanderthals on the evolutionary tree, and it might have given us a competitive edge over our relativesFri, 28 Feb 2025 18:11:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-18th-century-sketch-by-a-renowned-english-portraitist-was-hiding-in-a-dumpster-in-new-york-180986114/The tiny drawing by artist George Romney depicts Henrietta, Countess of Warwick. It will be sold at an upcoming auction in LondonFri, 28 Feb 2025 16:06:57 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-footage-shows-baby-polar-bears-emerging-from-their-den-in-the-arctic-180986136/In a new study, researchers used remote cameras and data from GPS tracking collars to learn more about this vulnerable period in the early lives of these marine mammalsThu, 27 Feb 2025 22:09:56 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-breathtaking-landscape-paintings-inspired-by-the-boreal-forest-from-europe-to-north-america-180986115/Titled "Northern Lights," a new exhibition in Switzerland showcases artworks of the taiga made between 1888 and 1937Thu, 27 Feb 2025 21:21:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/seven-planets-will-gather-in-the-night-sky-this-weekend-heres-what-to-expect-during-the-rare-alignment-180986134/While such a lineup is uncommon, the event might not look exactly how you’re imagining itThu, 27 Feb 2025 20:54:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-stunning-frescoes-of-a-mysterious-dionysian-cult-discovered-in-ancient-pompeii-180986133/Created more than a century before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E., the wall paintings provide rare insights into secret rituals conducted in the Roman cityThu, 27 Feb 2025 19:54:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/athena-spacecraft-launches-to-the-moon-as-intuitive-machines-aims-for-historic-second-lunar-landing-180986131/The American company achieved the first successful moon landing by a private spacecraft last year. Now, it has sent a new mission to the south pole, carrying science instruments for NASAThu, 27 Feb 2025 18:55:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-lily-gladstones-stunning-oscar-gowns-designed-by-an-indigenous-artist-180986129/The two gowns were a collaboration between Gucci and a porcupine quillwork artist. Both are now on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American IndianThu, 27 Feb 2025 17:43:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-us-fish-and-wildlife-service-wants-you-to-eat-these-giant-invasive-rodents-180986123/As part of National Invasive Species Week, the agency is calling on Americans to “eat the invaders,” including swamp-dwelling nutriaThu, 27 Feb 2025 15:55:53 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-great-wall-of-china-might-be-older-than-we-thought-180986112/New research suggests that some sections of the wall were constructed during the Western Zhou dynasty between 1046 and 771 B.C.E.Thu, 27 Feb 2025 15:36:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/biologist-spots-rare-flightless-grasshopper-in-virginia-for-the-first-time-in-nearly-80-years-180986125/The last time anyone in the state had officially documented the Appalachian grasshopper was in 1946, and the species was once thought to be extinctWed, 26 Feb 2025 21:26:24 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/suitcase-belonging-to-the-legendary-archaeologist-who-discovered-king-tuts-tomb-surfaces-in-england-180986126/Howard Carter used the luggage while working in Egypt before giving it to a fellow researcher in 1939. Now, it's heading to the auction blockWed, 26 Feb 2025 20:47:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-riskiest-asteroid-ever-is-no-longer-a-threat-as-impact-probability-drops-to-near-zero-180986122/As astronomers predicted, asteroid 2024 YR4 is not expected to hit Earth in 2032. This week, NASA gave the “all clear”Wed, 26 Feb 2025 20:44:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thrill-seekers-say-goodbye-to-the-worlds-tallest-roller-coaster-180986119/After towering over Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey for two decades, Kingda Ka is slated for demolition—and fans are sharing their favorite memories of the iconic rideWed, 26 Feb 2025 19:55:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/crocodiles-in-australia-are-shifting-their-behavior-because-of-climate-change-and-it-might-harm-their-ability-to-hunt-180986118/A new study finds that as temperatures rise, the animals are getting hotter, spending less time diving and putting more effort into cooling offWed, 26 Feb 2025 19:20:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-met-returns-stolen-seventh-century-bce-bronze-griffin-head-to-greece-180986113/At a ceremony this week, Greece's culture minister officially accepted the artifact, which was likely stolen from a museum in Olympia in the 1930sWed, 26 Feb 2025 18:31:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-red-dust-on-mars-might-be-a-different-mineral-than-scientists-thought-shedding-light-on-the-planets-past-180986116/A new study suggests the iron oxide responsible for the red planet's distinctive hue is ferrihydrite, pointing to the bygone presence of water, an important ingredient for lifeWed, 26 Feb 2025 16:15:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/can-you-identify-the-mystery-photographer-who-captured-thousands-of-captivating-images-of-1960s-san-francisco-180986107/Discovered in an abandoned storage locker, the 2,042 processed color slides and 102 rolls of black-and-white film depict key moments in the city's historyWed, 26 Feb 2025 15:09:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/birkenstocks-are-not-works-of-art-according-to-a-german-court-180986109/The ruling comes after years of legal battles surrounding cheaper knock-offs, which the company argues are a violation of copyright lawTue, 25 Feb 2025 21:59:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/blink-182s-mark-hoppus-is-selling-his-beloved-banksy-painting-180986104/The pop-punk musician is auctioning off Bansky's 2005 painting "Crude Oil (Vettriano)" and plans to donate a portion of the proceeds to Los Angeles charitiesTue, 25 Feb 2025 19:39:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-wooly-devil-the-first-new-plant-genus-discovered-in-a-national-park-since-1976-180986117/A volunteer spotted the tiny, fuzzy plant with maroon florets while exploring the remote northern corner of Big Bend National Park in TexasTue, 25 Feb 2025 19:31:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/spacex-rocket-stage-burns-up-over-europe-and-crashes-in-poland-while-blue-origin-debris-washes-ashore-in-the-bahamas-180986108/The SpaceX rocket failed to deorbit properly, and the Blue Origin debris had already landed as planned in the oceanTue, 25 Feb 2025 18:23:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/metal-detectorists-stumble-upon-a-rare-2000-year-old-roman-sword-in-poland-180986101/Researchers think the weapon, which had been deliberately broken and burned, was once part of a funerary ritual for a local warriorTue, 25 Feb 2025 18:10:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fossil-tour-guide-discovers-giant-purple-dinosaur-footprint-while-walking-along-a-uk-beach-180986110/The roughly three-foot-long, clay print speaks to the Isle of Wight's rich paleontological history, but it will probably disappear within a couple of months due to exposureMon, 24 Feb 2025 22:27:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/paul-mccartney-is-selling-his-rediscovered-photos-of-the-beatles-rise-to-fame-180986099/Ahead of the sale, the collection of 36 images—all taken between December 1963 and February 1964—will be exhibited at GagosianMon, 24 Feb 2025 21:22:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/watch-californias-internet-famous-bald-eagles-tend-to-three-new-eggs-expected-to-hatch-soon-180986111/Last year, the mated pair Jackie and Shadow also incubated three eggs—but none of them hatched. This year's "pipping period," when chicks may break out of their shells, begins in early MarchMon, 24 Feb 2025 19:58:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bletchley-park-exhibition-shows-how-world-war-ii-era-research-shaped-artificial-intelligence-180986075/Titled "The Age of A.I.," the show examines the technology’s 20th-century roots and spotlights its role in contemporary healthcare, environmental conservation and the creative industriesMon, 24 Feb 2025 19:44:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lab-mice-appear-to-offer-first-aid-care-to-their-unconscious-companions-even-pulling-on-their-tongues-180986102/A new study finds that mice will sniff, lick and pull the tongue of other mice that are under anesthesia, serving to open their airwaysMon, 24 Feb 2025 19:00:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-thought-it-was-just-a-fortress-it-turned-out-to-be-a-lost-zapotec-city-180986076/Lidar scans have revealed a 600-year-old fortified city in southern Mexico that boasted ball courts, roads, neighborhoods and templesMon, 24 Feb 2025 16:35:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-story-behind-the-world-famous-photograph-of-us-marines-raising-the-american-flag-during-the-battle-of-iwo-jima-180986055/Joe Rosenthal’s iconic photos from Iwo Jima helped the United States raise $26 billion for the war and served as the basis for the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, VirginiaSun, 23 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-scientists-kept-the-birth-of-dolly-the-worlds-first-cloned-mammal-a-secret-for-seven-months-180986009/The scientific breakthrough, announced on this day in 1997, proved that geneticists could clone an adult mammal, giving rise to a new era of ethical debate and experimentationSat, 22 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-looted-bronze-statue-that-may-depict-marcus-aurelius-is-returning-to-turkey-180986094/The repatriation comes after years of legal disputes over the true identity and provenance of the 6-foot-4 artwork, which has been housed at the Cleveland Museum of ArtFri, 21 Feb 2025 22:06:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-use-ai-to-find-an-elusive-and-odd-australian-bird-it-hadnt-been-recorded-in-the-area-since-1989-180986103/Once