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Weather

The Bering Strait is a narrow waterway between Russia and Alaska that connects the Pacific and Arctic oceans.

Could Building a Dam Across the Bering Strait Save the Planet From Some Effects of Climate Change?

A preliminary study suggests that blocking off the waterway between Russia and Alaska could help the survival of a key system of ocean currents. But there could be potential unforeseen consequences, particularly to marine ecosystems

Left to right: Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha placed second, Kenya's Sabastian Sawe placed first, and Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo placed third

Two Athletes Smashed a Marathon Milestone, Running 26.2 Miles in Under Two Hours. Here’s the Science Behind Their Achievements

An intense training regimen, good weather conditions, physiology and lightweight shoes probably played a role in their astounding performances during the London Marathon on Sunday

Amud 7 was discovered in a cave in Israel in 1992.

Neanderthal Kids Grew Up So Fast—at Least Compared With Their Human Peers—Thanks to Genetic Adaptations to Their Environment

Scientists think Neanderthal children may have had faster growth rates because larger bodies tend to retain heat more effectively than smaller ones

A young living root bridge, barely a decade old, is seen from the deck of a much older root bridge on the same riverbed. Five months after I shot this photograph, monsoon rains triggered a landslide that sent boulders crashing into the younger bridge. It absorbed the impact and shielded the older bridge downstream.

In One of the Wettest Places on the Planet, Indigenous People Build Bridges and Ladders Out of Living Tree Roots

For hundreds of years, Khasi and Jaintia people in Meghalaya, India, have woven the roots of Indian rubber trees into structures that help them navigate flooded areas

This year marks the fourth time the waterfalls have flowed in the past 15 years.

Rooted in the American West: Food, History and Culture

These Mesmerizing Waterfalls Flow Only Every Few Years. See the Rare Marvel Now in Southwest Utah

Gunlock Reservoir has exceeded 105 percent of its capacity. As a result, water is spilling onto the red rock boulders below, creating an unusual natural phenomenon just in time for spring break

Common eastern bumblebee queens use underwater breathing and anaerobic metabolism to survive when submerged.

Bumblebee Queens Breathe Underwater to Survive Drowning, Revealing How They Can Live Submerged for a Week

After scientists accidentally discovered that the common eastern bumblebee can withstand flood conditions, they wanted to investigate what makes that super-ability possible

In laboratory studies, coronae emit a faint blue light from the tips of spruce needles. In nature, ambient light drowns out this glow, so researchers used a special camera to detect invisible, ultraviolet emissions. 

Treetops Emit Ultraviolet Sparkles During Thunderstorms. Researchers Just Filmed It in Nature for the First Time

The weather events probably cause the air around leaves to produce weak electrical discharges

Couples kissed beneath the arch for luck, according to local legend.

Couples Have Been Kissing Under the Lovers’ Arch in Italy for Years. On Valentine’s Day, It Collapsed Into the Sea

The iconic rock formation crumbled after days of raging storms. Local officials are calling for new initiatives to help slow coastal erosion in the region

The sewn hide, pictured from the front and the back, alongside another hide artifact from Cougar Mountain Cave

New Research

These 12,000-Year-Old Scraps of Elk Hide May Be the World’s Oldest Known Examples of Sewing

Indigenous groups in present-day Oregon stitched the fragments together using cord made from plant fiber and animal hair. Experts think they may have been part of a garment, bag, container or portable shelter

A combination of warm weather, torrential rain and a recent dry spell probably contributed to the low snowpack.

Snow Drought Hits the Western United States, Worrying Experts About the Region’s Water Supply

Snow melt from the mountains provides up to 75 percent of the West’s yearly water

Icicles form on a fence and reflect the blue sky after an ice storm.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Get an Eyeful of These 15 Photos of Incredibly Cool Icicles

Nature’s wintry accessory, icicles help beautify snowy landscapes

A stellar snowflake photomicrographed by Wilson Bentley, circa 1890

These 15 Stunning Microscopic Snowflake Images Helped Change the Way We See the World

Farmer Wilson Bentley was the first to photograph the tiny snow crystals individually, and his collection reveals that each has its own pattern

A young learner explores an exhibit at the 2024 National Weather Festival, hosted by the National Weather Center, which is located in Norman but unaffiliated with the National Weather Museum.

This Is the Only Museum Dedicated to Weather Artifacts in America. It May Shut Down Due to Funding Shortages

The Oklahoma institution, which preserves and displays historic weather-related objects, is asking for donations from the public

Mars regularly experiences dust storms, like this one captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2012. Scientists say they found evidence of "mini lightning" during some of these storms.

Scientists Say These Small Electrical Discharges May Be the First Direct Evidence of Lightning on Mars

Rather than big bolts of lightning as seen on Earth, NASA’s Perseverance rover recorded audio of small zaps similar to those from static electricity

This glimpse of the northern lights was captured in Missouri on November 11, 2025.

The Sun Erupted With the Year’s Largest Solar Flare This Week, and Space Weather-Fueled Aurora Activity Could Continue

The last in a series of three coronal mass ejections hit Earth on Wednesday, so experts are keeping an eye on geomagnetic storm potential

The Edmund Fitzgerald measured 729 feet long and had a gross tonnage of 13,632.

Nobody Knows What Sank the ‘Edmund Fitzgerald.’ But Its Doomed Final Voyage Will Always Be America’s Defining Shipwreck

Fifty years after the freighter disappeared into the depths of Lake Superior, the mystery of its demise—and the mournful ballad it inspired—still haunt the popular imagination

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There's More to That

The ‘Edmund Fitzgerald’ Sank Half a Century Ago. We’re Still Fascinated

A massive freighter carrying thousands of tons of iron ore disappeared in Lake Superior, setting shipping on a new course

Archaeologist Rick Knecht (right), shown here in 2019, has been working with community members in Quinhagak, Alaska, to excavate and preserve artifacts from a site called Nunalleq, which was likely inhabited by Yup’ik ancestors from around 1300 to 1650 C.E.

A Storm Battered Western Alaska, Scattering Thousands of Indigenous Artifacts Across the Sand

Archaeologists and community members in Quinhagak are racing to recover as many Yup’ik objects as possible

A satellite image of Hurricane Melissa arriving in Jamaica

One of the Strongest Hurricanes on Record Pummeled Jamaica and Continues to Wreak Havoc in the Caribbean

The Caribbean’s unusually hot waters allowed Hurricane Melissa to intensify rapidly, officials say

New research reveals that Earth's Northern Hemisphere is growing darker faster than the Southern Hemisphere is.

Earth Is Getting Dimmer—and the Northern Hemisphere Is Losing Brightness Faster Than Scientists Expected

New research challenges the idea that the hemispheres’ matching brightness is a fundamental property of the planet

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