Articles

Why Spider Monkeys Only Have Four Fingers

Unlike virtually every other primate, spider monkeys have no thumbs, which could snag on the branches

When Fresh Air Went Out of Fashion at Hospitals

How the hospital went from luxury resort to windowless box

The orientation of the layers in this protective composite material were inspired by the queen conch shell

This Conch-Shell Inspired Material Could Make Helmets and Body Armor Safer

Scientists from MIT are using structures that evolved over millions of years to strengthen protective gear

Remember the first time Dad took you sledding? Now it's time to take him somewhere special.

For Father's Day, Take Dad on a Tour of the Smithsonian Museums

Our featured tour: With Dad

iForest is an immersive sound experience located at The Wild Center in the Adirondacks.

This Forest Will Sing to You

iForest at The Wild Center combines an immersive sound experience with the lush beauty of the Adirondacks

The bird feathers attached to artifacts in the John Wesley Powell collection can give anthropologists further insight into customs and trade.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Telling the Story of 19th-Century Native American Treasures Through Bird Feathers

Famed explorer John Wesley Powell’s archive of his 19th century travels is newly examined

Mad Max: Fury Road offers a dystopian look at the future.

Art Meets Science

What Happens to Fiction When Our Worst Climate Nightmares Start Coming True?

Movies, books and poetry have made predictions about a future that could be rapidly approaching

Ancient DNA revolutionized archaeology. Now, researchers think they can use it to create a GPS system for the remains of the long-dead.

New Research

Ancient DNA Could Unravel the Mystery of Prehistoric European Migration

New research pinpoints the geographic origins of ancient Eurasians, showing how the continent’s population changed

Dr. John Cushman with the flow battery

Pour to Recharge Your Electric Vehicle

Purdue University scientists have created a liquid-based battery that could one day be recharged at a gas station pump in just minutes

When it comes to a crowdsourcing campaign, food might be an easier sell than feces. “Food is this amazing platform because we all have a connection to it, we all can relate,” says microbiologist Rachel Dutton. Not that poop isn't relatable, but, you know.

New Research

You Are What You Eat, And What You Eat Is Millions of Microbes

Now that they’ve tallied up American feces, researchers are turning to the other half of the microbial equation: food

This Human Feature Gives Squirrel Monkeys Their Precise Grip

Squirrel monkeys find it easy to leap fearlessly from one distant branch to another, some over 130 feet high. Their secret? Human-like fingerprints

The astronauts of "2001: A Space Odyssey" hide in a pod to discuss the troubling behavior of their spacecraft's artificial intelligence, HAL 9000. In the background, HAL is able to read their lips.

Ask Smithsonian

When We Go to Mars, Will We Have a Real-Life HAL 9000 With Us?

How generations of NASA scientists were inspired by an evil Hollywood supercomputer

An artist's impression of the Restore-L craft, a space-based refueling station that will give new life to old satellites.

NASA Is Sending a Robotic Fueling Station to Space

How do you save a billion-dollar satellite? Send another robot up there after it

Don't stop slathering on the sunblock, but a technology being developed in the lab could add an additional layer of protection, by tanning skin cells without UV rays.

Researchers Give Skin Cells a Tan—Without the Sun

Without damaging UV rays, the artificial tan could give that golden glow while protecting against skin cancer.

Brigitte Kowanz, Light Steps.

Art Installations Transform a Historic Venetian Island

San Clemente Island in the Lagoon of Venice, a former refuge for crusaders and a hospice for plague victims, opens an island-wide art show

The only way Robert Smalls could ensure that his family would stay together was to escape.

The Thrilling Tale of How Robert Smalls Seized a Confederate Ship and Sailed it to Freedom

He risked his life to liberate his family and became a legend in the process

Compared with the trees, lianas are able to put more energy into the production of leaves and seeds and less towards growing a trunk.

Tarzan's Favorite Mode of Travel, the Liana Vine, Chokes Off a Tree's Ability to Bear Fruit

With lowered fruit production, fewer seeds are dispersed to grow new trees

Aphra Behn made a name for herself in Restoration-era England, writing bawdy plays that were wildly popular.

The Spy Who Became England’s First Successful Female Writer

Aphra Behn made a name for herself in Restoration-era England, when most women still relied on their husbands

Don't Be Jealous of These Oyster-Slurping Beach Monkeys

Long-tailed macaques spend much of the day frolicking on tropical sands and taking a dip in the ocean to cool off

Marine algae blooms like these in the northern Ross Sea are often vast enough to be visible from space.

Future of Conservation

Who Owns Antarctica's Pristine Oceans?

How humans finally stopped squabbling and protected one of the world's most pristine marine areas

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