abundant throughout southeastern Australia, the critically endangered plains-wanderer is now on the brink of extinctionFri, 21 Feb 2025 21:48:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-a-deep-sea-oarfish-caught-alive-on-video-in-a-rare-encounter-on-a-beach-in-mexico-180986100/In Japanese folklore, appearances of these elusive marine creatures dubbed ‘doomsday fish’ are believed to foreshadow earthquakes, though scientists found no strong relationship between these events in a recent studyFri, 21 Feb 2025 20:41:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-getty-museum-acquires-its-first-ai-generated-artwork-180986081/"Cristian en el Amor de Calle" by Costa Rican artist Matías Sauter Morera will appear in the museum's upcoming exhibition, "The Queer Lens: A History of Photography"Fri, 21 Feb 2025 20:33:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/man-vandalizes-famed-12-angled-stone-an-inca-engineering-marvel-in-peru-180986092/The stone, which sustained damage in six spots, had been carved to fit perfectly in a palace wall hundreds of years agoFri, 21 Feb 2025 19:15:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/james-webb-telescope-reveals-a-dazzling-light-show-from-the-milky-ways-black-hole-180986091/Unpredictable bursts of light are pulsing from the debris surrounding Sagittarius A*, offering new insights into the mysterious behavior of the most massive object in our galaxyFri, 21 Feb 2025 19:14:59 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lost-baby-seal-found-wandering-in-downtown-new-haven-has-been-rescued-and-attained-local-fame-180986095/The juvenile gray seal recently weaned off his mother's milk and ventured five miles into the coastal Connecticut cityFri, 21 Feb 2025 17:04:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-say-theyve-discovered-the-first-ancient-egyptian-pharaohs-tomb-since-tutankhamuns-in-1922-180986097/Researchers initially thought the tomb belonged to a royal wife. Then they unearthed fragments of alabaster jars that identified it as Thutmose II'sFri, 21 Feb 2025 15:58:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-last-member-of-this-bird-species-died-in-captivity-on-this-day-in-1918-180986054/Incas died at the Cincinnati Zoo, leaving behind mysteries over his death, his final resting place and the factors that led to the extinction of the Carolina parakeetFri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pod-of-157-false-killer-whales-stranded-on-a-tasmania-beach-could-not-be-rescued-wildlife-officials-say-180986093/In the area's largest stranding event for the species since the 1970s, experts decided euthanasia was the most humane course of actionThu, 20 Feb 2025 21:46:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/vivid-wall-paintings-unearthed-at-a-2500-year-old-etruscan-necropolis-in-italy-180986067/Found beneath an older tomb near Tarquinia, the painted chamber depicts several intricate scenes, including a metallurgical workshopThu, 20 Feb 2025 21:34:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/chance-of-asteroid-strike-in-2032-drops-sharply-after-record-setting-rise-heres-why-it-keeps-changing-180986096/NASA announced that asteroid 2024 YR4 now has a 0.28 percent chance of hitting Earth in 2032, but that number is expected to continue shifting with further observationsThu, 20 Feb 2025 20:12:53 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-1600-year-old-filter-helped-ancient-drinkers-sip-beverages-through-a-straw-180986073/Archaeologists discovered an unusual bronze artifact studded with holes while excavating the ancient city of Hadrianopolis in TürkiyeThu, 20 Feb 2025 18:46:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/intelligent-life-may-be-more-likely-to-exist-on-other-planets-than-previously-thought-scientists-say-180986078/Researchers present an alternative to the long-held “hard steps” theory to explain the evolution of complex life, suggesting it’s the natural outcome of a habitable environment rather than a lucky breakThu, 20 Feb 2025 18:38:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/michelangelos-sistine-chapel-sketches-are-coming-to-america-180986087/A new exhibition opening next month at the Muscarelle Museum of Art in Williamsburg, Virginia, explores the Italian Renaissance master's preparations for his famous ceiling frescoesThu, 20 Feb 2025 12:50:40 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neither-snow-nor-rain-nor-heat-nor-gloom-stopped-the-united-states-post-office-department-from-launching-on-this-day-in-1792-180986064/The American Revolution cemented the importance of a federally protected post office in the minds of the people and politiciansThu, 20 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/wild-fish-can-tell-human-divers-apart-based-on-their-outfits-study-suggests-180986084/Using visual cues, including colors on wetsuits, seabream in the Mediterranean learned to identify researchers that would feed themWed, 19 Feb 2025 21:52:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-17th-century-lovers-ring-unearthed-in-england-is-marked-by-a-romantic-inscription-180986082/Found near a historic property in Lancashire, the ring represents a history of affectionate giftsWed, 19 Feb 2025 20:40:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-find-the-heaviest-florida-panther-on-record-a-giant-cat-topping-the-scales-at-166-pounds-180986086/Wildlife officials in Florida captured and collared the adult male feline during a routine population check in late JanuaryWed, 19 Feb 2025 20:25:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-adorable-video-of-wisdom-the-worlds-oldest-wild-bird-tending-to-her-new-chick-at-age-74-180986079/First banded in 1956, the Laysan albatross has become a mother once again at Midway Atoll National Wildlife RefugeWed, 19 Feb 2025 19:10:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/from-shears-to-sweaters-an-experimental-new-exhibition-examines-the-long-wooly-relationship-between-humans-and-sheep-180986085/The Amsterdam show features an eclectic mix of wool garments, life-size sheep replicas and philosophical musings about the interconnectedness of the two speciesWed, 19 Feb 2025 19:06:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/donner-party-survivors-were-rescued-on-this-day-in-1847-after-weeks-of-frigid-conditions-starvation-andeventuallycannibalism-180985983/Bad luck and poor decisions turned the already dangerous trek from Missouri to California into a fatal affair for roughly half of the Donner-Reed partyWed, 19 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-worlds-first-astronaut-with-a-physical-disability-is-cleared-for-long-duration-space-missions-180986080/Paralympian John McFall has passed all the required medical exams and is now eligible for future travel to the ISS with the European Space AgencyTue, 18 Feb 2025 21:52:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-buy-a-rare-letter-by-george-washington-written-at-a-crucial-turning-point-in-the-revolutionary-war-180986077/In the optimistic missive, Washington extols the revolutionary spirit of the American people—even in defeat—and makes a rare reference to the experimental smallpox inoculation that helped prevent outbreaksTue, 18 Feb 2025 20:12:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/couples-exchange-bacteria-during-intercourse-known-as-the-sexome-it-might-help-track-down-sexual-assault-perpetrators-180986068/In a study of 12 heterosexual couples, researchers noted the presence of a partner's genital bacteria after sex, even when the pair used a condomTue, 18 Feb 2025 19:40:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-were-these-women-buried-with-more-than-270000-beads-180986065/At a 5,000-year-old tomb in Spain, researchers found what is likely the largest known collection of beads ever discovered at a burial siteTue, 18 Feb 2025 19:09:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tiny-quakes-discovered-deep-within-greenlands-ice-sheet-could-change-sea-level-predictions-study-suggests-180986058/While scientists once thought Greenland's ice streams flowed slowly and uniformly, new research reveals a quake-driven "stick-slip" motion that's linked to volcanic activity thousands of years agoTue, 18 Feb 2025 17:02:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-an-english-kings-traitorous-brother-was-allegedly-drowned-in-a-barrel-of-wine-180985982/George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, spent his life engaged in a power struggle that pitted cousins and siblings against each other. He was executed for treason on this day in 1478Tue, 18 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/with-more-than-15-million-made-this-iconic-car-became-the-worlds-most-popular-on-this-day-in-1972-180986053/Blockbuster movies and the Beatles helped popularize Volkswagen’s uniquely shaped and affordable little carMon, 17 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dial-up-the-story-of-the-first-911-call-which-was-placed-on-this-day-in-1968-180985980/Before the birth of the central emergency number, some rural Americans resorted to fireworks and loud noises to attract assistanceSun, 16 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/discover-how-president-theodore-roosevelt-inspired-the-worlds-first-teddy-bear-which-went-on-sale-on-this-day-in-1903-180986052/The unlikely origin story of the beloved children’s toy involves a hunting expedition in Onward, Mississippi, and a president who wanted to be a good sportsmanSat, 15 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-historic-ss-united-states-the-fastest-liner-to-cross-the-atlantic-is-heading-to-a-watery-grave-180986059/Officials plan to purposefully sink the passenger ship off the coast of Florida, where it will become the world's largest artificial reefFri, 14 Feb 2025 22:03:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-the-ruins-of-a-2000-year-old-roman-basilica-beneath-an-office-building-in-london-180986070/The remarkably well-preserved basilica was part of a public meeting place where citizens and politicians could socialize, shop and hear speeches in the growing cityFri, 14 Feb 2025 