Articles

Computer-simulated global view of Venus.

Think Big

The Case for Going to Venus

Sending a probe to Earth’s lifeless twin could help us understand how life rises—and falls—on faraway planets

The prototype

Could This Be the Most Efficient Solar Panel Ever?

Taking advantage of temperatures upwards of 1,000 Celsius, these hot solar cells could produce twice as much energy as the industry standard

Researchers at Ohio State University have developed a technology for incorporating food waste into rubber.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

From Trash To Treads: Turning Tomato Peels and Eggshells Into Tires

Scientists at Ohio State University are replacing the petroleum-based filler in tires with food waste

The moral lessons of the story of “Beauty and the Beast” are the same as those found in many other folktales: virtue and hard work are rewarded; prodigal pride is punished; and marriage lasts happily ever after.

The Storied, International Folk History of Beauty and The Beast

Tales about a bride and her animal groom have circulated orally for centuries in Africa, Europe, India and Central Asia

How Buddha's Hair Inspired Burma's Most Sacred Site

The Shwedagon Pagoda is the most sacred site in Burma. Its origins can be traced back to the first millennium

Graceland mansion was home to Elvis Presley, and is located on a 13.8-acre estate in Memphis, Tennessee.

See Inside Graceland's $137-million Expansion

A complex fit for a king

American South

This Virginia Winery Once Housed One of WWII's Most Important Spy Stations

Speakeasies are so 2012—this place has actual secrets

An unemployed painter named Richard Lawrence attempted to assassinate President Andrew Jackson in January 1835.

The Attempted Assassination of Andrew Jackson

A madman, a conspiracy and a lot of angry politicians

One Writer Used Statistics to Reveal the Secrets of What Makes Great Writing

In his new book, data journalist Ben Blatt takes a by-the-numbers look at literary classics and finds some fascinating patterns

Group with flags in the forest: Michael Walter, Miklos Roth, Szlama Weichselblatt, Avram Leder, Halina Bryks, Naftali Steinberg, Roman Kniker, Jakob Kahan

This Orphanage Did More Than Find Homes for Children of the Holocaust. It Helped Them Reclaim Their Humanity

Run by the United Nations, Kloster Indersdorf took a revolutionary approach in caring for its charges

The Innovative Spirit fy17

The Patents and Trademarks Behind Lucky Charms Cereal

There's a lot of food science that goes into those marshmallow clovers

The Beast must learn to love someone else and be loved before the last petal falls on the Enchanted Rose in the tale of the new Disney film, Beauty and the Beast

Ask Smithsonian 2017

The Beast's Enchanted Rose Lasted a Decade. How Long Can a Real One Last?

A Smithsonian expert says the film's was undoubtedly a hybrid tea rose

Marianne North's Obsession with the Carnivorous Pitcher Plant

Painter Marianne North's obsession with local Borneo vegetation led her to one of the most unusual and rare plants in the world

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Scotland’s Newest Nature Trails Are Underwater

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is putting snorkelers up close with the country’s marine wildlife

Prison Ship Martyrs Monument

The Grisly History of Brooklyn's Revolutionary War Martyrs

The Prison Ship Martyrs Monument, a crypt in Fort Greene Park, may become part of the national park system

Ecologists tend to think of mobbing behavior as primarily a way that smaller birds protect their nests and chicks from larger predators. Shown here, a Willie wagtail attacking an Australian raven.

New Research

Why Do Male Birds Take on Larger Predators? Maybe Just to Impress the Ladies

Some mobbing behavior may be less about survival, and more about sexual selection

Nicholas II with guards outside the imperial palace.

Russian Revolution

The Abdication of Nicholas II Left Russia Without a Czar for the First Time in 300 Years

Events in Saint Petersburg 100 years ago brought the end to the Romanov dynasty

Planet launched 88 more satellites in February.

How Daily Images of the Entire Earth Will Change the Way We Look At It

With more satellites than any other company, Planet Labs gives environmental researchers daily data

"Numbers are a human invention, and they’re not something we get automatically from nature," says Caleb Everett.

The Innovative Spirit fy17

How Humans Invented Numbers—And How Numbers Reshaped Our World

Anthropologist Caleb Everett explores the subject in his new book, <em>Numbers and the Making Of Us</em>

Researchers scanned the brains of memorizers as they practiced tried-and-true memory techniques to see how their brains changed in response to their training.

New Research

Neuroscientists Unlock the Secrets of Memory Champions

Boosting your ability to remember lists, from facts to faces, is a matter of retraining your brain

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