Smart News | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/smart-news/RSS feed for Smart NewsenFri, 19 Apr 2024 20:53:39 +0000Were Stonehenge's Builders Guided by the Moon?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/was-the-construction-of-stonehenge-guided-by-the-moon-180984167/Researchers are studying the monument's connection to a celestial event that occurs every 18.6 yearsFri, 19 Apr 2024 20:53:39 +0000Volcano Erupts Amid Lightning Storm in Indonesia, as Residents Evacuate Potential Tsunami Threathttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/volcano-erupts-amid-lightning-storm-in-indonesia-as-residents-evacuate-potential-tsunami-threat-180984192/Plumes of ash from Mount Ruang forced the closure of an international airport, after a series of at least five eruptions this weekFri, 19 Apr 2024 20:37:53 +0000How Did Ötzi the Iceman Get His Tattoos? Archaeologists and Tattoo Artists Unravel the Mysteryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-did-otzi-the-iceman-get-his-tattoos-archaeologists-and-tattoo-artists-unravel-the-mystery-180984194/Ötzi's 61 markings were likely hand-poked with a sharp tool, such as a piece of animal bone or copper, a new study findsFri, 19 Apr 2024 18:35:02 +0000Lost Silent Film Featuring Clara Bow Discovered in a $20 Box of Old Reelshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lost-clara-bow-film-returns-to-the-big-screen-after-the-unexpected-find-of-a-20-reel-180984188/Bow, who also serves as inspiration for a new Taylor Swift song, was one of Hollywood's first starletsFri, 19 Apr 2024 18:27:26 +0000A Study for the Portrait Winston Churchill Famously Abhorred Is for Salehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/study-for-portrait-winston-churchill-abhorred-for-sale-180984178/The final painting, dramatized on Netflix's "The Crown," was secretly burned in the middle of the nightFri, 19 Apr 2024 17:28:46 +000011-Year-Old Uncovers Fossils of Giant Ichthyosaur in England, the Largest Marine Reptile Ever Found, Scientists Sayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/11-year-old-uncovers-fossils-of-giant-ichthyosaur-in-england-the-largest-ever-marine-reptile-ever-found-scientists-say-180984185/The jawbone fragments belonged to an 82-foot-long creature that represents a new species, according to a new studyFri, 19 Apr 2024 16:20:55 +0000A Rare Nova Explosion Will Soon Bring a 'New Star' to the Night Sky—How to Catch a Glimpsehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-nova-explosion-will-soon-bring-a-new-star-to-the-night-sky-how-to-catch-a-glimpse-180984186/In an event that occurs only once every 80 years, a distant remnant of a star will grow much brighter, briefly becoming visible to EarthFri, 19 Apr 2024 12:51:09 +0000Overdue Book Returned to Colorado Library After 105 Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/overdue-book-returned-to-colorado-library-after-105-years-180984169/The Fort Collins library waived the fine, which totaled over $14,000 when adjusted for inflationThu, 18 Apr 2024 21:01:12 +0000A Stellar Collision Birthed the 'Dragon's Egg' Nebula, a Puzzling Structure in the Milky Wayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-stellar-collision-birthed-the-dragons-egg-nebula-a-puzzling-structure-in-the-milky-way-180984148/The colorful cloud of gas and dust has a violent origin—and this explains the unusual traits of two massive stars within it, astronomers sayThu, 18 Apr 2024 19:45:10 +0000You Can Visit the World's Largest Continuous Dinosaur Trackway, Now on Protected Public Landhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-visit-the-worlds-largest-continuous-dinosaur-trackway-is-now-on-protected-public-land-180984187/In the Late Jurassic, a long-necked dinosaur made a 270-degree turn while walking in present-day Colorado—and left behind a rare treat for paleontologistsThu, 18 Apr 2024 18:48:55 +0000Two Vandals at Lake Mead Toppled Rock Formations Made From 140-Million-Year-Old Duneshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/two-vandals-lake-mead-toppled-rock-formations-made-from-140-million-year-old-dunes-180984180/Authorities are seeking information about the men, whose crime was captured on video on April 7Thu, 18 Apr 2024 18:42:59 +0000See 25 Astonishing Images From the World Press Photo Contesthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-25-astonishing-images-from-the-world-press-photo-contest-180984182/The winning photographs capture moving moments in the midst of tumultuous global eventsThu, 18 Apr 2024 13:33:33 +0000Scrabble Introduces a Less Competitive Version of the Classic Word Gamehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scrabble-is-getting-its-first-major-update-in-more-than-75-years-180984155/Scrabble Together, now available in Europe, is the first major update to the game in more than 75 yearsThu, 18 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000Fire Devastates Copenhagen's Historic Stock Exchangehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-dragontail-spire-of-copenhagens-old-stock-exchange-collapses-in-a-blaze-180984177/Its signature 184-foot spire collapsed, but rescuers salvaged some of the valuable artworks insideWed, 17 Apr 2024 20:45:26 +0000The Olympic Torch Relay Began in Nazi Germanyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/olympic-torch-relay-paris-games-2024-180984172/After a torch-lighting ceremony this week, the Olympic flame began its long journey from Olympia to ParisWed, 17 Apr 2024 20:18:18 +0000Astronomers Discover a 'Sleeping Giant' Black Hole in Our Galaxy—the Second-Closest Known to Earthhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/astronomers-discover-a-sleeping-giant-black-hole-in-our-galaxy-the-second-closest-known-to-earth-180984174/Called Gaia BH3, the dormant black hole is 33 times more massive than the sun, making it the largest recorded stellar black hole in the Milky WayWed, 17 Apr 2024 19:55:28 +0000Hibernating Bumblebee Queens Can Survive Underwater for Up to a Week, Study Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hibernating-bumblebee-queens-can-survive-underwater-for-up-to-a-week-study-finds-180984175/Researchers discovered the insects’ unexpected superpower during an accidental laboratory snafuWed, 17 Apr 2024 17:42:09 +0000The World's Fourth Mass Coral Bleaching Event Is Underway—and It Could Become the Worst One Yethttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-worlds-fourth-mass-coral-bleaching-event-is-underway-and-it-could-become-the-worst-one-yet-180984164/The impacted reefs represent 54 percent of the planet's total, and that figure is currently increasing by 1 percent each week, NOAA scientists sayWed, 17 Apr 2024 14:25:24 +0000You Can Chat With an A.I. Replica of Salvador Dalíhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/get-ready-to-chat-with-an-ai-salvador-dali-via-lobster-phone-180984168/At a Florida museum, "Ask Dalí" allows visitors to speak with the Surrealist artist via a lobster telephoneWed, 17 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000Family Accidentally Ends Up With 50 Baby Octopuses After Their Pet—Thought to Be Male—Laid Dozens of Eggshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/family-accidentally-ends-up-with-50-baby-octopuses-after-their-pet-thought-to-be-male-laid-dozens-of-eggs-180984170/Now, the Oklahoma residents are working with aquariums and researchers that might take the babiesTue, 16 Apr 2024 20:49:43 +0000The Nepali Army Is Removing Trash and Bodies From Mount Everesthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-nepali-army-is-removing-trash-and-bodies-from-mount-everest-ahead-of-this-years-mountaineering-season-180984162/They expect to haul off ten metric tons of garbage and up to five bodies from the world's tallest peakTue, 16 Apr 2024 20:12:19 +0000Peek Inside a California Condor Egg Just Before It Hatched, With This CT Scan of the Baby Birdhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/peek-inside-a-california-condor-egg-just-before-it-hatched-with-this-ct-scan-of-the-baby-bird-180984166/Last month, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance welcomed its 250th California condor chick in its breeding program, and the CT scan helped determine the bird was well-positioned for hatchingTue, 16 Apr 2024 19:00:37 +0000A Book Bound With Human Skin Spent 90 Years in Harvard's Library. Now, the Binding Has Been Removedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-book-bound-with-human-skin-spent-90-years-in-harvards-library-now-the-binding-has-been-removed-180984057/In the late 19th century, a French physician took the skin, without consent, from a female psychiatric patient who had diedTue, 16 Apr 2024 17:17:09 +0000Chechnya Bans Music That Isn't Between 80 and 116 Beats Per Minutehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/music-is-now-illegal-in-chechnyaif-it-doesnt-meet-authorities-tempo-restrictions-180984159/Officials have given artists until June 1 to rewrite material that does not fall within the accepted rangeTue, 16 Apr 2024 17:08:44 +0000How King's College Added 438 Solar Panels to a 500-Year-Old Chapelhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/kings-college-completes-controversial-project-addition-of-438-solar-panels-to-its-historic-chapel-180984160/The project sparked debate over how to decrease carbon emissions while preserving the historic structure's architectural beautyTue, 16 Apr 2024 13:00:00 +0000Male Bonobos, Close Human Relatives Long Thought to Be Peaceful, Are Actually Quite Aggressive, Study Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/male-bonobos-close-human-relatives-long-thought-to-be-peaceful-are-actually-quite-aggressive-study-suggests-180984157/The new research found bonobos were three times more likely than chimpanzees to commit an act of physical aggressionMon, 15 Apr 2024 20:34:28 +0000Rare 100-Year-Old Train Carriage Found Buried in Belgiumhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-lner-train-carriage-found-buried-in-belgium-180984149/The wooden LNER train wagon was a "removals truck" used to move people's belongings between residencesMon, 15 Apr 2024 20:11:26 +0000'Spectacular' Frescoes of Helen of Troy, Apollo and Zeus Unearthed Among the Ruins of Pompeiihttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pompeii-archaeologists-reveal-rare-frescoes-of-trojan-war-characters-180984153/Found in an ancient dining hall, the artworks depict characters associated with the Trojan WarMon, 15 Apr 2024 18:13:13 +0000U.S. Measles Cases Are Rising in 2024, CDC Warnshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/us-measles-cases-are-rising-in-2024-cdc-warns-180984150/Health officials urge vaccination against the highly contagious virus, which has caused 121 infections in the country this yearMon, 15 Apr 2024 18:09:47 +0000Meteorites Are Becoming Harder to Find as They Sink Into Antarctica's Melting Icehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meteorites-are-becoming-harder-to-find-as-they-sink-into-antarcticas-melting-ice-180984126/The disappearing space rocks are burying valuable clues into the history and composition of our solar system, according to a new studyMon, 15 Apr 2024 15:40:45 +0000Did Ancient South Americans Keep Foxes as Pets?