20:54:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/volcanic-unrest-at-alaskas-mount-spurr-suggests-50-50-chance-an-eruption-could-be-coming-180986069/Volcanologists are closely monitoring the 11,070-foot-tall stratovolcano, located roughly 75 miles from Anchorage, after a recent uptick in earthquakesFri, 14 Feb 2025 20:35:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/intern-finds-only-known-surviving-copy-of-the-heart-of-lincoln-a-silent-film-thought-to-be-lost-to-history-180986041/Released in 1915, the film was directed by Francis Ford, the brother of famed filmmaker John Ford. It had been listed in a record of 7,200 silent films classified as "lost"Fri, 14 Feb 2025 19:39:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-record-breaking-ghost-particle-from-outer-space-made-a-splash-of-light-in-the-mediterranean-180986062/The neutrino was 30 times more energetic than any other previously observed particle of its kind. Scientists still don’t know exactly where it came fromFri, 14 Feb 2025 19:28:55 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/artists-sign-open-letter-protesting-christies-upcoming-all-ai-art-auction-180986061/Some artists fear that A.I. models trained on their work will eventually put them out of business, while others are embracing the latest technology in an effort to expand the bounds of human creativityFri, 14 Feb 2025 15:23:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-al-capones-henchmen-marked-valentines-day-with-a-bloody-massacre-180985979/The infamous mob assassination, which took place on this day in 1929, resulted in the deaths of seven men linked to gangster George "Bugs" MoranFri, 14 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-groundbreaking-jurassic-fossil-that-could-overhaul-the-evolutionary-history-of-birds-180986063/Researchers in China found Baminornis zhenghensis, which lived at roughly the same time as the famous Archaeopteryx but looked much more like modern birds due to its short tailThu, 13 Feb 2025 21:37:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-were-all-of-these-bodies-buried-sitting-upright-and-facing-west-more-than-2000-years-ago-180986027/Archaeologists are still unraveling the mysteries of an unusual burial site in Dijon, France, which dates to between 450 and 25 B.C.E.Thu, 13 Feb 2025 21:34:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dancing-baby-sea-turtles-help-researchers-unravel-the-mysteries-of-their-navigational-superpowers-180986060/Loggerhead turtles can identify specific magnetic signatures, according to a new study, hinting at how the aquatic reptiles manage to return to the same foraging and nesting sites over and over againThu, 13 Feb 2025 20:32:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-confirm-endangered-bats-are-migrating-in-arizona-for-the-first-time-using-dna-clues-found-in-the-environment-180986050/Researchers and citizen scientists took samples of environmental DNA from saliva on backyard hummingbird feeders and agave plants to identify Mexican long-nosed batsThu, 13 Feb 2025 19:17:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-hidden-portrait-of-a-mysterious-woman-discovered-beneath-a-picasso-painting-180986037/X-ray and infrared imaging has revealed a long-hidden painting beneath "Portrait of Mateu Fernández de Soto," providing researchers with new insights into the artist's blue periodThu, 13 Feb 2025 18:38:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mantis-shrimp-pack-a-punch-with-the-force-of-a-bullet-and-they-dont-get-hurt-heres-how-180986033/In a new study, scientists tested the complex layers in the animal's clubs that serve as mighty shields to absorb the shock of the impactThu, 13 Feb 2025 17:57:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/are-gripping-brilliant-book-blurbs-on-their-way-out-180986042/In a provocative essay, a major publisher announced that its authors will no longer be required to solicit glowing reviews for their book jackets, arguing that blurbs don't reflect a title's true meritThu, 13 Feb 2025 15:20:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-louvre-is-hosting-its-first-ever-fashion-exhibition-180986056/The world's most-visited museum is spotlighting clothing and accessories from 45 fashion houses and designersThu, 13 Feb 2025 15:00:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-ascension-of-william-and-mary-britains-first-co-monarchs-marked-a-victory-for-protestantism-180985897/The equal rulers returned England to Protestant rule and began a new era of royal leadership defined by parliamentary oversightThu, 13 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/birds-of-paradise-glow-to-attract-mates-adding-a-flashy-element-to-their-impressive-courtship-displays-180986049/Scientists find that 82 percent of birds-of-paradise species show biofluorescence, often on their feathers, throat or inner mouthWed, 12 Feb 2025 21:28:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-mosuls-leaning-minaret-tower-rebuilt-after-destruction-by-isis-180986051/Eight years after the Iraqi city was left in ruins, Mosul’s rich multicultural heritage is slowly but surely beginning to flower againWed, 12 Feb 2025 19:35:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-theyve-found-the-perfect-way-to-boil-an-egg-it-takes-32-minutes-and-lots-of-attention-180986046/The team used computer models of computational fluid dynamics, then tested out the painstaking—yet reportedly delicious—recipe for themselvesWed, 12 Feb 2025 19:19:50 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/elite-germanic-pagans-buried-devils-money-offerings-for-their-gods-at-this-ancient-cult-site-180986048/Researchers excavated the deposits of coins and jewelry in the Netherlands, near the German borderWed, 12 Feb 2025 18:26:57 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earths-inner-core-is-changing-shape-study-finds-indicating-even-more-dynamic-shifts-deep-within-our-planet-180986038/Seismic wave data previously suggested the Earth’s hot inner core is slowing its spin. Now, researchers say it’s also deforming around the edgesWed, 12 Feb 2025 18:01:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/driver-vandalizes-threatened-plants-in-death-valley-national-park-180986045/National Park Service officials haven't identified the person or people who illegally drove more than two miles across Eureka Dunes, home to the federally protected Eureka dunegrassWed, 12 Feb 2025 14:49:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-785-foot-airship-crashed-on-this-day-in-1935-the-location-of-the-wreck-site-remained-a-mystery-for-more-than-70-years-180986008/The USS Macon crash brought a quick end to the U.S. Navy’s vision of “flying aircraft carriers” powered by helium gasWed, 12 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-enormous-branching-string-of-galaxy-clusters-is-the-largest-known-structure-in-the-universe-scientists-say-180986039/The cosmic superstructure Quipu is more than 13,000 times the length of the Milky Way, and its mass is 200 quadrillion times that of the sun, according to preliminary researchTue, 11 Feb 2025 21:43:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/experts-say-theyve-found-a-portrait-of-a-mysterious-businessman-hidden-beneath-a-titian-masterpiece-180986022/When the Renaissance artist painted his famous "Ecce Homo" around 1570, he covered up a portrait of an "an unknown professional man" standing at a deskTue, 11 Feb 2025 20:10:48 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/venus-the-planet-of-love-will-shine-bright-on-valentines-day-heres-how-to-see-it-180986040/Around the time of your romantic dinner, head outside and look to the southwest to spot the super brilliant planet in the night skyTue, 11 Feb 2025 19:55:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/were-these-ice-age-europeans-wearing-cheek-piercings-180986019/Wear patterns on the teeth of skeletons found in Central Europe suggest children as young as 6 may have been wearing labrets between 25,000 and 29,000 years agoTue, 11 Feb 2025 19:18:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-can-the-brain-overcome-fear-new-study-of-mice-offers-clues-to-ptsd-and-anxiety-treatment-180986023/Researchers identified two brain areas in mice that helped the animals learn to suppress their instinctive fears of predatorsTue, 11 Feb 2025 18:29:55 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-historic-portrait-of-george-washington-is-being-restored-to-its-former-glory-180985990/The 18th-century painting by Charles Willson Peale had previously been the subject of mismanaged restoration attempts. Now, experts in Versailles are bringing it back in line with the artist's original intentTue, 11 Feb 2025 17:05:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/astronomers-discover-extremely-rare-einstein-ring-in-early-euclid-telescope-data-revealing-warped-space-time-180986030/Such examples of gravitational lensing can help astronomers learn more about the properties of dark matterTue, 11 Feb 2025 16:39:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-this-brilliant-author-died-she-left-behind-a-legacy-of-grief-haunting-poetry-and-surprising-resilience-180985992/Modern accounts of Sylvia Plath’s renowned work and legacy seek to highlight the author’s resilience through a decade-long journey of depressionTue, 11 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/proposed-translation-hints-at-the-origins-of-the-mysterious-galloway-hoard-180986034/Discovered in a field in Scotland in 2014, the Viking Age "community property" is now the focus of a new exhibition in AustraliaMon, 10 Feb 2025 21:39:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-a-rare-super-pod-of-more-than-1500-rissos-dolphins-spotted-off-the-coast-of-california-180986031/Whale-watching tour operators encountered the mass gathering of cetaceans while looking for migrating gray whalesMon, 10 Feb 2025 19:58:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-storied-stradivarius-violin-made-in-1714-just-sold-for-over-11-million-at-auction-180986029/The instrument was owned by a notable 19th-century Hungarian violinistMon, 10 Feb 2025 19:45:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/butchered-human-remains-found-in-a-polish-cave-suggest-these-prehistoric-people-cannibalized-their-enemies-180986032/The