Articles

How America's Public Parks Were Born

Learn how Central Park, the first of its kind, was given a completely visionary design that's since influenced cities around the country

Being a blood fluke is more popular than you might expect.

How Parasites Became So Popular

A new study finds that parasitism evolved independently 223 times. But that number is actually surprisingly low

Tiny nurse ants tending to white ant larvae are dwarfed by the queen ant in the upper right. All the ants feed upon protein-rich food produced by a white-grey fungus that they cultivate underground.

Were Ants the World's First Farmers?

A new study shows that a group of ants have been conducting a subsistence type of farming since shortly after the dinosaurs died out

Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

Commentary

Should We Hate Poetry?

It was precisely because poetry wasn’t hated that Plato feared it, writes the Smithsonian’s senior historian David Ward, who loves poetry

History of Now

What the Candidates (and Journalists) Can Learn From the 1948 Democratic Convention

The first time television was beamed into millions of homes meant that presidential politics would have to change

"Fading Thoughts" by Andrew Myers

Please Touch the Art: This Artist Creates Tactile Portraits for the Blind

Andrew Myers uses screws to make 3-D masterpieces for curious fingers

The Incredible Things a Hammerhead's Nose Can Do

A hammerhead shark is capable of detecting a single drop of fish oil in a body of water equivalent to an Olympic-size swimming pool

You ain't seen nothing yet.

There’s No Wrong Way to Make a Tadpole (or Froglet)

Marsupial frogs, “vomit frogs” and foam-spewers reveal the glorious range of frog baby-making techniques

What chemicals are hiding in your couch?

Why Chemicals in the U.S. Are Still “Innocent Until Proven Guilty”

A new chemical bill makes major strides, but doesn’t fix the root problem

David Amster-Olszewski, founder of SunShare, at one of the "solar gardens" his company built in Colorado

Future of Energy

Meet Eight Young Energy Innovators With Ingenious Ideas

From community "solar gardens" to energy pellets made from coffee grounds to a phone-charging device that you plug into soil

Republican Convention in session, Cleveland Public Auditorium, 1924

History of Now

When the GOP Picked a Nominee for Vice President, Only to Be Rejected

Their unrequited choice seemed utterly uninterested in the role

Visitors take a guided tour of the Barringer Meteorite Crater in northern Arizona.

American South

Big Boom: The Best Places to See Meteorite Impact Craters

Ancient impacts changed landscapes and perhaps even the course of evolution—here's where to see the coolest craters this summer

Move Over, Madagascar: This Island Has the World’s Greatest Concentration of Unique Mammals

The majority of them are found nowhere else on Earth, making Luzon a biological treasure trove

Rio's favelas, like Santa Marta (shown here), are no longer blank spaces on Google Maps.

Mapping Rio's Favelas

Ahead of the Olympics, Google and a Brazilian nonprofit have been recruiting locals to pinpoint businesses and other landmarks in the city's shantytowns

Giant sauropods' feet didn't just leave footprints for future paleontologists to find, but changed landscapes entirely.

Journey to the Center of Earth

Dinosaurs Literally Reshaped The Planet

Dinos didn't just leave behind footprints and fossil bones—they also changed the landscapes in which they lived

A typical night market in Taiwan.

The Best Night Markets for Midnight Snacking in Taipei

Go light on dinner, these magnificent markets add rich flavor to Taipei's nightlife

Learning about bugs at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio.

Age of Humans

Americans Think National Parks Are Worth Way More Than We Spend On Them

An independent survey finds that although NPS's annual budget is around $3 billion, Americans are willing to pay much more

One of the ingredients of the ancient Roman burger? Ground pistachios.

Taste-Testing the History of the Hamburger

One intrepid reporter cooked three different versions of the burger to uncover just when, exactly, the sandwich was invented

The key to the Bastille, as held in Mount Vernon's collections.

How the Key to the Bastille Ended Up in George Washington’s Possession

A gift from an old friend is one of Mount Vernon’s most fascinating objects

Ducks: We rule the world.

Defying Stereotypes, Ducklings Are as Clever as They Are Cute

Newborn ducks understand abstract concepts such as sameness and difference with no training whatsoever

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