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-ancient-south-americans-keep-foxes-as-pets-180984134/At a cemetery in Argentina, a 1,500-year-old fox buried alongside humans suggests a "close relationship" between the species, researchers sayMon, 15 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000Pioneering Artist Faith Ringgold Stitched Together Stories of Black Lifehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/faith-ringgold-dies-paintings-quilts-stories-180983798/The Harlem-born painter, who died this week at age 93, elevated the everyday lives of Black Americans and fought for representation in major museumsSun, 14 Apr 2024 15:46:09 +0000EPA Sets First Federal Limits on Dangerous 'Forever Chemicals' in Drinking Waterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/epa-sets-first-federal-limits-on-dangerous-forever-chemicals-in-drinking-water-180984135/Public water systems will have to test water and reduce levels of six types of PFAS if they aren't in compliance with the new ruleFri, 12 Apr 2024 21:04:22 +0000Stranded on a Remote Pacific Island, Three Men Spelled 'HELP' With Palm Fronds and Got Rescuedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stranded-on-a-remote-pacific-island-three-men-spelled-help-with-palm-fronds-and-got-rescued-180984151/The experienced sailors lived on coconut meat and well water for more than a week, after their boat became damagedFri, 12 Apr 2024 19:49:42 +0000Employee Quietly Sneaks His Own Painting Onto the Walls of a German Museumhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/museum-employee-illicitly-hangs-his-own-painting-in-munichs-pinakothek-der-moderne-180984136/After discovering the stunt, the ​​Pinakothek der Moderne fired the staffer and reported the crime to the policeFri, 12 Apr 2024 19:40:45 +0000Arts Center in Gaza Destroyed in Israeli Hospital Siegehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/arts-center-in-gaza-destroyed-180984142/Shababeek for Contemporary Art was the last established visual arts center still standing in the enclaveFri, 12 Apr 2024 18:30:21 +0000The Royal Family Is Opening Balmoral Castle to the Public For the First Time in Historyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/royal-family-opening-balmoral-castle-to-the-public-first-time-in-history-180984130/The special interior tours of the royal family's Scottish retreat sold out in less than a dayFri, 12 Apr 2024 17:20:06 +0000Mathematician Who Shed Light on Randomness in Algorithms Wins Top Prize in Computinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mathematician-who-shed-light-on-randomness-in-algorithms-wins-top-prize-in-computing-180984132/Avi Wigderson earned the 2023 Turing Award for wide-ranging work in theoretical computer scienceFri, 12 Apr 2024 16:50:18 +0000How to Watch the Brilliant Lyrid Meteor Shower This Monthhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-to-watch-the-brilliant-lyrid-meteor-shower-this-month-180984131/Fiery streaks will illuminate the night sky from April 15-29, with the spectacle's peak occurring from April 21-22Fri, 12 Apr 2024 13:46:21 +0000You Can Help Migrating Fish Traverse a Dutch Canal By Ringing This Digital 'Doorbell'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-help-migrating-fish-traverse-a-dutch-canal-by-ringing-this-digital-doorbell-180984140/The live stream from the Netherlands, which lets viewers notify a boat lock operator when fish need to be let through, has become a popular pastime for people around the worldFri, 12 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000Archaeologists Were Looking for a Medieval Hermitage. They Found a 'Monumental' Prehistoric Hengehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-find-evidence-of-colossal-prehistoric-henge-in-england-180984123/The site in eastern England may have served as a sacred space for groups across thousands of yearsThu, 11 Apr 2024 20:55:35 +0000Why Are Some People Left-Handed? Scientists Identify Rare Genetic Variants That May Be Linked to the Traithttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-are-some-people-left-handed-scientists-identify-rare-genetic-variants-that-may-be-linked-to-the-trait-180984091/The variants are present in fewer than 1 percent of people, but they were 2.7 times more likely to appear in lefties than in rightiesThu, 11 Apr 2024 19:35:31 +0000This Is What Being in Your Twenties Was Like in 18th-Century Londonhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-is-what-being-in-your-twenties-was-like-in-18th-century-london-180984124/A newly restored collection of letters describes a 27-year-old's office job, social life and financial concerns beginning in 1719Thu, 11 Apr 2024 19:11:33 +0000Medieval English Coins Were Made With Melted Byzantine Silverhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-uncover-the-mysterious-source-of-europes-silver-coin-boom-byzantine-treasure-180984127/Researchers have solved the mystery of the silver coin boom that took place around 660 C.E.Thu, 11 Apr 2024 18:29:42 +0000Tiny and Rare, a Blind Mole That 'Swims' Through Desert Sand Is Spotted in Australiahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/tiny-and-rare-a-blind-mole-that-swims-through-desert-sand-is-spotted-in-australia-180984138/Typically seen just five to ten times per decade, the elusive species has now been found for the second time in six monthsThu, 11 Apr 2024 18:21:38 +0000One of the World's Oldest Surviving Books Is for Salehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-ancient-egyptian-bookone-of-the-worlds-oldestmay-sell-for-38-million-180984111/The rare early Christian text was written in a monastery in Egypt between 250 and 350 C.E.Thu, 11 Apr 2024 17:16:09 +0000Physicist Peter Higgs, Who Prompted a Decades-Long Search for a Tiny Particle, Dies at 94https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/physicist-peter-higgs-who-prompted-a-decades-long-search-for-a-tiny-particle-dies-at-94-180984128/The Nobel Prize winner predicted the Higgs boson, a fundamental particle that scientists successfully discovered in 2012, explaining how particles get their mass and underlying a key theory of the universeThu, 11 Apr 2024 16:58:35 +0000See a Restored Ancient Roman Helmet—and Two Shiny New Replicashttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-a-restored-2000-year-old-roman-helmet-and-its-shiny-new-twin-180984121/The 2,000-year-old Hallaton Helmet is now on permanent display at the Harborough Museum in EnglandWed, 10 Apr 2024 20:54:15 +0000When Are the Next Solar Eclipses? 2026 Promises Totality in Europe, While Much of America Has a Decades-Long Waithttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-are-the-next-solar-eclipses-2026-promises-totality-in-europe-while-much-of-america-has-a-decades-long-wait-180984129/The next total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous U.S. won’t take place until August 23, 2044—but eclipse chasers will have other opportunities to experience totality before thatWed, 10 Apr 2024 19:58:12 +0000Little Rock Nine and Paul McCartney React to Beyoncé's 'Blackbird' Coverhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/little-rock-nine-and-paul-mccartney-react-to-beyonces-blackbird-cover-180984105/McCartney was inspired to write the song after hearing about the battle to integrate Little Rock Central High School in 1957Wed, 10 Apr 2024 19:32:13 +0000The First Issue of Superman Just Became the Most Valuable Comic Book in the Worldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/original-superman-is-now-the-most-valuable-comic-book-in-the-world-180984125/An original copy of 1938's "Action Comics No. 1" sold for a record-breaking $6 million at auctionWed, 10 Apr 2024 18:17:47 +0000A Secretive Experiment Released Salt Crystals Over San Francisco Bay—Could It Help Curb Warming?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-secretive-experiment-released-salt-crystals-over-san-francisco-bay-could-it-help-curb-warming-180984099/The technology could make clouds reflect more sunlight, cooling the Earth below. But even the scientists leading the study say letting go of fossil fuels is a much-preferred response to climate changeWed, 10 Apr 2024 18:05:07 +0000The Ellis Island Museum Is Revitalizing the Story of American Immigrationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-ellis-island-national-museum-of-immigration-is-getting-a-100m-makeover-180984113/A $100 million renovation will help preserve the history of the millions of immigrants who passed through the island in the late 19th and early 20th centuriesTue, 09 Apr 2024 20:55:32 +0000This Artist Used A.I. to Recreate a Velázquez Painting Lost in a Fire 300 Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-artist-used-ai-to-recreate-a-velazquez-painting-lost-in-a-fire-300-years-ago-180984106/Fernando Sánchez Castillo employed historical resources and image-generation technologies to reimagine "Expulsion of the Moriscos"Tue, 09 Apr 2024 18:55:33 +000080 Percent of Global CO2 Emissions Come From Just 57 Companies, Report Showshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/since-2016-80-percent-of-global-co2-emissions-come-from-just-57-companies-report-shows-180984118/Many of these companies increased their fossil fuel production after the Paris Agreement was signed in 2016Tue, 09 Apr 2024 18:48:12 +0000A Michigan Hunter Thought He Killed a Large Coyote. It Turned Out to Be an Endangered Gray Wolfhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-michigan-hunter-thought-he-killed-a-large-coyote-it-turned-out-to-be-an-endangered-gray-wolf-180984122/Wildlife officials believe the animal was likely the first gray wolf spotted in the southern Lower Peninsula in 100 yearsTue, 09 Apr 2024 18:05:20 +0000A Massive Crane Helping With the Baltimore Bridge Cleanup Was Built to Recover a Sunken Soviet Submarinehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-story-behind-the-chesapeake-1000-one-of-the-cranes-helping-with-baltimores-key-bridge-clean-up-180984085/The Chesapeake 1000 was used to construct a ship for a top-secret CIA mission in the 1970sTue, 09 Apr 2024 17:42:22 +0000Mount Etna Puffs 'Smoke Rings' Into the Skyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mount-etna-puffs-smoke-rings-into-the-sky-180984120/The circular wisps are mostly condensed water vaporTue, 09 Apr 2024 17:19:12 +0000Arthur Conan Doyle Agreed to Write 'The Sign of the Four' at a Fateful Dinner in 1889https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/arthur-conan-doyles-handwritten-sherlock-holmes-manuscript-is-for-sale-180984101/The handwritten manuscript he produced is going to auction, where it could become the most expensive item associated with the mystery writer ever soldTue, 09 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000These Were the Most Challenged Books in America Last Yearhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-were-the-most-challenged-books-in-america-last-year-180984116/Titles with LGBTQ themes dominated the American Library Association's newly released listMon, 08 Apr 2024 20:57:53 +0000These 15 Photos Show How the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Captivated the Nationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-15-photos-show-how-the-2024-total-solar-eclipse-captivated-nation-180984115/From Texas to Maine, millions of Americans looked up and were spellbound by the spectacular phenomenonMon, 08 Apr 2024 20:31:04 +0000Vikings May Have Used Body Modification as a 'Sign of Identification'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-viking-trade-guilds-standard-uniform-carved-up-teeth-180984080/A recent study analyzes Scandinavian examples of filed teeth and elongated skulls dating to the Viking AgeMon, 08 Apr 2024 18:54:16 +0000Up to a Trillion Cicadas Could Emerge in the U.S. Later This Springhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/two-broods-of-cicadas-will-emerge-in-the-us-later-this-spring-180984110/Two specific broods will appear together for the first time since 1803Mon, 08 Apr 2024 18:51:57 +0000Adorable but Deadly Fluff Balls, Better Known as Pygmy Slow Lorises, Born at the Smithsonian's National Zoohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/first-endangered-pygmy-slow-lorises-born-at-smithsonians-national-zoo-and-conservation-biology-institute-180984112/The two babies are part of an endangered species whose unbearable cuteness has made them a target for wildlife traffickersMon, 08 Apr 2024 18:40:49 +0000See NASA’s Initial Moon Buggy Concepts, Expected on the Moon by 2030https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-nasas-initial-moon-buggy-concepts-expected-on-the-moon-by-2030-180984108/Three companies are competing to design NASA's lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) for the agency’s Artemis campaignMon, 08 Apr 2024 17:33:46 +0000This Tiny Italian Island Is Giving Away Goats to Anyone Who Can Catch Themhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-tiny-italian-island-is-giving-away-goats-to-anyone-who-can-catch-them-180984104/An estimated 600 of the hoofed intruders are wreaking havoc on the two-square-mile island of AlicudiMon, 08 Apr 2024 16:06:12 +0000Dark Energy Could Be Evolving Over Time, Raising Questions About the Nature of the Cosmoshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dark-energy-could-be-evolving-over-time-raising-questions-about-the-nature-of-the-cosmos-180984102/The largest 3D map of the universe ever made hints that dark energy might not be a constant, though the findings must be backed up with more dataMon, 08 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000'Oppenheimer' Opens in Japan Eight Months After Worldwide Releasehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/oppenheimer-premieres-in-japan-eight-months-after-worldwide-release-180984094/The acclaimed biopic of the Manhattan Project's leader has been met with mixed reviews by Japanese audiencesFri, 05 Apr 2024 20:43:32 +0000Bad Sleep Can Make You Feel Years Older Than You Really Are, Study Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bad-sleep-can-make-you-feel-years-older-than-you-really-are-study-suggests-180984044/After just two nights of short sleep, a person’s “subjective age,” or how old they feel, can spike by more than four yearsFri, 05 Apr 2024 20:39:13 +0000Is This Stingray-Shaped Rock the Oldest Known Animal Art?