bones and skulls were found strewn among animal remains, a burial that was meant to humiliate a conquered rival even after defeatMon, 10 Feb 2025 19:29:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/two-of-the-moons-grand-canyons-were-formed-in-just-ten-violent-minutes-new-study-suggests-180986000/Scientists say Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck—dramatic trenches near the lunar south pole—were carved in a blast that unleashed 130 times the amount of energy in Earth's global nuclear weapons inventoryMon, 10 Feb 2025 18:25:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-neck-fossil-with-puncture-mark-suggests-a-prehistoric-crocodilian-snacked-on-a-young-pterosaur-76-million-years-ago-180985973/The fossil sheds light on interactions within the Cretaceous food web and may represent the first record of this type of predation in North AmericaMon, 10 Feb 2025 16:54:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-of-britains-most-beloved-royal-couples-wed-on-this-day-in-1840-180985978/Queen Victoria’s marriage to Prince Albert popularized white wedding dresses. Later, her mourning of his passing cemented the image of a grieving widow in blackMon, 10 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/on-this-day-in-1964-73-million-americans-tuned-in-to-watch-the-biggest-act-in-music-180985986/Teenage girls threw themselves behind the Beatles and helped Ed Sullivan create the most-watched television event of its timeSun, 09 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-tragic-european-monarch-was-executed-for-treason-on-her-cousins-orders-180985967/Elizabeth I ordered the beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots, a Catholic claimant to the English throne, on this day in 1587Sat, 08 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/humpback-whale-song-shares-a-key-pattern-with-human-language-that-might-make-it-easier-for-the-animals-to-learn-180986025/Despite humans and whales being separated by millions of years of evolution, our vocalizations follow the same principle outlined in Zipf's lawFri, 07 Feb 2025 21:30:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-miniature-portrait-of-mary-magdalene-that-raphael-painted-when-he-was-only-20-180986024/Created around 1503, the painting—which just sold at auction for $3.1 million—depicts the saint after the crucifixion of Jesus, when she entered a period of repentanceFri, 07 Feb 2025 20:36:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-a-stash-of-1500-year-old-weapons-including-the-only-known-roman-helmet-ever-found-in-denmark-180986014/The cache included swords, spears, lances and chainmail. Researchers think these items may have been buried as part of a ceremony or sacrificeFri, 07 Feb 2025 19:28:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-fossil-of-183-million-year-old-sea-monster-reveals-both-smooth-and-scaly-skin-180986026/For the first time, scientists have completed an in-depth analysis of fossilized soft tissues from a plesiosaurFri, 07 Feb 2025 19:08:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-produced-the-first-kangaroo-embryos-through-ivf-they-could-be-key-to-marsupial-conservation-in-australia-180986013/With continued work in the future, the team hopes to promote live births of endangered marsupial species, including Tasmanian devils, koalas and northern hairy-nosed wombatsFri, 07 Feb 2025 18:22:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/experts-are-alarmed-by-a-video-of-workers-hammering-away-at-egypts-great-pyramid-of-giza-180986016/Some citizens and archaeologists are concerned about what they see as widespread "mismanagement" of Egypt's rich cultural heritageFri, 07 Feb 2025 17:08:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/on-this-day-in-1900-the-bubonic-plague-hit-the-continental-united-states-spiraling-into-an-epidemic-that-killed-119-people-180985984/California officials denied—and tried to hide—the first plague epidemic that reached U.S. shoresFri, 07 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/paleontologists-discover-fossil-of-the-oldest-known-modern-bird-but-it-raises-more-questions-than-it-answers-180986015/The fossil suggests that modern birds evolved before the dinosaur-killing asteroid, perhaps in AntarcticaThu, 06 Feb 2025 20:55:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-a-controversial-anti-fascist-mural-from-the-1930s-returned-to-its-former-glory-180985993/Titled "The Struggle Against Terrorism," the 1,000-square-foot artwork suffered from neglect for 90 years. Now, conservators have unveiled the newly restored mural in MexicoThu, 06 Feb 2025 20:47:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/kidney-transplants-180986018/Two biotechnology companies will begin testing the procedures in patients suffering from kidney failureThu, 06 Feb 2025 19:53:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-dna-sheds-light-on-the-origins-of-indo-european-languages-180986012/New research suggests that the first Indo-European speakers lived in southern Russia 6,500 years ago, challenging long-standing debates about the language family’s originsThu, 06 Feb 2025 19:20:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sixty-four-stunning-artworks-by-famed-scream-painter-edvard-munch-are-heading-to-harvard-180986003/The extensive collection shows how the Norwegian painter tweaked his techniques and reworked his aesthetic sensibilities over and over againThu, 06 Feb 2025 19:00:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/astronomers-raise-odds-of-asteroid-impact-in-2032-to-2-3-percent-heres-why-you-shouldnt-panic-180985949/The chance of a newly discovered space rock hitting Earth in about eight years was predicted at 1.6 percent last week. Though that number’s rising, experts say further research could bring it to zeroFri, 31 Jan 2025 20:48:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-shimmery-fish-disappeared-from-michigan-nearly-a-century-ago-can-they-make-a-comeback-180986005/Great Lakes tribes and state biologists are working together to reintroduce Arctic grayling to northern Michigan's waterwaysThu, 06 Feb 2025 16:54:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/using-ai-researchers-peer-inside-a-2000-year-old-scroll-charred-by-mount-vesuvius-eruption-180986011/For the past two years, citizen scientists and scholars have been working to reveal the previously hidden texts of the Herculaneum scrollsThu, 06 Feb 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-death-of-a-sports-legend-on-this-day-in-1993-changed-how-americans-viewed-aids-180985966/Tennis star Arthur Ashe achieved many firsts as a Black athlete. In the months leading up to his death, he thrust AIDS advocacy into the mainstreamThu, 06 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dozens-of-artworks-rescued-from-war-torn-ukraine-go-on-display-in-berlin-180986002/A new collaborative exhibition showcases 60 breathtaking pieces that were evacuated from the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern ArtWed, 05 Feb 2025 21:12:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/warship-sunk-by-the-nazis-during-world-war-ii-located-off-the-coast-of-brazil-180985996/A German submarine torpedoed the "Vital de Oliveira" in July 1944, killing some 100 of the 270 crew members onboardWed, 05 Feb 2025 20:02:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/check-out-nasas-new-image-of-the-brilliant-bullseye-galaxy-the-aftermath-of-a-rare-cosmic-collision-180986001/After a blue dwarf galaxy shot through it like an arrow, the large Bullseye now has nine rings—six more than any other galaxy known to scientistsWed, 05 Feb 2025 19:29:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-bonobos-know-what-you-dont-theyll-tell-you-its-a-sign-of-a-cognitive-ability-called-theory-of-mind-180985991/A first-of-its-kind study suggests bonobos, like humans, can understand someone else’s lack of knowledge—and adjust their actions accordinglyWed, 05 Feb 2025 16:29:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/oldest-known-evidence-of-lead-pollution-found-in-ancient-greece-180985989/New research has uncovered the earliest traces of lead contamination caused by human activities, linking the development of ancient metal smelting practices to long-term environmental changeWed, 05 Feb 2025 16:20:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-breathtaking-hermitage-museum-filled-with-treasures-like-the-kolyvan-vase-and-the-peacock-clock-first-opened-to-the-public-on-this-day-in-1852-180985925/Russia’s palatial institution is now the second largest in the world, with an impressive collection of three million objects and 50 beloved house catsWed, 05 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-five-pound-hunk-of-the-worlds-oldest-known-synthesized-pigment-was-found-in-neros-palace-180985974/The discovery might illuminate the link between the blue pigment's ancient Egyptian roots and its rediscovery by Renaissance artists centuries laterTue, 04 Feb 2025 21:34:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-human-brain-may-contain-as-much-as-a-spoons-worth-of-microplastics-new-research-suggests-180985995/The amount of microplastics in the human brain appears to be increasing over time: Concentrations rose by roughly 50 percent between 2016 and 2024, according to a new studyTue, 04 Feb 2025 20:49:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-first-stunning-images-taken-by-the-blue-ghost-lunar-lander-on-its-scenic-route-to-the-moon-180985988/The lander built by Firefly Aerospace has captured incredible views as it orbits Earth. Its next phase is an engine burn that will propel it toward lunar orbitTue, 04 Feb 2025 19:22:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-say-theyve-located-harold-iis-lost-manor-house-180985940/A latrine found in Bosham, England, has helped identify the location of the king's long-lost residence, offering new insights into medieval life before the Norman ConquestTue, 04 Feb 2025 19:22:13 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-120-year-old-police-docket-documented-crimes-like-reckless-horse-riding-180985985/Discovered in a thrift store, the historic docket