Pandemic

Nadia and her sister Azul as cubs at the Bronx Zoo in 2016. Both tigers showed symptoms of COVID-19, and Nadia tested positive for the virus.

A Tiger in the Bronx Zoo Tested Positive for COVID-19

Nadia, a four-year-old Malayan tiger, is the first known animal to test positive for coronavirus in the United States

Times Square stands largely empty on March 22.

As COVID-19 Reshapes the World, Cultural Institutions Collect Oral Histories

Universities, libraries and museums are among the organizations seeking personal stories about the pandemic's effects on daily life

A person holds a sewn handmade fabric mask.

What Experts Know About Masks and COVID-19

The CDC recommends wearing a fabric mask in public where social distancing is difficult, like at the grocery store

Can you become immune to SARS-CoV-2?

What Scientists Know About Immunity to the Novel Coronavirus

Though COVID-19 likely makes recovered patients immune, experts aren't sure how long protection lasts

People cross Park Avenue after it was announced that some streets will be closed off as lockdown continues in response to the coronavirus outbreak on March 27, 2020 in New York City.

How—and When—Will the COVID-19 Pandemic End?

Americans have some time before social distancing measures can let up—and every day counts

Parks reopened in Wuhan on Thursday, March 26.

China Plans to Lift Lockdown on Wuhan, Where COVID-19 Was First Detected

With no new infections reported in Hubei province in recent days, restrictions are easing up—but experts worry about possible 'second wave' of cases

The Baldwins' home was reconstructed in 1966 and is now a museum showcasing the missionary's life in the mid-1800s.

Archaeologists Unearth Remnants of Kitchen Behind Oldest House Still Standing in Maui

The missionary who lived in the house during the mid-1800s delivered vaccinations to locals during a smallpox epidemic

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Covid-19

Providing historical context and scientific evidence as the pandemic unfolds

A protestor on Maui

Shutting Down Hawai‘i: A Historical Perspective on Epidemics in the Islands

A museum director looks to the past to explain why 'Aloha' is as necessary as ever

Warmer weather can bring blooms. But don't expect it to resolve the COVID-19 pandemic on its own.

Why Warmer Weather Probably Won’t Stop COVID-19

Yes, most infectious diseases are seasonal. But waiting for COVID-19 to wane on its own is a bad idea

Elizabeth Thomas's team moving between remote field camps via helicopter in Greenland in July 2018

How Scientists Are Keeping Irreplaceable Research Going During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The outbreak, and the travel bans and fears that come with it, have endangered long-running research projects

These Graphics Help Explain Why Social Distancing Is Critical

The positive outcomes won’t be immediately apparent, but will help reduce the strain on our healthcare system

Some stores have implemented special shopping hours for senior people and immunocompromised individuals.

Stores Launch Special Shopping Times for Seniors and Other Groups Vulnerable to COVID-19

But will that keep susceptible populations safe?

The Smithsonian's “Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World” exhibition is joining other efforts to combat misinformation about COVID-19 on multiple fronts. Volunteers, public programs and forthcoming content updates are providing visitors with access to credible and relevant information.

How Museums Can Help the Public Make Sense of Pandemics

We can’t let fear overrun science, says Sabrina Sholts, the Smithsonian’s curator of biological anthropology

Syndemic: The Little-Known Buzzword That Describes Our Troubled Times

A new report argues that the epidemics of obesity, undernutrition and climate change should be treated as one global mega-problem

The Next Flu Pandemic Might Come From Dogs

A new study found two strains of swine flu in sickly pups in China

"We can’t separate human health from the health of the natural world,” says Sabrina Sholts, a physical anthropologist and organizer of the Smithsonian's new show, "Outbreak."

How Globalization Changed the Way We Fight Disease

A new exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History explores the deadly past of global epidemics

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