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stingray-shaped-rock-may-be-oldest-example-of-animal-art-180984092/While they urge caution, researchers think an artist may have traced a stingray in the sand some 130,000 years agoFri, 05 Apr 2024 18:40:53 +000077,000 Young Salmon Were Dumped Into the Wrong Creek After a Truck Crashed in Oregonhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/77000-young-salmon-were-dumped-into-the-wrong-creek-after-truck-crashed-in-oregon-180984103/The spring Chinook salmon smolts should still be able to find their way to the Pacific Ocean and help boost the threatened population of the fish, officials say, though another 25,000 salmon died in the accidentFri, 05 Apr 2024 18:11:15 +00003D Sonar Images of Baltimore's Key Bridge Reveal the Underwater Wreckage in Detailhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/3d-sonar-images-of-baltimores-key-bridge-reveal-the-underwater-wreckage-in-detail-180984090/Divers clearing the Patapsco River are grappling with poor visibility and dangerous conditions, so they rely heavily on real-time sonar observationsFri, 05 Apr 2024 17:15:28 +0000Watch the Total Solar Eclipse From Your Home With These Live Streams Onlinehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/watch-the-total-solar-eclipse-from-your-home-with-these-live-streams-online-180984095/Not in the path of totality? See the moon blot out the sun, revealing its magnificent corona, from your computer or phoneFri, 05 Apr 2024 15:50:02 +0000Why Were So Many Renaissance Portraits Multisided?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-were-so-many-renaissance-portraits-multisided-180984096/A new exhibition at the Met is the first to examine the tradition of covered 15th- and 16th-century portraits, which were designed to be interactive and often portableFri, 05 Apr 2024 13:34:10 +0000Six New York Inmates Successfully Sue to Watch the Total Solar Eclipsehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/six-new-york-inmates-successfully-sue-to-watch-the-total-solar-eclipse-180984081/The state's prison agency settled a lawsuit with the incarcerated men, allowing them to watch the eclipse on religious grounds. But for now, the rest of New York's correctional facilities will remain locked down on April 8Thu, 04 Apr 2024 15:42:08 +0000Can Snakes Recognize Themselves? One Species Has Passed a Modified 'Mirror Test' Based on Smellhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/can-snakes-recognize-themselves-one-species-has-passed-a-modified-mirror-test-based-on-smell-180984088/Eastern garter snakes might recognize their own scents, suggesting the reptiles are more cognitively complex than thought, according to a new studyThu, 04 Apr 2024 20:49:20 +0000George Carlin A.I. Imitation Case Reaches Settlementhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/george-carlin-ai-imitation-case-reaches-settlement-180984087/The late comedian's estate brought a lawsuit against two podcast hosts who used an A.I. voice generator to deliver a fake stand-up routineThu, 04 Apr 2024 20:35:50 +0000Trove of Viking Combs Sheds Light on English Town's Medieval Historyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-trove-of-viking-combs-unearthed-in-england-illustrates-the-raiders-penchant-for-hair-care-180984089/The hair care items are part of a sprawling collection of artifacts found in Ipswich between 1974 and 1994, which are now the subject of a new bookThu, 04 Apr 2024 19:30:12 +0000NASA Will Create a New Time Zone for the Moon, Called Coordinated Lunar Timehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-moon-will-get-its-own-time-zone-called-coordinated-lunar-time-under-nasas-lead-180984076/With dozens of lunar missions on the horizon, a standard time-keeping system for the moon will assist with precise navigation, docking and landingThu, 04 Apr 2024 18:13:23 +0000This Museum Lets Visitors Talk to A.I. Copies of World War II Veteranshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-museum-lets-visitors-talk-to-ai-copies-of-world-war-ii-veterans-180984055/Eighteen Americans who participated in the war effort each answered up to 1,000 questions on camera to create their interactive video likenessesThu, 04 Apr 2024 17:24:01 +0000Claude Monet's 'Moulin de Limetz' Could Fetch $25 Million at Auctionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/claude-monets-moulin-de-limetz-painting-is-heading-to-auction-180984074/The 1888 work depicts a grain mill on the River Epte near the artist's home in Giverny, FranceThu, 04 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000Falling Object That Crashed Into Florida Home May Be Debris From the International Space Stationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/falling-object-that-crashed-into-florida-home-may-be-debris-from-the-international-space-station-180984079/Nobody was hurt by the mysterious, two-pound object, but experts speculate it may be a piece of batteries ejected from the station in 2021Wed, 03 Apr 2024 20:58:45 +0000Archaeologists Find Ancient Statue of Apollo That Probably Adorned a Magnificent Fountainhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-beautiful-bust-of-apollo-exhibits-the-layered-history-of-an-ancient-greek-city-180984070/The marble bust sheds new light on the layered history of a 2,000-year-old Greek cityWed, 03 Apr 2024 20:13:52 +0000Listen Live to the Total Solar Eclipse, Transformed Into a Real-Time Musical Compositionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/listen-live-to-the-total-solar-eclipse-transformed-into-a-real-time-musical-composition-180984083/A composer based at San Francisco’s Exploratorium museum will use data coming from the eclipsed sun to create an out-of-this-world “sonification” on April 8Wed, 03 Apr 2024 19:38:54 +0000More Than Half of U.S. Landfills May Be Methane 'Super-Emitters,' Study Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-than-half-of-us-landfills-may-be-methane-super-emitters-study-finds-180984071/Aerial observations of hundreds of large landfills across 18 states found they are leaking 40 percent more methane than is reported to the EPAWed, 03 Apr 2024 17:13:05 +0000Andy Warhol 'Mao' Print Vanishes From a California College's Vaulthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-andy-warhol-print-of-mao-zedong-is-missing-from-a-california-college-180984069/The 1972 artwork, which the school had never publicly displayed, is worth an estimated $50,000Wed, 03 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000First Human Case of Bird Flu in Texas Confirmed, Following Infections in Cattle—Here's What to Knowhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/first-human-case-of-bird-flu-in-texas-confirmed-following-infections-in-cattle-heres-what-to-know-180984068/This marks only the second time in U.S. history that a human has contracted the H5N1 strain of avian influenzaTue, 02 Apr 2024 21:27:44 +0000The Art World Is Reevaluating Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat's Controversial Partnershiphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-unique-basquiat-and-warhol-collaboration-could-sell-for-18-million-180984065/"Untitled," a highlight of the duo's collaboration in the 1980s, could fetch $18 million at auctionTue, 02 Apr 2024 20:40:31 +0000Song Lyrics Have Become Angrier, Simpler and More Repetitive, Scientists Findhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/song-lyrics-have-become-angrier-simpler-and-more-repetitive-scientists-find-180984061/An analysis of more than 12,000 rap, pop, country, rock and R&B songs from the past 50 years shows more emotional and straightforward lyricsTue, 02 Apr 2024 20:08:38 +0000A Young Sailor's Remains Have Been Identified Eight Decades After He Died at Pearl Harborhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/sailors-remains-identified-more-than-80-years-after-the-attack-on-pearl-harbor-180984066/David Walker was a 19-year-old mess attendant aboard the USS "California" when Japan launched its surprise attackTue, 02 Apr 2024 19:12:55 +0000Florida Fish Are Mysteriously Dying After 'Spinning and Whirling,' and Scientists Can't Explain Ithttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/florida-fish-are-mysteriously-dying-after-spinning-and-whirling-and-scientists-cant-explain-it-180984073/The abnormal behavior has raised special concerns about the endangered smalltooth sawfish, an odd-looking ray with chainsaw-like teeth, as 28 of them have diedTue, 02 Apr 2024 18:23:11 +0000Researchers Use Old Newspaper Reports to Identify 137-Year-Old Shipwreck in Lake Michiganhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/137-year-old-shipwreck-found-in-lake-michigan-180984058/The steamship "Milwaukee" sank in a heavy fog off the coast of Holland, Michigan, after colliding with another vesselTue, 02 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000This Handheld Device Allows Blind People to Experience the Solar Eclipse With Their Earshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-handheld-device-allows-blind-people-to-experience-the-solar-eclipse-with-their-ears-180984062/The technology, which translates the intensity of sunlight into a range of sounds, was designed to make eclipses more accessible to visually impaired peopleMon, 01 Apr 2024 20:11:53 +0000Archaeologists Find 'Remarkable' Roman Villa Full of Coins, Jewelry and 'Curse Tablets'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-remarkable-roman-villa-in-britain-boasts-magnitude-decor-and-mysterious-miniature-objects-180984063/Discovered at a housing development in England, the complex's buildings may be nearly 2,000 years oldMon, 01 Apr 2024 19:54:12 +0000Archaeologists in Pompeii Find Ancient Construction Site, Undisturbed Since Vesuvius' Eruptionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-unearth-an-ancient-roman-construction-site-at-pompeii-180984045/The discovery is cluing researchers into the techniques used to build Rome’s most remarkable structuresMon, 01 Apr 2024 19:16:17 +0000Black-Capped Chickadees Are Masters of Memory—and Scientists Are Finding Out Whyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/black-capped-chickadees-are-masters-of-memory-and-scientists-are-finding-out-why-180984064/The small birds use brain “barcodes” to remember where they stash food, according to new researchMon, 01 Apr 2024 18:14:35 +0000Archaeologists Uncover Medieval Castle Hidden Beneath a French Hotelhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-medieval-castle-was-hidden-beneath-a-french-hotel-180984054/Excavations revealed a moat, pipes, jewelry, coins and other artifacts amidst the structure's ruinsMon, 01 Apr 2024 15:48:25 +0000Floating Board From 'Titanic' Sells for Over $700,000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/controversial-titanic-door-sells-at-auction-180984050/The infamous prop has long been the source of heated debate: Did Jack really have to die?Fri, 29 Mar 2024 20:28:12 +0000Microplastics Are Contaminating Ancient Archaeological Siteshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/microplastics-are-contaminating-ancient-archaeological-sites-180984049/New research suggests plastic particles may pose a threat to the preservation of historic remainsFri, 29 Mar 2024 19:47:14 +0000Rare Eyewitness Sketch of American Revolutionaries Found Hanging in a Collector's Bedroomhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-eyewitness-sketch-of-american-revolutionaries-was-hidden-in-a-private-collection-180984047/The drawing, which the owner recently donated to a museum, depicts the North Carolina Brigade passing through Philadelphia in 1777Fri, 29 Mar 2024 19:01:03 +0000Two New Species of Killer Whale Should Be Recognized, Study Sayshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/there-should-be-two-new-species-of-killer-whale-new-study-says-180984056/A couple of eastern North Pacific populations of orcas have qualities that set them apart, according to researchersFri, 29 Mar 2024 18:38:57 +0000See The Face of Emperor Wu, a Sixth-Century Chinese Ruler Brought to Life with DNA Analysishttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-face-of-emperor-wu-a-sixth-century-chinese-ruler-brought-to-life-with-dna-analysis-180984053/Genetic analysis of DNA from his skeleton offers not only a first glimpse at his face, but also insight into his mysterious deathFri, 29 Mar 2024 16:38:48 +0000Watch Pet Parrots Learn to Play Tablet Games—With Their Tongueshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/watch-pet-parrots-learn-to-play-tablet-games-with-their-tongues-180984048/Scientists are studying how the intelligent, social birds interact with touchscreens to help design mobile apps that serve as enrichment for the birdsFri, 29 Mar 2024 14:00:00 +0000Melting Polar Ice Sheets Are Slowing Earth's Rotation. That Could Change How We Keep Timehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/melting-polar-ice-sheets-are-slowing-earths-rotation-that-could-change-how-we-keep-time-180984046/As ice melts into water and flows toward the equator, it redistributes mass around the Earth, affecting the planet's spin, a new study findsFri, 29 Mar 2024 12:49:01 +0000Archaeologists Unearth 1,000-Year-Old Ice Skate Made of Animal Bone in Czech Republichttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-ancient-ice-skate-made-of-animal-bone-has-been-found-in-the-czech-republic-180984037/The artifact dates to a time when skates were used primarily for practical purposesThu, 28 Mar 2024 20:36:22 +0000Cargo Ships Keep Getting Bigger, and Infrastructure Is Racing to Keep Uphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cargo-ships-keep-getting-bigger-and-infrastructure-is-racing-to-keep-up-180984043/A massive container ship hit Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge this week, calling attention to the demands that ever-growing shipping vessels are placing on ports, canals and bridgesThu, 28 Mar 2024 20:30:42 +0000Man With Broken Metal Detector Unearths Largest Gold Nugget Ever Found in Englandhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/amateur-treasure-hunter-unearths-englands-largest-gold-nugget-with-broken-metal-detector-180984041/Richard Brock stumbled upon the treasure, valued at more than $38,000, about 20 minutes after starting his searchThu, 28 Mar 2024 18:14:24 +0000Someone Vandalized Banksy's New Mural in London. Now, It's Been Covered Uphttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/banksys-new-tree-mural-in-london-has-been-covered-in-plastic-and-wooden-boards-180984038/The coverings were added to protect the art, but critics worry they detract from the artist's intentionsThu, 28 Mar 2024 15:06:50 +0000Intermittent Fasting Linked to Higher Risk of Death From Heart Disease, Preliminary Study Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/intermittent-fasting-linked-to-higher-risk-of-death-from-heart-disease-preliminary-study-finds-180983993/New research challenges the idea that restricting eating to a limited time frame is beneficial—though the work has some notable limitations, such as a reliance on self-reported eating habitsThu, 28 Mar 2024 14:30:00 +0000Can A.I. Make Beer Taste Better? Scientists Test a Model That Recommends New Flavorshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/can-ai-make-beer-taste-better-scientists-test-a-model-that-recommends-new-flavors-180984040/Researchers spent three years developing a machine learning model that can predict how good beer will taste based on its chemical composition—and make suggestions for how to improve itThu, 28 Mar 2024 12:17:14 +0000This Museum Needs Your Help Identifying the Subject of a 19th-Century Paintinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-museum-needs-your-help-identifying-the-subject-of-a-19th-century-painting-180984031/Nobody knows the name of the child in "The Black Boy," but a museum in Liverpool is hoping someone will recognize himWed, 27 Mar 2024 20:35:57 +0000Astronomers Capture Dazzling New Image of the Black Hole at the Milky Way's Centerhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/astronomers-capture-dazzling-new-image-of-the-black-hole-at-the-milky-ways-center-180984039/The first image of the black hole taken in polarized light, the new view shows the supermassive structure's magnetic fields and hints that it could be hiding an enormous jetWed, 27 Mar 2024 20:14:05 +0000Bird Flu Confirmed in U.S. Dairy Cows for the First Time, but Milk Supply Is Unaffected, Officials Sayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bird-flu-confirmed-in-us-dairy-cows-for-the-first-time-but-milk-supply-is-unaffected-officials-say-180984034/Tests detected the virus at two farms in Texas and two farms in Kansas, but officials and scientists stress commercial dairy products remain safe to consumeWed, 27 Mar 2024 18:30:35 +0000Mexican Government Acquires Rare Centuries-Old Aztec Manuscriptshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-familys-centuries-old-aztec-manuscripts-are-shared-publicly-for-the-first-time-180984029/The 16th- and 17th-century artifacts provide historical accounts of events such as the founding of TenochtitlánWed, 27 Mar 2024 17:32:47 +0000Why Scientists Are Calling for the Moon to Be Better Protected From Developmenthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-scientists-are-calling-for-the-moon-to-be-better-protected-from-development-180984026/Only a few lunar sites are ideal for certain cutting-edge research—and they’re under threat from mining, satellites and bases, scientists argueWed, 27 Mar 2024 15:55:47 +0000Sunken British Warship That Left Crew Marooned for 66 Days Has Been Identifiedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-the-marooned-crew-of-this-sunken-warship-escaped-the-florida-keys-in-improvised-boats-180984028/Found off the coast of Florida, the HMS "Tyger" left some 300 crew members stranded on Garden Key in 1742Wed, 27 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000These Small Birds Flutter Their Wings to Say 'After You' to Their Partnerhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-small-birds-flutter-their-wings-to-say-after-you-to-their-partner-180984027/A new study of Japanese tits provides the first evidence of non-primate animals using gestures to convey messagesTue, 26 Mar 2024 20:35:01 +0000Planning a Road Trip for the Total Solar Eclipse? Here's Why You Should Drive Extra Carefullyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/planning-a-road-trip-for-the-total-solar-eclipse-heres-why-you-should-drive-extra-carefully-180984030/Scientists found a 31 percent increase in fatal car crashes around the 2017 total solar eclipse, akin to spikes in traffic risk on busy holiday weekendsTue, 26 Mar 2024 19:43:28 +0000Waiters Race Through the Streets of Paris While Balancing Trays of Coffee and Croissantshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/waiters-and-waitresses-raced-through-the-streets-of-paris-180984025/About 200 servers competed in the 1.2-mile race—a tradition that goes back to 1914Tue, 26 Mar 2024 19:26:25 +0000The Broken Seal of a Pope's 14th-Century Decree Has Been Found in Polandhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-broken-seal-of-a-popes-14th-century-proclamation-has-been-found-in-poland-180984022/The metal fragment was once part of a papal bull, an official communication distributed by the Catholic ChurchTue, 26 Mar 2024 17:04:20 +0000Louvre Receives Bomb Threat Against 'Mona Lisa' and Other Masterpieceshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bomb-threat-targets-the-mona-lisa-and-other-masterpieces-at-the-louvre-180984021/The message came in through the museum's online contact form on March 17Tue, 26 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000Five Museums Unveil Audio Guides Celebrating Lesser-Known Women Artistshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-museums-unveil-audio-guides-celebrating-lesser-known-women-artists-180984017/The project—titled Museums Without Men—debuted in the U.S. and the U.K. during Women's History MonthMon, 25 Mar 2024 21:03:53 +0000Stone Age People Survived a Supervolcano Eruption by Adapting to Dry Periods, Archaeologists Suggesthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stone-age-people-survived-a-supervolcano-eruption-by-adapting-to-dry-periods-archaeologists-suggest-180984024/Humans living in northwest Ethiopia around 74,000 years ago switched to eating more fish following the eruption, a behavior that might have enabled migration out of AfricaMon, 25 Mar 2024 20:40:02 +0000Mysterious World War II Plane Propeller Found in Scottish Peat Boghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-buried-propeller-blade-broke-off-a-wwii-plane-that-crashed-on-a-scottish-isle-180984018/The object likely broke off a doomed plane during a crash on the isle of ArranMon, 25 Mar 2024 19:23:09 +0000Dogs Can Understand the Words for Several Objects, Such as Toys and Leashes, Study Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dogs-can-understand-the-words-for-several-objects-such-as-toys-and-leashes-study-finds-180984023/Your dog may know the word "ball" is associated with their favorite round squishy toy, according to new research that measured brain wavesMon, 25 Mar 2024 19:16:12 +0000Mathematician Who Made Sense of the Universe's Randomness Wins Math's Top Prizehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mathematician-who-made-sense-of-the-universes-randomness-wins-maths-top-prize-180984020/Michel Talagrand took home the 2024 Abel Prize for his work on stochastic systems, randomness and a proof of a physics reaction that many experts thought was unsolvableMon, 25 Mar 2024 18:07:22 +0000See the Faces of Four Scots Across Thousands of Years of History, Brought to Life Using A.I.https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-faces-of-four-scots-across-thousands-of-years-of-history-brought-to-life-using-ai-180984019/The Perth Museum in Scotland is unveiling digital reconstructions of men and women who lived in the region from the Bronze Age through the 16th centuryMon, 25 Mar 2024 17:16:03 +0000Titan's Massive Dunes May Be a Comet and Moon Graveyard From the Early Solar Systemhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/titans-massive-dunes-may-be-a-comet-and-moon-graveyard-from-the-early-solar-system-180983973/A new modeling study suggests the dark dunes on Saturn's largest moon are made of tiny particles created by crashing comets and moonlets billions of years agoMon, 25 Mar 2024 16:30:00 +0000Doctors Take Another Step Toward Animal-to-Human Organ Transplants With the First Pig Kidney Transplanthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/first-human-receives-pig-kidney-transplant-180984016/The experimental procedure was done on a man experiencing end-stage kidney failure last week who had been on the transplant waiting list for two yearsMon, 25 Mar 2024 11:03:08 +0000Metal Detectorist Discovers 300-Year-Old Silver Thimble Engraved With a Romantic Inscriptionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/metal-detectorist-discovers-a-post-medieval-silver-thimble-engraved-with-a-love-poem-180984005/The artifact, which features the words "like enduringly, love forever," had been declared a treasure by officials in WalesFri, 22 Mar 2024 20:29:51 +0000These Are the Most Polluted National Parkshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-are-the-most-polluted-national-parks-180984009/Five California sites made the top ten list for unhealthiest air, according to a new reportFri, 22 Mar 2024 19:04:42 +0000Two Decades After They Were Stolen, Dorothy's Ruby Slippers Returned to the Scene of the Crime. Will They Stay There?