lists incidents that occurred in the town of Casper, Wyoming, in 1904—including “reckless riding [of a horse]” and “keeping a house of prostitution”Tue, 04 Feb 2025 16:58:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-ghost-haunting-this-south-carolina-town-might-have-an-earthly-explanation-scientist-says-180985975/In a new research article, a seismologist argues that earthquakes are the reason for the mysterious lights associated with a local urban legend in SummervilleTue, 04 Feb 2025 16:41:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-wartime-organization-that-brought-hollywood-stars-like-marilyn-monroe-and-nancy-sinatra-to-the-frontlines-to-entertain-the-troops-180985970/Established on this day in 1941, the United Service Organizations offers wholesome entertainment options to off-duty service membersTue, 04 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mammoth-bones-used-to-build-mysterious-25000-year-old-site-in-russia-came-from-different-herds-180985977/DNA and radiocarbon dating analyses of the bones are offering new insights into the ambitious Ice Age site constructed by hunter-gatherersMon, 03 Feb 2025 21:22:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-stunning-john-constable-sketch-that-hadnt-previously-been-recorded-in-the-literature-is-heading-to-auction-180985972/Experts think the early 19th-century artwork could be an early draft of the British painter's "View of Dedham Vale From East Bergholt"Mon, 03 Feb 2025 19:59:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mysterious-chirping-waves-detected-100000-miles-above-earth-are-surprising-scientists-180985971/Chorus waves, quick bursts of energy known to occur relatively close to Earth and around other planets, were found in an unexpected part of the magnetosphere, according to a new studyMon, 03 Feb 2025 19:57:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-rare-1000-year-old-food-storage-pit-in-alaska-180985935/Initial findings suggest the cache was used to preserve moose and caribou meat in the harsh climate of southeastern AlaskaMon, 03 Feb 2025 17:48:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-black-inventor-who-developed-the-ice-cream-scoop-revolutionizing-a-beloved-frozen-treat-180985886/While working as a porter, Alfred L. Cralle witnessed how hard it was to serve ice cream cones one-handed. He saved the day with his mold and disher tool, patented on this day in 1897Sun, 02 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/discover-how-four-black-college-students-sparked-a-nationwide-civil-rights-movement-on-this-date-in-1960-180985908/By sitting down to lunch at a North Carolina department store, the brave men inspired many others to take part in nonviolent acts of civil disobedienceSat, 01 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nasas-starliner-astronauts-take-their-first-spacewalk-together-after-roughly-eight-months-on-the-ISS-180985953/The nearly 5.5-hour feat set a record for astronaut Sunita Williams, who became the woman with the most time spent on spacewalks in historyFri, 31 Jan 2025 22:05:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-have-deciphered-a-nearly-2000-year-old-true-crime-papyrus-180985948/The Greek document details a court case in ancient Palestine involving tax fraud and provides insight into trial preparations in the Roman EmpireFri, 31 Jan 2025 19:54:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-do-polar-bears-keep-ice-off-their-fur-new-study-reveals-the-secret-and-it-could-improve-technology-180985941/The de-icing properties of polar bear sebum could fuel new innovations, scientists say, potentially unlocking alternatives to harmful “forever chemicals” used in ice-resistant coatings todayFri, 31 Jan 2025 19:43:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/two-metal-detectorists-in-the-netherlands-stumbled-onto-hundreds-of-looted-coins-from-the-roman-conquest-of-britain-180985951/The 404 coins, including 44 from Britain, are believed to be a mix of military pay and the spoils of war, stashed by a Roman soldier after he returned to the European continentFri, 31 Jan 2025 19:10:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shark-pup-mysteriously-hatches-in-aquarium-tank-with-only-females-how-could-this-birth-happen-180985944/Experts say the case is either a rare form of asexual reproduction or an instance of (very) delayed fertilizationFri, 31 Jan 2025 17:11:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-of-the-oldest-surviving-operas-by-a-black-american-composer-will-be-performed-for-the-first-time-138-years-after-it-was-written-180985943/Edmond Dédé's 1887 magnum opus "Morgiane"—billed as "the most important opera never heard"—will finally get its premiere after languishing in obscurity for more than a centuryFri, 31 Jan 2025 14:24:30 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-guy-fawkes-figurehead-of-the-gunpowder-plot-avoided-the-full-horrors-of-execution-by-hanging-drawing-and-quartering-180985899/The Catholic conspirator jumped or fell from the gallows on this day in 1606, breaking his neck before the executioner could cut him down from the noose and disembowel himFri, 31 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-man-claims-to-be-the-mysterious-googly-eye-bandit-in-bend-oregon-180985939/Jeff Keith, a longtime resident and nonprofit founder, says he used duct tape to affix googly eyes to two public sculptures last monthThu, 30 Jan 2025 22:02:28 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-first-ever-photographs-of-the-elusive-mount-lyell-shrew-finally-caught-on-camera-in-california-180985946/A group of young researchers captured and photographed the animal on a three-day expedition to the Eastern Sierra NevadaThu, 30 Jan 2025 22:00:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/someone-bought-this-painting-at-a-garage-sale-for-50-experts-say-its-a-lost-van-gogh-worth-15-million-180985942/The portrait of a fisherman was found in Minnesota by an anonymous collector. A new analysis has concluded that it could be the real dealThu, 30 Jan 2025 19:46:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fossil-hunter-discovers-66-million-year-old-vomit-in-denmark-offering-a-clue-to-the-cretaceous-food-chain-180985931/A marine animal snacked on some sea lilies that did not agree with its stomach—and we now know what happened nextThu, 30 Jan 2025 19:12:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-price-to-climb-mount-everest-will-rise-to-15000-this-year-180985926/Foreign climbers who want to try reaching the top of the 29,032-foot-tall peak will face higher permit fees in Nepal starting in SeptemberThu, 30 Jan 2025 17:10:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/officials-are-offering-1-million-to-anyone-who-can-decode-this-ancient-script-180985922/The enigmatic Indus Valley civilization left behind a script that today's historians haven't yet deciphered. While amateur theories abound, scholars are increasingly relying on computer science to crack the codeThu, 30 Jan 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-a-house-painter-failed-to-assassinate-president-andrew-jackson-it-was-the-first-such-attempt-in-us-presidential-history-180985906/Duel pistols were no match for the White House incumbent, who fended off the assailant with his cane on this date in 1835Thu, 30 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-marine-protected-area-in-the-marshall-islands-is-brimming-with-life-like-a-time-machine-to-oceans-long-ago-180985936/The waters around two remote atolls in the central Pacific Ocean—spanning 18,500 square miles—are now protected from fishingWed, 29 Jan 2025 21:53:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-amateur-astronomer-seemingly-spotted-a-new-asteroid-it-turned-out-to-be-a-tesla-in-space-180985921/The car, launched in 2018 on a SpaceX rocket’s upper stage, is one of many human-made objects in deep space that could potentially be mistaken for natural celestial bodiesWed, 29 Jan 2025 21:00:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-mona-lisa-is-moving-to-a-room-of-her-own-at-the-louvre-180985930/As part of a massive renovation, the Leonardo da Vinci portrait will get its own gallery space accessible from a separate entranceWed, 29 Jan 2025 20:54:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-141-ancient-gold-coins-depicting-nine-roman-emperors-in-luxembourg-180985914/Three of the coins are particularly rare: They portray Eugenius, an illegitimate emperor who reigned for just two years in the late fourth century C.E.Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:39:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-alaska-railroads-golden-spike-hammered-in-by-president-harding-will-return-to-its-home-state-180985919/The spike's installation marked the completion of the Alaska Railroad in 1923. It's spent most of the time since then in the hands of private ownersWed, 29 Jan 2025 17:46:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-traces-of-salt-water-and-building-blocks-of-life-in-nasas-samples-from-the-asteroid-bennu-180985924/Two new papers describe hints to a brine-filled environment on the 4.5-billion-year-old space rock and the presence of amino acids, offering clues to how early Earth got its ingredients for lifeWed, 29 Jan 2025 17:32:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/discover-why-the-raven-edgar-allan-poes-narrative-poem-about-a-distraught-lover-and-a-talking-bird-remains-an-american-classic-180985874/Published on this day in 1845, the work used alliteration, internal rhyme and repetition to draw in readers, lending it a dark and melancholic toneWed, 29 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-15-winning-images-from-the-close-up-photographer-of-the-year-competition-180985920/The annual contest offers a glimpse into the hidden world of tiny scenes, from insects to fish to fungiTue, 28 Jan 2025 20:48:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-ancient-tokens-that-roman-soldiers-used-to-play-strategy-games-180985903/The lentil-shaped objects were unearthed in Hadrianopolis, an ancient city in modern-day Turkey, that once hosted a Roman fortressTue, 28 Jan 2025 