Articles

More like not-so-great white shark. Like today's sharks, prehistoric sharks sported a vast array of body sizes, shapes, and ornamentations.

Megalodon Wasn't the Only Impressive Shark in the Prehistoric Seas

No longer thought of as "living fossils," ancient sharks sported a crazy amount of variety

Darwin, described by caretakers as a bit "goofy," befriended even the Zoo's cassowary, widely considered one of the world's most dangerous birds.

The National Zoo’s Beloved, Aging Emu Has Died

Darwin delighted zoo patrons for 21 years with his clever antics and charisma

LIDAR can detect changes in the ground over time.

Driverless Car Technology Could Help Find Unmarked Graves

The same LIDAR technology that lets driverless cars "see" their surroundings can be used to spot changes in a landscape indicative of grave sites

Nine Travel Tips From Astronauts

What can terrestrial travelers learn from people who have been to space?

Ad Astra per Astra by America Meredith

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Meet the Little-Known Math Genius Who Helped America Reach the Stars

It’s time for Mary Golda Ross to be remembered as an aerospace pioneer

The Malama Kī Forest Reserve, seen from a helicopter, has been inundated with lava. What the lava hasn't covered, volcanic gases have browned, defoliated and suffocated.

How Volcanoes Reshape Ecosystems

Volcanic eruptions change the natural world in dramatic ways

The residents and tribal members of Isle de Jean Charles are the first federally-funded community to be moved because of environmental degradation and displacement.

Prospects Are Looking Up for This Gulf Coast Tribe Relocating to Higher Ground

As Louisiana’s Isle de Jean Charles slips away, the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribe plans community renewal and a museum for their new home

Early 20th century poster of magician Howard Thurston's spirit box illusion

Howard Thurston, the Magician Who Disappeared

Overshadowed by more famous contemporaries, the visionary behind “The Wonder Show of the Universe” left a far-reaching legacy

How This Brave Young Woman Saved Danish Jews From Nazis

Henny Sundø is a pivotal figure in the history of WWII Danish resistance. In 1943, aged just 19, she risked it all to make a daring journey in her boat

Former NFL center Samson Satele was born in Hawai‘i and played college football there. He’s one of a growing number of pro football players of Samoan descent.

The Roots of Samoans' Rise to Football Greatness

It all started in Hawaiʻi on Oahu's North Shore, where plantation managers and Mormon elders nurtured future generations of football stars

A 2017 Ducati motorcycle, a Panigale 1299 Superleggera, as-yet unridden, is on view at the Cooper Hewitt in New York City.

A Sensuous Blending of Style and Speed, This Ducati Is Both Art and Machine

An appreciation for the cognoscenti of motorcycles

A Rare Glimpse of Pre-War Army Life in Color

In 1939, America's military was far from the powerful force it is today, with just 600,000 servicemen

Zebra finches fire up brain regions and vibrate their vocal cords in ways that mimic singing, even while asleep.

Zebra Finches Dream a Little Dream of Melody

Zebra finches flex their singing muscles while snoozing, as if they're lip-syncing in their sleep—and scientists want to know why

The Wise U.S. Tactic Used to Win the Battle of Midway

For the U.S., the Battle of Midway wasn't just a turning point in the Pacific, it was also a brilliant naval gamble that paid off in spectacular fashion

Nancy by Olivia Jaimes for May 4, 2018

The Revamped "Nancy" Is the Perfect Comic Strip for 2018

The comic's first woman artist mines her own girlhood experience to make the eternally 8-year-old, cookie-loving grouch even funnier

Four Przewalski's horse foals—one filly and three colts—have been born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute since mid-March.

Four Foals Join the Herd of Przewalski’s Horses at the Smithsonian

This endangered species, native to Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan, is slowly being revitalized with the help of conservation scientists around the world.

A koala in the Vienna zoo.

Koalas Use Ancient Viral DNA to Neutralize New Invaders

And the research on the fluffy marsupials may help unlock the secrets of the human genome’s viral relics

Gambel's Quail makes its home in high, dry parts of the Mojave Desert. But like many bird species, it's struggling against the effects of climate change.

Climate Change Is Taking Down Birds in the Mojave Desert

New findings suggest increasingly dry conditions have halved Mojave's bird populations over the last century. It's a warning for the desert — and the world

Birds don’t fly across wide Amazonian rivers like the Rio Negro.

How Amazon Rivers Play a Role in the Evolution of Birds

Rivers are natural boundaries for evolving populations. But scientists don't agree whether they create new species or just help maintain them.

Deciding what, exactly, constitutes a wilderness in the ocean is not completely figured out, though some researchers are trying to find an answer.

Why the Ocean Needs Wilderness

A new study finds that only 13 percent of the ocean can be classified as "wilderness." But what does this even mean?

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