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/20-years-after-they-were-stolen-dorothys-slippers-have-returned-to-the-scene-of-the-crime-will-they-stay-there-180984004/Federal investigators have handed over the shoes to their rightful owner, who plans to sell them at auction later this yearFri, 22 Mar 2024 17:50:47 +0000This Extremely Rare Neurological Condition Makes Faces Appear Distorted or 'Like a Demon'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-extremely-rare-neurological-condition-makes-faces-appear-distorted-or-like-a-demon-180984015/For the first time, scientists have recreated what one patient suffering from prosopometamorphopsia, or PMO, sees when he looks at facesFri, 22 Mar 2024 17:27:48 +0000Five Canoes Discovered Northwest of Rome Are the Oldest Boats Ever Found in the Mediterraneanhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-canoes-discovered-northwest-of-rome-are-oldest-boats-ever-found-in-the-mediterranean-180984014/The 7,000-year-old vessels offer evidence of advanced seafaring technology and an extensive regional trade network, a new study suggestsFri, 22 Mar 2024 17:03:30 +0000158 Cherry Blossom Trees Will Be Cut Down in D.C. in Effort to Withstand Sea-Level Risehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/158-cherry-blossom-trees-will-be-cut-down-in-dc-in-effort-to-withstand-sea-level-rise-180983999/The National Park Service's restoration project will reconstruct a protective seawall and plant 274 new cherry blossoms when work is completeFri, 22 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000A Medieval Pilgrim May Have Carried This Basilisk Pendant to Guard Against Evilhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-medieval-pilgrim-may-have-carried-this-basilisk-pendant-for-protection-180983994/Found in Poland, the "pilgrim's badge" was likely worn by a Christian traveler hundreds of years agoThu, 21 Mar 2024 20:43:12 +0000Five Shocking Animal Hybrids That Truly Exist in Nature, From Narlugas to Grolar Bears to Coywolveshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-shocking-animal-hybrids-that-truly-exist-in-nature-from-narlugas-to-grolar-bears-to-coywolves-180983996/The now-famous “virgin” stingray Charlotte is not having hybrid babies, scientists say. But in nature, distinct species sometimes interbreed to produce surprising offspringThu, 21 Mar 2024 20:33:27 +0000Incredibly Well-Preserved Bronze Age Village Reveals a Snapshot of Early British Life Before a Firehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/incredibly-well-preserved-bronze-age-village-reveals-a-snapshot-of-early-british-life-before-a-fire-180984006/Residents fled when flames burned through the Must Farm settlement, and now, archaeologists have unearthed its buildings and objects that were preserved in a riverbedThu, 21 Mar 2024 20:02:33 +0000Oregon Is Now Home to the World's Largest Dark Sky Sanctuaryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/oregon-is-now-home-to-the-worlds-largest-dark-sky-sanctuary-180983997/The Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary covers 2.5 million acres in the southeastern part of the stateThu, 21 Mar 2024 18:15:19 +0000New Extinct Species of Giant Dolphin Discovered in Peru From a 16-Million-Year-Old Skullhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-extinct-species-of-giant-dolphin-discovered-in-peru-from-a-16-million-year-old-skull-180984007/Pebanista yacuruna is the largest freshwater dolphin ever found, but it is more closely related to today's river dolphins of South Asia than those in the AmazonThu, 21 Mar 2024 18:04:23 +0000Family Finds Stolen Japanese Artifacts While Cleaning Out an Attic in Massachusettshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/looted-artifacts-return-to-japan-almost-80-years-after-being-stolen-in-world-war-ii-180983991/The FBI has returned the rare objects to Okinawa, where they were looted during World War IIWed, 20 Mar 2024 20:45:44 +0000Alaska's Frigid North Slope Was Once a Lush, Wet, Dinosaur Hotspot, Fossils Revealhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/alaskas-frigid-north-slope-was-once-a-lush-wet-dinosaur-hotspot-fossils-reveal-180983990/Conditions north of the Arctic Circle, where dinosaurs roamed in abundance during the mid-Cretaceous, were warmer than today, with rainfall comparable to “modern-day Miami”Wed, 20 Mar 2024 20:42:42 +0000Manhattan Project Report Signed by J. Robert Oppenheimer Sells at Auctionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/manhattan-project-report-signed-by-j-robert-oppenheimer-sells-at-auction-180983971/The document was "likely the very first publicly available report on the creation of the bomb," according to RR AuctionWed, 20 Mar 2024 19:38:45 +0000Archaeologists Keep Finding Preserved Human Brains. But How Do the Organs Remain Intact?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-keep-finding-preserved-human-brains-but-how-do-the-organs-remain-intact-180983995/Scientists have unearthed more than 4,400 human brains—some more than 12,000 years old—making them less rare than thought, a new study findsWed, 20 Mar 2024 18:51:27 +0000Archaeologists Discover 2,000-Year-Old Rock Art in Brazilhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-2000-year-old-rock-art-in-brazil-180983968/Recurring symbols across 16 sites suggest that many of the artworks were created by the same cultural groupWed, 20 Mar 2024 18:22:20 +0000Plastics Contain Thousands More Chemicals Than Thought, and Most Are Unregulated, Report Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/plastics-contain-thousands-more-chemicals-than-thought-and-most-are-unregulated-report-finds-180983967/A new database catalogs 16,000 chemicals found in plastics and identifies more than 4,200 that are potentially hazardous to human health and the environmentTue, 19 Mar 2024 20:58:33 +0000Ten Shipwrecks Found Off the Coast of Greek Islandhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ten-shipwrecks-found-off-coast-greek-island-180983988/The sunken vessels range in age from 3,000 B.C.E to the 1940sTue, 19 Mar 2024 19:34:13 +0000This 1,200-Year-Old Tomb in Panama Contains a Treasure Trove of Artifacts and Up to 32 Bodieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-1200-year-old-tomb-in-panama-contains-a-treasure-trove-of-artifacts-and-up-to-32-bodies-180983977/Researchers found flutes, bells, gold jewelry and the body of an important religious leader inside the elaborate shared graveTue, 19 Mar 2024 18:52:21 +0000Daddy Longlegs Have Four Extra, Hidden Eyes, Researchers Sayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/daddy-longlegs-have-four-extra-hidden-eyes-researchers-say-180983978/The new discovery could help scientists unravel the mystery of how the arachnids evolved across some 537 million yearsTue, 19 Mar 2024 18:49:06 +0000See the Portrait That Made Henry VIII Fall in Love With Anne of Cleves, Newly Restored to Its Former Gloryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-portrait-that-made-henry-viii-fall-in-love-with-anne-of-cleves-newly-restored-to-its-former-glory-180983987/The Louvre cleaned and conserved Hans Holbein's 1539 likeness of the Tudor queen, revealing its vibrant colors and previously hidden detailsTue, 19 Mar 2024 18:25:52 +0000Most Astronauts Experience 'Space Headaches' While on the ISS, Study Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/most-astronauts-experience-space-headaches-while-on-the-iss-study-finds-180983976/Surveys of 24 astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station found that nearly all of them reported headaches, and many of these occurred past the first week in spaceTue, 19 Mar 2024 17:16:21 +0000New Banksy Mural Appears on a Building in Londonhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-banksy-mural-appears-on-building-in-london-180983969/Located on a wall behind a bare tree, the work features towering streaks of green meant to look like foliageTue, 19 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000Iceland Volcano Spews Lava in Fourth and Most Powerful Eruption in Three Monthshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/iceland-volcano-spews-lava-in-fourth-and-most-powerful-eruption-in-three-months-180983966/Officials detected signs of an eruption only 40 minutes before fountains of lava burst from the groundMon, 18 Mar 2024 20:15:11 +0000A Vincent van Gogh Self-Portrait Is at the Center of a New Exhibition on the 'Art of the Selfie'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/vincent-van-gogh-self-portrait-at-center-of-new-exhibition-on-the-art-of-the-selfie-180983962/The National Museum Cardiff is encouraging visitors to snap photos with the 1887 artwork, which is on view in Wales for the first timeMon, 18 Mar 2024 19:34:10 +0000Python Meat Could Be a Sustainable, Nutritious Food Source, Scientists Sayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/python-meat-could-be-a-sustainable-nutritious-food-source-scientists-say-180983970/The snakes may be some of the most resource-efficient animals to farm on the planet, a new study suggestsMon, 18 Mar 2024 18:16:42 +0000Construction Worker Stumbles Upon Mysterious Roman Statue Hidden Beneath a Parking Lot in Englandhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/english-thieves-may-have-made-off-with-this-roman-statueif-it-wasnt-so-heavy-180983961/Found near a lavish historic estate, the nearly 2,000-year-old artifact has baffled researchersMon, 18 Mar 2024 16:57:00 +0000Five Fascinating Science Projects Using the Total Solar Eclipse to Illuminate New Discoverieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-fascinating-science-projects-using-the-total-solar-eclipse-to-illuminate-new-discoveries-180983925/The NASA-supported experiments are mobilizing legions of researchers and volunteers to capture wide-ranging observations during totality, from amateur radio operations to elusive solar plumes to unusual animal behaviorMon, 18 Mar 2024 14:40:05 +0000Book Banning Attempts Are at Record Highshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/book-banning-attempts-are-at-record-highs-180983964/A new report from the American Library Association found that the number of challenged titles increased by 65 percent in 2023Mon, 18 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000Shells From Captain Cook's Final Voyage Were Rescued