19:56:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-haunting-stone-face-of-a-ptolemaic-statue-unearthed-near-the-ancient-egyptian-city-of-alexandria-180985894/The statue was found at Taposiris Magna, an archaeological site where some researchers suspect Cleopatra and Mark Antony are entombedTue, 28 Jan 2025 18:36:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/curiosity-rover-spots-ancient-water-ripples-on-mars-hinting-at-a-past-with-shallow-ice-free-lakes-180985913/The 3.7-billion-year-old formations in the planet's Gale Crater suggest the presence of long-gone bodies of liquid water, with no ice covering the surfaceTue, 28 Jan 2025 16:50:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/man-finds-rare-trove-of-winnie-the-pooh-drawings-and-manuscripts-in-his-fathers-attic-180985907/The papers connected to author A.A. Milne—including original drafts, illustrations, letters, poems and corrected proofs—sold at auction for more than $118,000Tue, 28 Jan 2025 15:10:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/nearly-100-washingtonians-died-when-theater-collapsed-one-largest-snowfalls-ever-hit-dc-180985871/The Knickerbocker Theater disaster, which took place on this day in 1922, killed 98 moviegoers and injured another 133Tue, 28 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/survivors-and-world-leaders-gather-to-commemorate-80th-anniversary-of-auschwitz-liberation-180985917/The Nazis murdered an estimated 1.1 million people at the death camp in southern Poland before its liberation on January 27, 1945Mon, 27 Jan 2025 22:30:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-and-stinky-corpse-flower-blooms-draw-thousands-of-visitors-to-gardens-in-new-york-and-sydney-180985916/People lined up to see—and smell—the blossoms of two pungent plant species, which only bloom for a short time every few yearsMon, 27 Jan 2025 21:37:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/art-thieves-blew-up-a-dutch-museums-door-to-steal-an-ancient-golden-helmet-from-romania-180985915/The blast took place in the middle of the night, allowing the burglars to abscond with four valuable objects connected to Romania's cultural heritageMon, 27 Jan 2025 20:20:24 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/oyster-blood-may-be-the-secret-weapon-in-our-fight-against-antibiotic-resistant-superbugs-study-finds-180985912/In lab experiments, a protein found in the Sydney rock oyster made some antibiotics more effective and killed several types of illness-causing bacteriaMon, 27 Jan 2025 20:19:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-identified-a-new-supergiant-crustacean-with-14-legs-and-they-named-it-after-darth-vader-180985900/In recent years, the deep-sea giant isopod has also become a seafood delicacy in Vietnam, where it was discoveredMon, 27 Jan 2025 18:56:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/staffers-find-a-japanese-hand-grenade-from-world-war-ii-at-a-museum-in-kentucky-180985885/After police and the nearby bomb squad investigated to the scene, they announced that the weapon was inactive and safeMon, 27 Jan 2025 16:31:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-liberation-of-auschwitzwhere-more-than-one-million-jews-were-killedtook-place-on-this-day-in-1945-180985840/The Nazi concentration and extermination camp was the site of the largest mass murder in human historyMon, 27 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-longest-running-show-in-broadway-history-opened-on-this-date-in-1988-read-why-its-legacy-is-so-controversial-180985860/“The Phantom of the Opera” entertained decades of fans—and lives on even after closingSun, 26 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-russian-radar-mistook-a-norwegian-scientific-rocket-for-a-us-missile-the-world-narrowly-avoided-nuclear-war-180985836/The Norwegian rocket incident, which took place on this day in 1995, marked the only known activation of a nuclear briefcase in response to a possible attackSat, 25 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/elephants-arent-people-and-cant-sue-to-leave-a-zoo-colorados-top-court-rules-180985904/The court rejected a case to send five African elephants to a sanctuary, saying they have no legal right to demand release under habeas corpusFri, 24 Jan 2025 21:41:29 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-man-found-a-mysterious-statue-in-a-trash-bag-on-the-street-it-turned-out-to-be-a-2000-year-old-greek-artifact-180985901/After discovering the ancient artwork in a suburb of Thessaloniki, Greece, the man surrendered it to the police. Authorities are analyzing the statue and investigating why it was abandonedFri, 24 Jan 2025 21:32:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-sunfish-got-lonely-when-its-aquarium-closed-for-renovations-then-staff-found-a-creative-way-to-cheer-it-up-180985902/The solitary fish named Mambo stopped eating and seemed to be missing its human visitors—so aquarists attached photos of human faces and uniforms to the side of its enclosureFri, 24 Jan 2025 19:12:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/check-out-these-spellbinding-snow-sculptures-before-they-melt-180985895/In places like Colorado and Minnesota, international teams of talented snow artists are creating larger-than-life masterpieces from fluffy white powderFri, 24 Jan 2025 18:16:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earths-magnetic-north-pole-is-shifting-toward-siberia-and-raising-questions-about-unusual-movement-180985892/Scientists released an update to a model that maps the ever-moving pole and has significant implications for navigation systemsFri, 24 Jan 2025 17:41:54 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/secret-passageways-recorded-in-leonardo-da-vincis-sketches-discovered-beneath-a-medieval-castle-in-milan-180985890/Using ground-penetrating radar and laser scanners, researchers identified subterranean structures just a few feet below the ground. The pathways may connect Sforza Castle to a nearby basilicaFri, 24 Jan 2025 16:40:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-discovery-of-gold-on-this-date-in-1848-at-sutters-creek-kicked-off-the-california-gold-rush-and-transformed-america-180985858/The unquenchable demand for gold spurred a mass migration and fueled the genocide of Native communitiesFri, 24 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-who-found-mysterious-dark-oxygen-on-the-ocean-floor-plan-a-new-expedition-hoping-to-settle-disputes-180985889/Last year, the team made headlines when it published a paper describing how metal lumps at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean seemed to produce oxygen without sunlightThu, 23 Jan 2025 21:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/astronomers-discover-supersonic-winds-on-a-puffy-exoplanet-forming-a-record-breaking-jet-stream-180985891/Moving at roughly 20,505 miles per hour along the distant world's equator, it’s the fastest known jet stream that wraps around a planetThu, 23 Jan 2025 20:48:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-stunning-ancient-roman-statue-of-athena-thats-going-on-view-for-the-first-time-in-nearly-260-years-180985883/After spending centuries on a British aristocrat's estate in North Yorkshire, the marble masterpiece will be unveiled in Chicago's Wrightwood 659 gallery later this weekThu, 23 Jan 2025 19:30:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-to-see-six-planets-lined-up-in-the-night-sky-this-month-and-glimpse-a-rare-seven-planet-parade-in-february-180985893/While the planets are technically always "aligned" along the same plane in our sky, seeing so many at once is a special opportunityThu, 23 Jan 2025 19:29:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neolithic-farmers-may-have-buried-these-mysterious-stones-to-bring-back-the-sun-after-a-volcanic-eruption-180985865/Using ice core samples, researchers linked a natural disaster with a trove of nearly 5,000-year-old artifacts discovered at an archaeological site in DenmarkThu, 23 Jan 2025 17:33:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-do-mammals-have-outer-ears-scientists-are-getting-closer-to-solving-the-mystery-180985884/Two new studies offer insights into the evolution and development of external ears, which appear in humans and other mammals but aren't found in reptiles, birds or amphibiansThu, 23 Jan 2025 17:22:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-gold-medal-1904-olympics-sold-more-than-500000-180985877/The artifact, from the first Games held in the United States, reaped the third-highest price ever fetched for an Olympic medal at auctionThu, 23 Jan 2025 16:26:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-american-toy-company-produced-the-worlds-first-frisbees-beloved-by-humans-and-dogs-on-this-day-in-1957-180985855/The flying disc had humble beginnings but has since become an international phenomenonThu, 23 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ape-like-human-ancestors-were-largely-vegetarian-33-million-years-ago-in-south-africa-fossil-teeth-reveal-180985873/Scientists suggest meat consumption was pivotal to humans' development of larger brains, but the transition probably didn't start with Australopithecus, according to a new studyWed, 22 Jan 2025 22:08:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-buy-a-2500-year-old-corinthian-helmet-worn-by-a-warrior-in-ancient-greece-180985881/Experts think the well-preserved bronze artifact was made between 500 and 450 B.C.E. It will be sold at auction on January 25Wed, 22 Jan 2025 21:25:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/check-out-the-hubble-space-telescopes-stunning-new-view-of-the-andromeda-galaxy-180985882/The full image includes some 2.5 billion pixels compiled from observations spanning more than 1,000 orbits around EarthWed, 22 Jan 2025 20:02:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-rare-printing-of-the-declaration-of-independence-could-sell-for-4-million-180985851/Made by a printer in New Hampshire, this 1776 broadside edition was created to disseminate America's founding document to the publicWed, 22 Jan 2025 19:52:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fossilized-poop-reveals-how-extinct-flightless-birds-helped-spread-new-zealands-colorful-fungi-180985853/The