Articles

Admas. From left, clockwise: Abegasu Shiota, Henock Temesgen, Tewodros Aklilu, and Yousef Tesfaye.

Smithsonian Voices

Why the Newly Released 1980s Album 'Sons of Ethiopia,' by the Ethiopian D.C. Band Admas, Is Going Viral

Admas draws from and rearranges “golden era” Ethiopian music with then-fairly-new synthesizer and drum-machine rhythms.

Alan Shepard, who was both an astronaut and a golf lover, said he got the idea while training for his Apollo 14 mission. “I thought: What a neat place to whack a golf ball.”

When Astronaut Alan Shepard Hit the Golf Shot Heard 'Round the World

“The Moon is one big sand trap,” the astronaut said after he brought the game to a new frontier

A patient holds a sample test tube for Chlamydia testing.

Covid-19

How Covid-19 Has Hurt the Effort to Track STDs

As gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia have hit their highest marks in decades, many STD contact tracers have shifted to work on the pandemic

This is a giant spindle magnetofossil, created by a mysterious creature over 50 million years ago. So far, the iron fossils have only been found during two periods of intense global warming.

Smithsonian Voices

New Way to Study Magnetic Fossils Could Help Unearth Their Origins

Now that scientists can detect these fossils in geologic materials faster, they will be able to look for past evidence of the fossils more efficiently

The Dollar lift was 2,360 feet long and rose 634 feet in elevation.

How a Railroad Engineer From Nebraska Invented the World's First Ski Chairlift

The device was part of an elaborate plan on behalf of Union Pacific to boost passenger rail travel in the American West

These five skulls, which range from an approximately 2.5-million-year-old Australopithecus africanus on the left to an approximately 4,800-year-old Homo sapiens on the right, show changes in the size of the braincase, slope of the face and shape of the brow ridges over just less than half of human evolutionary history.

An Evolutionary Timeline of Homo Sapiens

Scientists share the findings that helped them pinpoint key moments in the rise of our species

Giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji experiences snow for the first time just beyond his indoor exhibit on Sunday. Though he did not venture further, his parents Mei Xiang and Tian Tian played around outside.

Watch Giant Pandas and Other Zoo Animals Frolic in the Snow

The weekend's winter snowfall in Washington, D.C. delighted the giant pandas, red pandas, Andean bears and other critters at the National Zoo

An artist's rendering of the five-planet system that orbits star HD 108236, or TOI-1233. In the foreground is a hot, rocky planet that resembles Earth.

Balancing Homework and A.P. Classes, These High Schoolers Discovered Four Exoplanets

Thanks to a Harvard-Smithsonian mentoring program, high school students Kartik Pinglé and Jasmine Wright helped discover new worlds

A group of freed African American men along a wharf during the Civil War.

How to Tell 400 Years of Black History in One Book

From 1619 to 2019, this collection of essays, edited by two of the nation's preeminent scholars, shows the depth and breadth of African American history

Matthew McConaughey joins Gayle King for a Smithsonian Asssociates Streaming event on February 10 to discuss his new memoir.

Smithsonian Voices

An Evening With Matthew McConaughey and 26 Other Virtual Smithsonian Events in February

An evening with Matthew McConaughey, multi-part courses, studio arts classes and virtual study tours

Quarterback Trent Edwards of the Buffalo Bills suffers a concussion after getting hit during the first half of an NFL game.

How a Damaged Drainage System May Lead to More Severe Concussions

Emerging research suggests that even mild hits to the head may damage tiny lymphatic vessels that clear toxic chemicals and cellular debris from the brain

German aviation company Lilium promises its future fleet of air taxis will be inaudible from the ground when flying above 400 meters.

Air & Space Magazine

A Fleet of Air Taxis Is Coming to Central Florida by 2025

For future trips from Orlando to Tampa, consider the high road

This month's picks include The Ravine, Four Lost Cities and The Three Mothers.

Books of the Month

Civil Rights Icons' Mothers, Lost Ancient Cities and Other New Books to Read

These February releases elevate overlooked stories and offer insights on oft-discussed topics

Paredon Records produced music that was literally revolutionary.

From the 'Sidedoor' Podcast: How a Woman-Led Record Label Spread Songs of Protest and Revolution

This episode from the sixth season of the Smithsonian's "Sidedoor" podcast delves into the history of Barbara Dane's revolutionary Paredon Records

The Tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus, is a unique reptile found in New Zealand. New research suggests the species has two mitochondrial genomes.

Smithsonian Voices

Scientists Discover This Peculiar New Zealand Reptile Has Two 'Powerhouse' Genomes

The research could help zoologists understand what makes tuataras so genetically different from all other reptiles.

Author, teacher and certified genealogical lecturer LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson will share best practices in using probate and other estate records to research enslaved ancestors.

Kick Off Black History Month With Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain and a Host of Other Events

Join Smithsonian's NMAAHC for book talks, kid programs, artist meetups and a STEM Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon

Reptile keepers are warming up to a new monitor lizard this winter, a young Komodo dragon named Onyx.

Smithsonian Voices

How to Care for Komodo Dragons, the World's Largest Lizards

The Smithsonian's National Zoo is warming up to a new monitor lizard this winter, a young Komodo dragon named Onyx

This image diagrams the difference between human and chimpanzee models of thumb muscles, which the researchers used to study the evolution of thumb dexterity.

How Dexterous Thumbs May Have Helped Shape Evolution Two Million Years Ago

Fossils and biochemical models show tool-wielding hominins used their hands like we do today

Signals from smartwatches can help catch infections early.

Covid-19

Can Smartwatches Be Adapted to Help Detect Covid-19 Infections?

With new algorithms, wearable devices—collecting vital signs like heart rate and skin temperature—could catch illness early

Xavier Viramontes, Boycott Grapes, Support the United Farm Workers Union, 1973, offset lithograph on paper

Smithsonian Voices

Curators Weigh In on the Making of the Landmark Exhibition 'Printing the Revolution!'

Exploring the origins of the exhibition that combines innovative printmaking practices with social justice

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