From a Dumpsterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-now-extinct-sea-specimens-from-an-18th-century-collectors-lost-trove-have-been-rediscovered-180983947/Long presumed lost, the collection of rare shells is now on display in EnglandFri, 15 Mar 2024 19:22:35 +0000Starship Reaches Orbit in Third Test Flight, a Success for SpaceX and the Future of Lunar Travelhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/starship-reaches-orbit-in-third-test-flight-a-success-for-spacex-and-the-future-of-lunar-travel-180983959/As it returned to Earth, the spacecraft likely broke apart or burned up, and the booster was lost in the Gulf of MexicoFri, 15 Mar 2024 18:24:41 +0000Françoise Gilot's Artistic Career Persisted Long After She Left Picasso. Now, She's Getting an Exhibition in Parishttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/decades-after-picasso-campaigned-to-destroy-his-exs-career-his-museum-in-paris-will-showcase-her-art-180983945/At the Picasso Museum, the talented painter's artistic legacy is finally getting the recognition it deservesFri, 15 Mar 2024 17:37:28 +0000Mars Has an Unexpected Influence on Earth's Oceans and Climate, Repeating Every 2.4 Million Years, Study Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mars-has-an-unexpected-influence-on-earths-oceans-and-climate-repeating-every-24-million-years-study-finds-180983952/The gravitational interactions between Mars and Earth as they orbit the sun may have periodically promoted a warmer climate and changes in ocean circulation on our home planetFri, 15 Mar 2024 16:43:13 +0000Whales That Go Through Menopause Live Longer and May Help Care for Grandchildrenhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/whales-that-go-through-menopause-live-longer-and-may-help-care-for-grandchildren-180983954/Alongside humans, five species of toothed whales are known to experience menopause. A new study suggests they evolved the trait to increase their lifespanThu, 14 Mar 2024 20:42:46 +0000See a Tapestry Commissioned to Celebrate the Paris Summer Olympicshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-tapestry-commissioned-celebrate-paris-summer-olympics-180983957/Designed by artist Marjane Satrapi, the enormous triptych depicts athletes competing around the Eiffel TowerThu, 14 Mar 2024 19:20:54 +0000For Most Mammal Species, Males Actually Aren't Larger Than Females, Study Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/for-most-mammal-species-males-actually-arent-larger-than-females-study-finds-180983946/New research upends a long-held theory that male mammals tend to be bigger than their female counterpartsThu, 14 Mar 2024 19:05:27 +0000Long Overlooked, This 11th-Century Astronomical Device Documents Scientific Exchange Among Muslims, Jews and Christianshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/long-overlooked-this-11th-century-astronomical-device-documents-scientific-exchange-among-muslims-jews-christians-180983955/The astrolabe features Hebrew and Latin inscriptions added by different owners over timeThu, 14 Mar 2024 18:23:20 +0000You Can See a Rare, Bright Comet This Month. Will It Be Visible During the Solar Eclipse?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-see-a-rare-bright-comet-this-month-will-it-be-visible-during-the-solar-eclipse-180983951/Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is a frigid, volcanic ice ball that won’t pass near Earth again until 2095Thu, 14 Mar 2024 17:55:34 +0000Who Will Design London's First Permanent HIV/AIDS Memorial?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/who-will-design-londons-first-permanent-hivaids-memorial-180983950/Five artists have been shortlisted for the project, which will be located near the site of the U.K.'s first dedicated AIDS wardThu, 14 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0000See the Messages NASA Will Send to Space on Its Upcoming Mission to Europahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-messages-nasa-will-send-to-space-on-its-upcoming-mission-to-europa-180983949/A metal plate affixed to the Europa Clipper is engraved with a poem, tributes to scientists and waveforms representing the word "water" in 103 languages, among other drawingsThu, 14 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000Spanish Police Shut Down a Crime Ring Accused of Selling Fake Banksy Artworkshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/spanish-police-take-down-an-alleged-crime-ring-selling-fake-banksys-180983930/The suspects allegedly recreated the famous street artist's work using spray paint and cardboard to rake in over $10,000Wed, 13 Mar 2024 20:46:19 +0000Gabriel García Márquez's Sons Publish Novel the Author Wanted to Destroyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gabriel-garcia-marquezs-sons-betray-the-author-by-publishing-a-draft-of-his-last-novel-180983927/The famed novelist had instructed his family never to publish drafts of "Until August," written as he struggled with dementia during his final yearsWed, 13 Mar 2024 18:45:27 +0000Modern Indian People Have a Wide Range of Neanderthal DNA, Study Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/modern-indian-people-have-a-wide-range-of-neanderthal-dna-study-finds-180983928/Genomes of Indian people today reveal links to a prehistoric migration and a group of Iranian farmers, as well as several new sequences from the Neanderthal genomeWed, 13 Mar 2024 18:44:05 +0000U.S. Has 'No Evidence' of Alien Technology, New Pentagon Report Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/us-has-no-evidence-of-alien-technology-new-pentagon-report-finds-180983938/A review of government investigations into unidentified anomalous phenomena since 1945 found that "most sightings were ordinary objects and phenomena and the result of misidentification"Wed, 13 Mar 2024 14:14:04 +0000Archaeologists Unearth the Long-Lost Top Half of an Enormous Ramses II Statuehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-long-lost-top-half-enormous-ramses-II-statue-180983937/A German researcher found the lower section of the Egyptian pharaoh's likeness nearly 100 years agoWed, 13 Mar 2024 12:30:00 +0000A 1,000-Year-Old Viking Sword Emerges From an English Riverhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1000-year-old-viking-sword-emerges-from-english-river-180983936/Discovered by a magnet fisher, the weapon dates to between 850 and 975, during the Vikings' violent conquest of BritainWed, 13 Mar 2024 11:15:00 +0000Don't Look Up: Cicadas Produce High-Speed Jets of Urinehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dont-look-up-cicadas-produce-high-speed-jets-of-urine-180983935/The noisy, winged insects produce pee the same way that much larger animals do, according to a new studyTue, 12 Mar 2024 20:29:17 +0000'Strange' New Prehistoric Bird Discovered in China and Named for David Attenboroughhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/strange-new-prehistoric-bird-discovered-in-china-and-named-for-david-attenborough-180983934/The proto-bird lived some 120 million years ago and did not have teeth—a trait more similar to birds of today than to birds of its time—sharpening scientists' understanding of avian evolutionTue, 12 Mar 2024 19:20:56 +0000Why a 1-Cent Postage Stamp Could Sell for $5 Millionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-a-1-cent-postage-stamp-could-sell-for-5-million-180983940/If predictions are accurate, the sale would be the highest ever for an American postage markTue, 12 Mar 2024 19:20:11 +0000You Could Run a 'Penguin Post Office' in Antarcticahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-could-run-penguin-post-office-antarctica-180983939/Three new hires will spend five months living among gentoo penguins and sorting postcards at the world's southernmost post officeTue, 12 Mar 2024 18:49:56 +0000Pro-Palestinian Activists Damage Balfour Portrait at Cambridge Universityhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pro-palestinian-activists-damage-arthur-james-balfour-portrait-180983932/The 1917 Balfour Declaration was a pivotal declaration of British support for a "national home for the Jewish people"Tue, 12 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000Asian Elephants Bury Their Dead, New Research Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/asian-elephants-bury-their-dead-new-research-suggests-180983929/In India, five dead calves were found buried on their backs in irrigation ditches, with evidence that multiple herd members had participated in the burialsMon, 11 Mar 2024 20:40:07 +0000A Lost Gershwin Musical Has Been Found Nearly 100 Years After It Was Last Performedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gershwins-first-ever-musical-is-rediscovered-after-almost-100-years-180983920/A researcher found a box containing 800 pages from the composer's first musical, "La, La, Lucille"Mon, 11 Mar 2024 20:23:29 +0000Mesoamericans May Have Drunk Tobacco During Rituals 1,000 Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1000-year-old-residues-suggest-ancient-mayans-consumed-liquid-nicotine-180983921/New research reveals evidence of nicotine residue on vases unearthed in GuatemalaMon, 11 Mar 2024 18:55:13 +0000A History of Total Solar Eclipses Seen by Astronauts From Outer Spacehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-history-of-total-solar-eclipses-seen-by-astronauts-from-outer-space-180983909/Since the Gemini 12 mission in 1966, a handful of people have seen these stunning celestial events from orbit—or watched the moon’s shadow pass over EarthMon, 11 Mar 2024 18:40:00 +0000With New Holocaust Museum, the Netherlands Reckons With Its Pasthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/with-new-holocaust-museum-the-netherlands-reckons-with-its-past-180983924/The venue, which opens this week, memorializes the Dutch Jews who suffered at the hands of the NazisMon, 11 Mar 2024 16:57:49 +0000Scientists Grow Elephant Stem Cells in Key Step Toward Woolly Mammoth 'De-Extinction'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-grow-elephant-stem-cells-in-key-step-toward-woolly-mammoth-de-extinction-180983922/The team's lofty goal of "resurrection" is still far from reality, but scientists say the advancement in understanding cells could help with elephant conservationFri, 08 Mar 2024 22:00:13 +0000Found in a Polish Forest, This Dagger Belonged to an Elite Warrior 4,000 Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dug-up-in-a-polish-forest-this-4000-year-old-dagger-belonged-to-an-elite-warrior-180983912/A metal detectorist came across the copper artifact while searching for objects from World War I and World War IIFri, 08 Mar 2024 21:57:13 +0000Fossil Hunter Discovers Gigantic Crab in New Zealand—a New, Extinct Specieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fossil-hunter-discovers-gigantic-crab-in-new-zealand-a-new-extinct-species-180983923/The massive creature is 8.8 million years old, and its modern descendants in Australia can grow to be the weight of a human toddlerFri, 08 Mar 2024 20:53:42 +0000You Can Spend the Night in the Secret Library Tucked Inside St. Paul's Cathedralhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-spend-the-night-inside-st-pauls-cathedral-in-london-180983916/Airbnb is offering two guests the chance to sleep amongst 22,000 books in an area normally off-limits to visitorsFri, 08 Mar 2024 19:16:01 +0000Hundreds of Thousands of Salmon Die After Release in Northern California's Klamath Riverhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hundreds-of-thousands-of-salmon-die-after-release-in-northern-californias-klamath-river-180983914/The juvenile Chinook salmon likely died from pressure changes as they swam through an old tunnel in the Iron Gate Dam, slated to be removed this year as part of a massive demolition projectFri, 08 Mar 2024 17:26:23 +0000Goodwill Listed This Rare Gold Lego Piece for $14.95. It Sold for $18,101https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-gold-lego-piece-found-at-goodwill-sells-for-18101-180983913/Lego created just 30 of the 14-karat gold Kanohi Hau masks for a giveaway in 2001Fri, 08 Mar 2024 15:39:52 +0000Mr. Darcy's Famous Wet Shirt Sells for $25,000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/colin-firths-iconic-wet-mr-darcy-shirt-sells-for-25000-at-auction-180983902/Actor Colin Firth’s costume from the BBC's “Pride in Prejudice” doubled auction house estimatesThu, 07 Mar 2024 22:25:37 +0000Stone Tools Found in Ukraine May Be the Oldest Evidence of Early Humans in Europehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stone-tools-found-in-ukraine-may-be-the-oldest-evidence-of-early-humans-in-europe-180983915/The 1.4-million-year-old rocks may have belonged to Homo erectus, and they shed light on migrations of human ancestors, a new study suggestsThu, 07 Mar 2024 21:30:31 +0000A Rare Gray Whale, Believed Extinct in the Atlantic for 200 Years, Has Been Spotted off New Englandhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-rare-gray-whale-believed-extinct-in-the-atlantic-for-200-years-has-been-spotted-off-new-england-180983911/Scientists say a lack of Arctic sea ice due to climate change could have created a passageway for the mammal to travel from the Pacific OceanThu, 07 Mar 2024 19:25:18 +0000These French Cheeses Are at Risk of Extinctionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-some-french-cheeses-are-at-risk-of-disappearing-180983907/A lack of microbial diversity could eventually spell the end of cheeses like CamembertThu, 07 Mar 2024 19:01:15 +0000Paris Is Preparing for the Summer Olympics With a New Exhibition at the Louvrehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/paris-prepares-for-2024s-summer-games-with-olympics-exhibition-at-the-louvre-180983906/"Olympism" explores the history of the ancient Olympics and France’s influence on the modern gamesThu, 07 Mar 2024 15:16:37 +0000Scientists Reject Proposal to Define the Anthropocene, a Geological Age Marked by Human Activityhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-reject-proposal-to-define-anthropocene-180983905/Experts had suggested a new epoch started in the mid-20th century, but the recent vote demonstrates how tough it is to pinpoint when humans' impact on the planet beganWed, 06 Mar 2024 21:40:16 +0000Very Rare Yellow-Billed Loon Visits the Las Vegas Strip, Hangs Out in the Bellagio Fountainshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/very-rare-yellow-billed-loon-visits-the-las-vegas-strip-hangs-out-in-the-bellagio-fountains-180983904/The out-of-place bird prompted the hotel to put its famed fountain show on hold before biologists captured and moved the bird—one of the country's ten rarest—to better habitatWed, 06 Mar 2024 20:22:01 +0000This Banksy Mural Was Salvaged From the Wall of a London Office Buildinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/banksy-mural-salvaged-from-london-office-building-heads-to-auction-180983900/Conservators have been working for a year to restore "Happy Choppers," which is going to auction on March 20Wed, 06 Mar 2024 20:07:33 +0000Climate Change May Unearth Cold War-Era Nuclear Waste Stored by the U.S. in Other Countrieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/climate-change-may-unearth-cold-war-era-nuclear-waste-stored-by-the-us-in-other-countries-180983901/A new report finds that melting ice and rising sea levels could disturb radioactive contamination left over from American nuclear tests after World War IIWed, 06 Mar 2024 19:30:59 +0000Auction House Cancels Sale of Looted Ethiopian Shieldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/auctioneer-withdraws-looted-maqdala-shield-after-ethiopian-government-calls-for-restitution-180983895/Heritage officials have called for the return of the artifact, which British forces seized in 1868Wed, 06 Mar 2024 17:47:36 +0000Rare 'Jungle Book' Watercolor Goes on Display at Rudyard Kipling's Home in Englandhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/original-watercolor-from-the-jungle-book-to-be-showcased-at-authors-home-in-england-180983896/"The Return of the Buffalo Herd" is one of only four surviving illustrations from the bookTue, 05 Mar 2024 21:57:55 +0000Scientists Unravel the Mysteries of Earth's Towering Star Dunes—Massive, Moving Mountains of Sandhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-unravel-the-mysteries-of-earths-towering-star-dunes-massive-moving-mountains-of-sand-180983898/Using new technologies, researchers revealed an enormous star dune in Morocco formed more quickly than thought, and it's on the moveTue, 05 Mar 2024 21:22:30 +0000A Remarkable Fresco Depicting a Scene From Greek Mythology Has Been Found in Pompeiihttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-a-colorful-fresco-depicting-mythical-greek-siblings-in-pompeii-180983888/The vibrant painting portrays siblings Phrixus and Helle as they flee from their stepmotherTue, 05 Mar 2024 21:01:42 +0000Jupiter's Moon Europa May Have Less Oxygen Than Previously Thoughthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/jupiters-moon-europa-may-have-less-oxygen-than-previously-thought-180983897/The new findings could have implications for whether Europa's vast ocean contains the conditions necessary to support lifeTue, 05 Mar 2024 19:08:39 +0000This Is When Washington, D.C.'s Cherry Trees Are Predicted to Bloom This Yearhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heres-when-washington-dcs-cherry-trees-are-predicted-to-bloom-this-year-180983892/"Peak bloom," which typically falls in late March or early April, refers to the day when at least 70 percent of the trees have blossomedTue, 05 Mar 2024 18:42:04 +0000Archaeologists May Have Found Traces of a Viking Marketplace in Norwayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-found-traces-viking-marketplace-norway-180983886/Ground-penetrating radar found evidence of a trading hub buried near the island of Klosterøy's historic monasteryMon, 04 Mar 2024 22:10:37 +0000Why Do Poison Dart Frogs 'Tap Dance' With Their Toes? Research Sheds Light on Feeding Time Footworkhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-do-poison-dart-frogs-tap-dance-with-their-toes-research-sheds-light-on-feeding-time-footwork-180983822/Scientists observed frogs tapping their toes up to 500 times per minute when prey was present, suggesting the behavior is related to predationMon, 04 Mar 2024 21:52:21 +0000This Is What Ancient Roman Wine Tasted Likehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-is-what-ancient-roman-wine-tasted-like-180983869/New research shows that clay vessels known as dolia were essential to the drink's distinctive taste, flavor and textureMon, 04 Mar 2024 20:41:17 +0000These Photos Are the First to Show Humpback Whales Mating—and Both Are Maleshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-photos-are-the-first-to-show-humpback-whales-mating-and-both-are-males-180983890/Photographers spotted the interaction in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Maui in 2022Mon, 04 Mar 2024 20:30:03 +0000How Wasabi Can Help Preserve Ancient Papyrushttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-wasabi-is-helping-preserve-ancient-egyptian-papyrus-180983881/Researchers say the green horseradish-like paste can fight fungal infections without damaging fragile pigmentsMon, 04 Mar 2024 19:26:56 +0000Single Orca Spotted Killing a Great White Shark for the First Time Everhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/single-orca-spotted-killing-a-great-white-shark-for-the-first-time-ever-180983887/In less than two minutes, the marine mammal attacked a juvenile white shark and ripped out its liver in an encounter off the coast of South Africa last yearMon, 04 Mar 2024 18:59:23 +0000Algerian Officials Inaugurate the Largest Mosque in Africahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/algeria-officially-inaugurates-the-largest-mosque-in-africa-180983880/Spanning nearly 70 acres, the $898 million project faced years of delays amid political controversyFri, 01 Mar 2024 22:10:54 +0000Deadly Snake Venom Is No Match for This New Synthetic Antibodyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/deadly-snake-venom-is-no-match-for-this-new-synthetic-antibody-180983873/Scientists have created a treatment that targets a toxin produced by cobras, mambas and kraits, laying the foundation for a future universal antivenom against snake bites, according to new researchFri, 01 Mar 2024 21:55:19 +0000The Largest Wildfire in Texas History Is Raging. Here's What You Need to Knowhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-largest-wildfire-in-texas-history-is-raging-heres-what-you-need-to-know-180983879/More than one million acres of land have been engulfed in the Smokehouse Creek Fire, placing it among the largest blazes to ever strike the U.S.Fri, 01 Mar 2024 20:41:10 +0000A Towering Statue of Atlas Emerges From the Ruins of Sicily's Ancient Temple of Zeushttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-towering-statue-of-atlas-emerges-from-the-ruins-of-sicily-ancient-temple-of-zeus-180983876/In the fifth century B.C.E., 38 looming sculptures of the Titan stood guard at the structureFri, 01 Mar 2024 19:04:55 +0000A Leak on the International Space Station Is Growing, but It Poses No Threat to Crews, NASA Sayshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-leak-on-the-international-space-station-is-growing-but-it-poses-no-threat-to-crews-nasa-says-180983882/The leak, which is at the end of a Russian service module, will not affect the upcoming launch of Crew-8 to the stationFri, 01 Mar 2024 18:53:43 +0000Why Did Colonists Trash This Piece of Armor After Settling in Maryland 300 Years Ago?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-did-colonists-trash-this-piece-of-armor-after-settling-in-maryland-300-years-ago-180983878/The metal plate was unearthed in the cellar of a storehouse dating to the mid-1600sFri, 01 Mar 2024 18:14:58 +0000Boiling Tap Water Could Help Remove 80 Percent of Its Microplastics, Study Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/boiling-tap-water-could-help-remove-80-percent-of-its-microplastics-study-suggests-180983874/Minerals in some tap water can capture tiny plastic particles when the water is boiled, making them easier to filter away, according to a new studyFri, 01 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +000010,000 People Were Evacuated So Experts Could Safely Detonate an Unexploded World War II-Era Bombhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/10000-people-were-evacuated-because-of-an-unexploded-wwii-bomb-180983871/Residents found the German explosive in a backyard garden in Plymouth, EnglandThu, 29 Feb 2024 21:32:34 +0000Odysseus Moon Lander Is Powering Down After 'Very Successful' Missionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/odysseus-moon-lander-is-powering-down-after-very-successful-mission-180983877/The history-making spacecraft landed on its side, but it spent nearly a week sending data and images back from the moon—and engineers may try to make contact again after the lunar night is overThu, 29 Feb 2024 20:07:18 +0000The Decimal Point Is 150 Years Older Than Previously Thought, Medieval Manuscript Revealshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/decimal-point-may-be-150-years-older-than-we-thought-180983863/A Venetian merchant used the mathematical symbol while calculating the positions of planets between 1441 and 1450Thu, 29 Feb 2024 19:17:57 +0000Don Henley of the Eagles Testifies That 'Very Personal' Handwritten Lyrics Were Stolenhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/eagles-don-henley-testifies-that-very-personal-hotel-california-lyric-pages-were-stolen-180983866/The musician learned about the alleged theft when the drafts started appearing at auctions in 2012Thu, 29 Feb 2024 18:12:04 +0000A Serpentine 'Explosion' 125 Million