upland moa was likely drawn to the fungi because of their resemblance to berries, scientists say, allowing the creature to fill a role typically played by mammalsWed, 22 Jan 2025 18:18:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/experts-are-unraveling-the-mysteries-of-this-breathtaking-2000-year-old-mosaic-depicting-alexander-the-great-in-battle-180985861/The ancient artwork was uncovered during excavations at Pompeii in the 19th century. Now, researchers are conducting a long, intensive analysisWed, 22 Jan 2025 16:35:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/than-100-died-when-the-ss-valencia-wrecked-in-the-graveyard-of-the-pacificlearn-why-this-stretch-of-coastline-has-claimed-thousands-of-ships-180985854/The ship’s demise on this day in 1906 demonstrated the terrifying dangers of the treacherous waters in the Pacific NorthwestWed, 22 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-have-found-an-inca-tunnel-beneath-the-Peruvian-city-of-cusco-180985872/The dug-out passages may follow the exact path of the Inca capital’s aboveground roadsTue, 21 Jan 2025 21:50:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/president-trump-orders-the-us-to-exit-the-world-health-organization-and-paris-climate-agreement-on-his-first-day-in-office-180985876/The actions will take effect in a year, reinstating withdrawals he had set in motion during his first termTue, 21 Jan 2025 21:50:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/for-chimpanzees-peeing-may-be-contagious-just-like-yawning-is-for-humans-study-finds-180985875/Scientists suggest captive chimpanzees engage in 'socially contagious urination'—that is, when one primate starts peeing, others quickly follow suitTue, 21 Jan 2025 21:33:23 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bob-dylans-drafts-of-mr-tambourine-man-lyrics-sell-for-508000-at-auction-180985869/The rare papers were part of a larger collection from rock journalist Al Aronowitz, a close friend of Dylan’s in the 1960sTue, 21 Jan 2025 21:25:55 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hawaiian-observatory-clocks-highest-annual-jump-in-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide-since-its-records-began-67-years-ago-180985868/The change measured by the Mauna Loa Observatory was likely driven by wildfires and continued burning of fossil fuels, scientists sayTue, 21 Jan 2025 20:53:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/on-this-day-in-1793-revolutionaries-executed-the-king-of-france-by-guillotine-a-deadly-machine-they-saw-as-a-symbol-of-equality-180985835/Supporters of the French Revolution killed Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, with the same apparatus used to execute common criminalsTue, 21 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/on-this-day-in-1993-production-began-on-this-groundbreaking-movie-that-transformed-hollywood-forever-180985852/With “Toy Story,” computer animation began its rise to dominanceSun, 19 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-ridiculous-reason-why-the-us-enacted-a-wartime-ban-on-sliced-bread-salesand-why-it-didnt-last-long-180985834/Designed to keep prices low and conserve wax paper, the ban, enacted on this day in 1943, only succeeded in making Americans furiousSat, 18 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/homo-erectus-thrived-in-a-desert-study-finds-suggesting-the-early-humans-could-adapt-to-extreme-environments-180985864/New research suggests modern humans aren't the only hominin species capable of "ecological flexibility"Fri, 17 Jan 2025 22:09:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-in-pompeii-discover-private-spa-where-dozens-of-guests-bathed-in-luxury-2000-years-ago-180985863/The well-preserved thermal bath complex was unearthed at a lavish home likely owned by a member of the ancient city's eliteFri, 17 Jan 2025 21:57:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/spacexs-starship-explodes-in-its-seventh-test-flight-with-falling-debris-putting-on-a-fiery-show-180985862/The Super Heavy booster, meanwhile, was successfully caught in the launch tower's mechanical arms for only the second timeFri, 17 Jan 2025 20:25:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/la-fire-fueling-winds-slow-down-offering-a-short-reprieve-what-are-the-santa-ana-winds-and-why-do-they-fan-the-flames-180985859/The seasonal gusts have exacerbated the deadly fires, and they’re expected to pick back up next weekFri, 17 Jan 2025 19:03:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-was-life-like-in-pompeii-before-mount-vesuvius-erupted-nearly-2000-years-ago-180985842/An immersive new exhibition in Australia uses artifacts, sounds and projections to recreate the ancient Roman cityFri, 17 Jan 2025 18:11:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/can-you-read-this-cursive-handwriting-the-national-archives-wants-your-help-180985833/Anyone with an internet connection can volunteer to transcribe historical documents and help make the archives' digital catalog more accessibleFri, 17 Jan 2025 17:06:53 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fda-bans-red-dye-no-3-from-food-beverages-and-ingested-drugs-citing-link-to-cancer-in-lab-rats-180985848/The synthetic additive found in thousands of food products will now be phased out by 2027, but advocates say the agency's move is long overdueFri, 17 Jan 2025 15:36:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/on-this-day-in-1950-thieves-stole-millions-in-a-famous-robbery-that-took-years-for-the-police-to-solve-180985843/Investigators finally cracked the case thanks to infighting among the thieves—but never located all the moneyFri, 17 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-celtic-society-where-men-left-home-to-join-their-brides-community-180985857/DNA extracted from 57 individuals buried in a 2,000-year-old cemetery provides evidence of a "matrilocal" community in Iron Age Britain, a new study suggestsThu, 16 Jan 2025 22:08:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-greek-biblical-inscription-embedded-in-an-ancient-mosaic-floor-discovered-in-israel-180985849/Archaeologists think the tiles once lined a Byzantine-era monastery. The complex also included a large warehouse and winepressThu, 16 Jan 2025 21:03:16 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meteorite-crash-in-canada-is-caught-by-home-security-camera-in-likely-world-first-video-footage-180985847/The space rock—recorded with visuals and sound—landed where the homeowner had been standing just minutes earlierThu, 16 Jan 2025 19:57:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-jaw-fossil-found-in-china-might-belong-to-the-worlds-smallest-cat-180985837/Scientists placed the extinct species, which may date back more than 300,000 years, in the same genus as modern leopard cats in AsiaThu, 16 Jan 2025 19:05:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-intricately-decorated-blocks-from-hatshepsuts-temple-in-egypt-180985820/Officials have announced a number of discoveries during excavations around the valley temple of the powerful Egyptian queen, who reigned during the 15th century B.C.E.Thu, 16 Jan 2025 15:58:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ivan-the-terrible-the-czar-and-grand-prince-of-russia-wouldnt-earn-his-violent-nickname-until-years-after-his-reign-180985846/We all know Ivan IV’s sobriquet, but the story is more complicated than it might seemThu, 16 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-moon-makes-the-list-of-the-worlds-most-endangered-cultural-heritage-sites-in-2025-180985845/Earth-bound landmarks ravaged by war, climate change, tourism and other threats also landed in the World Monuments Watch reportWed, 15 Jan 2025 22:09:35 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/george-orwell-gets-his-own-2-coin-featuring-an-all-seeing-eye-180985839/Inscribed with quotes from "Nineteen Eighty-Four," the Royal Mint's latest release honors the author on the 75th anniversary of his deathWed, 15 Jan 2025 22:02:50 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/two-private-landers-launch-on-a-spacex-rocket-aiming-to-touch-down-on-the-moon-180985841/Built by Firefly Aerospace and Ispace, the pair of spacecraft will land separately in the moon's northern latitudes, conduct science experiments and test new technologyWed, 15 Jan 2025 19:27:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/someone-sent-a-fuzzy-photo-of-a-painting-to-christies-it-turned-out-to-be-a-rare-watercolor-by-jmw-turner-180985838/After its owner submitted the piece to an online appraisal service, auction house specialists realized it had been misattributed to another artist for decadesWed, 15 Jan 2025 19:23:05 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-crayfish-species-was-hiding-in-plain-sight-among-common-aquarium-pets-researchers-find-180985828/Native to Indonesian New Guinea, the crustacean comes in two color forms and is a popular pet choice in Europe, Japan, the United States and IndonesiaWed, 15 Jan 2025 17:19:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-are-using-lasers-to-reveal-intricate-tattoos-on-peruvian-mummies-180985830/A new study sheds light on tattoo designs found on more than 100 mummies from Chancay culture, a group that lived on the Peruvian coast between roughly 900 and 1500 C.E.Wed, 15 Jan 2025 17:00:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-archaeologists-discovered-europes-oldest-known-book-revealing-never-before-seen-insights-into-ancient-religion-and-philosophy-180985818/Charred by the flames of a funeral pyre, the Derveni Papyrus has proved to be a fascinating—and confounding—artifactWed, 15 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/climate-activists-spray-paint-warning-on-charles-darwins-grave-180985826/The two protesters hoped to draw attention to reports that global temperatures in 2024 exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the first timeTue, 14 Jan 2025 22:34:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/us-dementia-cases-are-poised-to-rise-to-one-million-each-year-by-2060-according-to-new-projections-180985831/As the American population ages, a new study finds the average lifetime risk of dementia for adults over 55 