Articles

Taste science ftw.

New Research

Winning Really Does Taste Sweet, Because Emotions Change Taste Perception

A study of hockey fans sampling ice cream may offer clues to the origins of emotional eating disorders

How does skin heal? You'll never look at a scab the same way again.

Ask Smithsonian

Ask Smithsonian: How Does Skin Heal?

The skin is an organ system that is unique to each individual, so not everyone heals the same way

Obama’s move to rename the U.S.'s highest peak was supported by Native and non-Native Alaskans alike.

Commentary

Denali and America's Long History of Using (or Not Using) Indian Names

In restoring the Athabaskan name to the country’s highest mountain, President Obama is among those who have wrestled with the issue

American South

The Oldest City in the United States

St. Augustine, Florida, was the first city founded by European settlers in North America

Why Puerto Rico's Killer Bees Stopped Killing

Upon their arrival in Puerto Rico, killer bees caused one human death a year. But something strange began to happen...they became gentler

Sure, it looks cute now, but a new study explores why babies influence their moms' DNA for years.

New Research

Baby’s Cells Can Manipulate Mom’s Body for Decades

An evolutionary approach may help scientists understand why mothers become genetic chimeras and how that affects their health

Emmett Till was murdered in Money, Mississippi, for allegedly flirting with a white woman.

Breaking Ground

Emmett Till's Open Casket Funeral Reignited the Civil Rights Movement

Mamie Till Mobley's decision for her slain son's ceremony was a major moment in Civil Rights history.

Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner's address book, circa 1950-1956

What’s Inside Jackson Pollock’s Address Book?

A new exhibition reveals the intimate details inside the “little black books” of some of America's great artists

Dancing with the flames.

Age of Humans

What the Evolution of Fire Can Teach Us About Climate Change

This Generation Anthropocene podcast looks at the history of fire and the ways the world changed once humans harnessed its power

The Andean cock-of-the-rock display is known for its unique mating behavior and is a favorite of birders.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Inca Road

Why Birdwatchers Flock to Ecuador

Home to the highest density of bird species per acre on Earth, the country is a birder's paradise

His eyes are still closed, which is normal. Cubs’ eyes generally open when they are 6 to 8 weeks old.

Panda Cub Is Growing Cuter and a Little More Black and White (Video)

The National Zoo releases another video of the ten-day-old cub

The fossils, encased in rock and sediment, were collected from marine rocks that date to around six million years ago before the Isthmus of Panama formed and a seaway connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

New Species of Ancient Dolphin Shows How the Animals Moved From Seas to Rivers

The newly discovered fossil gives scientists a fresh glimpse into the evolution of ocean life

Age of Humans

Are Floating Farms in Our Future?

A Barcelona design firm imagines a two-million-square-foot barge that would yield tons of vegetables, fruit and fish each year

An autumn day at Denali.

Age of Humans

Seven Ways Alaska Is Seeing Climate Change In Action

From raging fires to migrating villages, the Frozen North offers some of the most compelling signs of rapid warming

A New Pregnancy Test Can Predict Twins, Down Syndrome and More

A U.K. company is developing a urine test that analyzes patterns of proteins for information about the health of an expectant mother and her baby

The Innovative Spirit

This Bionic Suit May Be the Future of Prosthetics

Inventor Scott Summit is personalizing medical devices through 3D printing

At Indiana University, a team of scientists used this Roche 454 to sequence the 350 million base pairs of Theobroma cacao, the plant that gives us chocolate.

The World of Chocolate

The Big, Refrigerator-Sized Machine That Saved Chocolate

When cacao production was threatened by disease, the Mars candy company launched a global initiative to sequence the plant's genome

Take a Historic Ride Along California's Famous Route 1

Here are seven of the most interesting historic stops along California's scenic highway

Waves kicked up by Hurricane Dora pound a beachfront hotel in St. Augustine, Florida, in 1964.

Age of Humans

Tampa and Dubai May Be Due for Extreme "Grey Swan" Hurricanes

A new model combines historical data and physical modeling to find the risks of catastrophic storms in unexpected places

Ten years on, some of the scars that Katrina tore into coastal ecosystems persist, while others have healed. NASA's Landsat 8 satellite captured this image of the swamps and marshes that buffer New Orleans in August 2015.

Age of Humans

How Hurricane Katrina Redrew the Gulf Coast

While storms here are nothing new, human influence helped Katrina make Louisiana’s ecological problems worse

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