Years Ago Primed Snakes for Rapid, Diverse Evolutionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-serpentine-explosion-125-million-years-ago-primed-snakes-for-rapid-diverse-evolution-180983857/Researchers say an evolutionary "singularity" led to several small, quick changes in snake species, from legless bodies and flexible skulls to chemical-sensing abilitiesThu, 29 Feb 2024 16:20:10 +00007,000 Humpback Whales May Have Starved to Death During the 'Blob' Heatwavehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/7000-humpback-whales-may-have-starved-to-death-during-the-blob-heatwave-180983870/The unprecedented marine heat between 2013 and 2016 in the North Pacific likely drove the whales' 20 percent decline, a trend revealed by citizen science observationsThu, 29 Feb 2024 13:10:05 +0000Star Wars Fans Can Soon Bid on C-3PO's Headhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/star-wars-fans-can-bid-on-an-c-3pos-head-180983860/Actor Anthony Daniels wore the golden helmet while playing the iconic droid in 'Return of the Jedi'Wed, 28 Feb 2024 21:48:31 +0000The World's Smallest Vertebrate Is a Tiny Brazilian Frog, Study Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-worlds-smallest-vertebrate-is-a-tiny-brazilian-frog-study-finds-180983867/Adult male Brazilian flea toads are just over 7 millimeters long on average, and females measure about 8.15 millimetersWed, 28 Feb 2024 20:54:02 +0000Archaeologists Discover Burnt Porridge Inside a 5,000-Year-Old Clay Pothttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-pot-found-in-germany-has-5000-year-old-leftovers-inside-180983840/The leftovers shed new light on the dietary habits of residents of a village in GermanyWed, 28 Feb 2024 18:46:45 +0000Watch This Year's 'Dance Your PhD' Contest Winner, a Musical Celebration of Kangaroo Behaviorhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/watch-this-years-dance-your-phd-contest-winner-a-musical-celebration-of-kangaroo-behavior-180983865/“Kangaroo Time” took home the competition’s overall prize, while interpretive dances on early life adversity, circadian rhythms and streambank erosion were also honoredWed, 28 Feb 2024 18:26:12 +000036 Famous Authors Co-Wrote a Pandemic Novel. Can You Guess Who Drafted Each Section?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/36-famous-authors-pandemic-novel-margaret-atwood-douglas-preston-180983858/Margaret Atwood, R.L. Stine and John Grisham are among the writers who collaborated on "Fourteen Days," which follows a group of New Yorkers who gather on a Manhattan rooftop to swap stories beginning in March 2020Wed, 28 Feb 2024 15:52:35 +0000Asteroid Hit by NASA Spacecraft Was Reshaped by the Collision, Study Findshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/asteroid-hit-by-nasa-spacecraft-was-reshaped-by-the-collision-study-finds-180983861/Instead of forming a crater, the agency's intentional DART crash redistributed massive amounts of the asteroid and shot large quantities of rock into spaceWed, 28 Feb 2024 13:18:56 +0000Archaeologists Unearth 'Incredibly Rare' Roman-Era Clay Figurine of the God Mercuryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-uncover-an-incredibly-rare-roman-era-clay-head-of-the-god-mercury-180983849/The excavations led to the discovery of a previously unknown ancient Roman settlement in EnglandTue, 27 Feb 2024 21:32:17 +0000This Tiny Fish Can Make Sounds That Rival an Airplane or an Elephant—Now, Scientists Know Howhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-tiny-fish-can-make-sounds-that-rival-an-airplane-or-an-elephant-now-scientists-know-how-180983859/Transparent and just half an inch long, male Danionella cerebrum can make noises of more than 140 decibelsTue, 27 Feb 2024 21:07:00 +0000DNA Reveals Presence of Down Syndrome in Ancient Societyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dna-reveals-presence-of-down-syndrome-in-ancient-society-180983835/The burials of infants with Down syndrome in Europe provide insight into how babies with genetic conditions were cared for in premodern times, according to a new studyTue, 27 Feb 2024 20:22:59 +0000These Were the Most—and Least—Popular National Parks in 2023https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/most-and-least-popular-national-parks-2023-180983850/The National Park Service recorded 325,498,646 recreation visits across 400 sites, which is close to pre-pandemic levelsTue, 27 Feb 2024 20:02:30 +0000This Cézanne Mural Was Hidden in the Walls of the Artist's Family Homehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-cezanne-mural-was-hidden-in-the-walls-of-the-artists-southern-france-home-180983831/Workers found fragments of a naval scene while renovating the mansion in the south of FranceTue, 27 Feb 2024 16:17:48 +0000Gene-Edited Pork Could Be Coming Soon to Your Dinner Platehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gene-edited-pork-could-be-coming-soon-to-your-dinner-plate-180983846/Scientists are using CRISPR technology to make pigs immune to a deadly virus—and they're hoping for FDA approval by early next yearTue, 27 Feb 2024 15:31:32 +0000Scientists Discover How Some Whales Can Sing While Holding Their Breath Underwaterhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-discover-how-some-whales-can-sing-while-holding-their-breath-underwater-180983836/Baleen whales have evolved unique voice boxes essential for song, a new study finds—but these low-frequency vocalizations must compete with the noise of humans' shipsTue, 27 Feb 2024 13:00:00 +0000Metal Detectorist Finds Rare 1,500-Year-Old Gold Ring in Denmarkhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/metal-detectorist-discovers-a-rare-1500-year-old-gold-ring-in-denmark-180983830/The distinctly decorated artifact may be linked to a powerful family in the area with ties to the MerovingiansMon, 26 Feb 2024 21:11:17 +0000Joro Spiders, Spreading in the Southeast, Can Survive Surprisingly Well in Citieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/joro-spiders-spreading-in-the-southeast-can-survive-surprisingly-well-in-cities-180983845/Unlike most spiders, the hustle and bustle of urban areas doesn’t seem to disturb the non-native Joros, a new study findsMon, 26 Feb 2024 20:30:02 +0000See Stunning Photos of the Rolling Stones Found in a London Lofthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-london-art-gallery-is-showing-never-before-seen-photos-of-the-rolling-stones-180983825/The previously unseen images of the band are going on display in a new exhibition, "Elegantly Wasted"Mon, 26 Feb 2024 20:07:29 +0000Flaco, the Famous Owl That Escaped the Central Park Zoo, Dies After Hitting a Buildinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/flaco-the-famous-owl-that-escaped-the-central-park-zoo-dies-after-hitting-a-building-180983847/The Eurasian eagle-owl had been living free in New York City after someone cut the wires on his zoo cage last yearMon, 26 Feb 2024 18:27:29 +0000A Japanese American Incarceration Camp in Colorado Is America’s Newest National Parkhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/japanese-american-incarceration-camp-in-colorado-is-americas-newest-national-park-180983843/More than 10,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned at the Granada Relocation Center, also known as Amache, during World War IIMon, 26 Feb 2024 16:42:34 +0000Neanderthals Made a Special Glue to Engineer Grips for Stone Tools, Study Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/neanderthals-made-a-special-glue-to-engineer-grips-for-stone-tools-study-suggests-180983838/An analysis of forgotten museum artifacts reveals the oldest evidence of a complex adhesive in EuropeMon, 26 Feb 2024 15:55:26 +0000Fire Destroys Museum Honoring Legendary Blues Musician Mississippi John Hurthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fire-destroys-museum-honoring-legendary-blues-musician-mississippi-john-hurt-180983839/The three-room shack in the town of Avalon, Mississippi, was once the singer and guitarist's homeFri, 23 Feb 2024 21:45:32 +0000An American Spacecraft Successfully Lands on the Moon for the First Time Since 1972https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/an-american-spacecraft-successfully-lands-on-the-moon-for-the-first-time-since-1972-180983841/After a tense touchdown process with last-minute changes, U.S.-based company Intuitive Machines received a signal from its uncrewed Odysseus lunar lander on Thursday eveningFri, 23 Feb 2024 20:32:43 +0000Abraham Lincoln Pardoned Joe Biden's Great-Great-Grandfather, 160-Year-Old Records Revealhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/abraham-lincoln-pardoned-joe-bidens-great-great-grandfather-documents-reveal-180983837/Historian David J. Gerleman discovered the link between the two presidents while reviewing historic documents at the National ArchivesFri, 23 Feb 2024 19:44:02 +0000More Giant Pandas Are Coming to the U.S. in a New Loan From Chinahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-giant-pandas-are-coming-to-the-us-in-a-new-loan-from-china-180983842/China plans to send a male and a female panda to the San Diego Zoo as early as this summer, and negotiations are underway for pandas' possible return to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.Fri, 23 Feb 2024 19:13:39 +0000See 15 Otherworldly Images From the Underwater Photographer of the Year Awardshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-15-otherworldly-images-from-the-underwater-photographer-of-the-year-awards-180983832/A hunting monkey, 'kissing' scorpionfish and playful dolphins feature in just a few of the 130 striking photographs distinguished with honors in the competitionFri, 23 Feb 2024 17:25:19 +0000Divers Recover Bell From Wreck of American Destroyer Sunk in World War Ihttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/divers-recover-bell-from-underwater-wreck-of-wwi-american-destroyer-180983827/Sixty-four American sailors died when a German torpedo hit the USS "Jacob Jones" on December 6, 1917Fri, 23 Feb 2024 13:00:00 +0000Graves of Roman Family Held Jewelry, Coins and 'Exquisite' Vials for Storing Mourners' Tearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/graves-of-this-roman-family-held-a-valuable-medallion-and-vials-for-collecting-mourners-tears-180983826/Archaeologists in Bulgaria unearthed the remains of three individuals interred with rare treasures dating to the third centuryThu, 22 Feb 2024 21:09:12 +0000The Smithsonian’s Human Remains Task Force Calls for New Repatriation Policieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/smithsonian-human-remains-task-force-calls-for-new-repatriation-policies-180983829/The report provides recommendations regarding the return of human remains in the Institution’s collectionsThu, 22 Feb 2024 19:50:45 +000038,000 Sandhill Cranes Flock to Nebraska in a Record-Breaking Start to Spring Migrationhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/38000-sandhill-cranes-flock-to-nebraska-in-a-record-breaking-start-to-spring-migration-180983833/Wildlife biologists counted the birds—likely lured by the region’s mild winter temperatures—during their first aerial survey of the seasonThu, 22 Feb 2024 19:30:05 +0000A New Digital Archive Will Preserve Stunning Murals and Street Art in the U.K.https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-digital-archive-is-documenting-important-works-of-street-art-in-the-uk-180983816/Art U.K. is aiming to digitize and compile images of an ephemeral form of artThu, 22 Feb 2024 17:46:02 +0000ADHD Traits Might Have Helped Hunter-Gatherers Collect More Food While Foraging, Study Suggestshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/adhd-traits-might-have-helped-hunter-gatherers-collect-more-food-while-foraging-study-suggests-180983824/Participants who self-reported ADHD behaviors were better at an online berry-picking game than those who did not report such traitsThu, 22 Feb 2024 17:00:10 +0000