is around 42 percent—a higher rate than previously thoughtTue, 14 Jan 2025 22:15:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/music-history-and-contemporary-art-destroyed-in-the-deadly-lost-angeles-wildfires-180985829/An archive of scores by composer Arnold Schoenberg and the collections of countless contemporary artists have been lost in the blazeTue, 14 Jan 2025 20:57:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/astronomers-found-strange-accelerating-x-ray-pulses-coming-from-a-black-hole-they-might-be-a-sign-of-an-orbiting-white-dwarf-180985832/The dense stellar remnant would, if confirmed, be the closest known object to any black hole, according to preliminary researchTue, 14 Jan 2025 20:18:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-fascinating-objects-show-how-the-palace-of-versailles-drove-surprising-scientific-advances-in-the-17th-and-18th-centuries-180985816/Titled "Versailles: Science and Splendor," a new exhibition illustrates how the royal court encouraged innovation during the reigns of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVITue, 14 Jan 2025 18:01:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bats-hitch-a-ride-on-storm-fronts-when-migrating-saving-energy-by-surfing-through-the-sky-study-finds-180985823/Researchers tracking female bats in central Europe found they migrated much farther in a single night than previously thought. The findings could help protect bats from wind turbine collisionsTue, 14 Jan 2025 16:28:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-human-be-in-which-happened-on-this-day-in-1967-set-the-stage-for-the-summer-of-love-180985822/This loved-up ‘happening’ on a winter day in San Francisco helped the counterculture grab national attentionTue, 14 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-stunning-images-of-mercurys-north-pole-will-help-scientists-study-the-planets-mysterious-permanent-shadows-180985815/The BepiColombo spacecraft captured the photographs during its last flyby of Mercury, a maneuver necessary to propel the mission into orbit around the planetMon, 13 Jan 2025 22:24:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-charles-dickens-rare-manuscripts-teenage-love-letters-and-a-copy-of-david-copperfield-that-traveled-to-antarctica-180985811/To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the Charles Dickens Museum in London is staging an exhibition of historic objects that shed light on the writer’s life and legacyMon, 13 Jan 2025 21:42:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/melting-ice-reveals-remains-of-5900-year-old-trees-in-wyoming-uncovering-a-long-lost-forest-180985819/Researchers discovered more than 30 dead whitebark pine trees that were entombed in ice for millennia, representing a bygone ecosystem that could teach us about climate changeMon, 13 Jan 2025 21:06:44 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-massive-inflatable-pink-men-are-waving-from-rooftops-and-peering-into-windows-in-boston-180985813/Created by French artist Phillippe Katerine, the figures are part of an artistic movement known as Mignonisme, which promotes the aesthetics of cutenessMon, 13 Jan 2025 19:50:56 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-punk-and-emo-two-angsty-looking-fossils-from-430-million-years-ago-that-shed-light-on-early-mollusk-evolution-180985795/The prehistoric creatures look to be sporting a punk hairstyle and emo bangs, and one of them seemingly moved like an inchwormMon, 13 Jan 2025 19:30:47 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/metal-detectorists-discover-1200-year-old-graves-that-may-have-belonged-to-high-status-viking-women-180985801/Excavations in Norway revealed a rich variety of artifacts, including jewelry, textile tools and stones positioned in the shape of a shipMon, 13 Jan 2025 16:43:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-author-famous-for-his-rags-to-riches-stories-forever-shaped-how-we-talk-about-the-american-dream-180985805/Horatio Alger's repetitive stories reached their true popularity and became synonymous with social mobility largely thanks to retellings after the writer's deathMon, 13 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/motown-records-founded-on-this-day-in-1959-broke-racial-barriers-in-pop-music-with-its-beloved-hits-180985803/Berry Gordy’s record label used the ‘sound of young America’ to bring people togetherSun, 12 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-the-us-surgeon-general-shocked-americans-by-announcing-that-smoking-kills-180985726/The 1964 disclosure marked the first time many smokers had heard about the health dangers of tobaccoSat, 11 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/four-lynx-have-been-illegally-released-into-the-scottish-highlands-officials-think-guerrilla-rewilding-is-to-blame-180985812/So far, only two of the four lynx have been recaptured, leaving authorities scrambling across the snowy woods to find the missing catsFri, 10 Jan 2025 21:11:25 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/medieval-crowns-and-scepters-discovered-hidden-inside-the-walls-of-a-crypt-beneath-a-lithuanian-cathedral-180985807/The royal treasures were stashed away at the beginning of World War II. Experts knew the trove existed, but previous attempts to find it had failedFri, 10 Jan 2025 20:30:06 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-drill-17-miles-into-antarctic-ice-revealing-12-million-years-of-climate-history-180985809/Researchers say a collected sample is the longest continuous record of Earth’s past climate from an ice coreFri, 10 Jan 2025 19:07:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-study-on-mice-scientists-show-how-the-brain-washes-itself-during-sleep-180985810/The brain's waste-removal process is "like turning on the dishwasher," a neurologist says, but common sleep medications may harm itFri, 10 Jan 2025 18:45:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/freshwater-animals-are-more-fragile-than-thought-with-nearly-a-quarter-threatened-with-extinction-study-finds-180985800/Species in Lake Victoria, Lake Titicaca, Sri Lanka’s Wet Zone and the Western Ghats of India are particularly vulnerable to the effects of agriculture, human infrastructure and climate change, per the paperFri, 10 Jan 2025 18:09:27 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/thousands-of-book-lovers-gather-for-a-moby-dick-reading-marathon-180985798/The annual event takes place in the Massachusetts town of New Bedford, which is where Herman Melville's celebrated 1851 novel opensFri, 10 Jan 2025 18:02:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-intricately-decorated-tomb-belonging-to-a-doctor-who-treated-egyptian-pharaohs-4100-years-ago-180985788/The chamber holds a stone coffin engraved with the physician’s name and titles, which include "director of medicinal plants" and "chief dentist"Fri, 10 Jan 2025 16:19:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-25-incredible-images-from-the-wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-contest-180985746/Cast your vote for your favorite of the photographs, which are all contenders for the People’s Choice award, through January 29Fri, 10 Jan 2025 12:00:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/americas-first-viral-post-was-published-on-this-day-in-1776-when-thomas-paines-common-sense-sparked-a-revolution-180985802/The Englishman’s pamphlet helped spur the 13 colonies to declare independence from BritainFri, 10 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-undersea-volcano-near-oregon-may-erupt-in-2025-scientists-predict-it-could-help-improve-eruption-forecasts-180985796/Axial Seamount doesn’t pose a threat to humans, but observing what happens before and after its potential eruption could help scientists learn about submerged volcanoes and strengthen predictionsThu, 09 Jan 2025 22:12:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-netherlands-has-published-a-list-of-425000-suspected-nazi-collaborators-180985793/In the past, the names could only be viewed in person. But due to expiring access restrictions, they're now available to anyone with an internet connectionThu, 09 Jan 2025 21:30:57 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-novel-kiss-and-capture-event-gave-pluto-its-largest-moon-charon-new-study-suggests-180985787/Researchers accounted for the previously overlooked structures of the dwarf planet and moon in computer simulations of a celestial collisionThu, 09 Jan 2025 20:43:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/massive-bluefin-tuna-the-size-of-a-motorcycle-sells-for-13-million-at-a-japanese-fish-market-180985799/The fish weighed 608 pounds, which is also about the same size as an adult male grizzly bear. It garnered the second highest bid at the Toyosu Market since records began in 1999Thu, 09 Jan 2025 19:23:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/construction-workers-discover-ancient-stone-coffin-filled-with-plaster-while-expanding-highway-in-england-180985779/The intricately crafted coffin dates back more than 1,500 years. Researchers say it weighs around 1,650 pounds, "comparable to an adult male polar bear"Thu, 09 Jan 2025 18:42:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-historic-landmarks-razed-by-los-angeles-deadly-fires-180985797/Among the destroyed structures are the ranch established by comedian Will Rogers and a motel owned by notorious publisher William Randolph HearstThu, 09 Jan 2025 18:29:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/jimmy-carter-worked-to-eradicate-the-vicious-guinea-worm-parasite-slashing-cases-by-the-millions-180985791/The 39th U.S. president aimed to quash the debilitating water-based infection before he died. Through the Carter Center's work, he came tantalizingly close, lowering the number of yearly cases from 3.5 million to just 14Thu, 09 Jan 2025 17:12:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/energetic-and-loyal-meet-the-danish-swedish-farmdog-the-newest-breed-recognized-by-the-american-kennel-club-180985790/These small but mighty pups have roots on family farms in Denmark and Sweden, where they helped catch rodents, herd livestock, hunt and watch over the propertyThu, 09 Jan 2025 14:43:01 +0000